Birth By Sleep: Inherited Flames
by Mage of Hope
Summary: Eraqus' 4th apprentice, Ignis, signifies the fire element within her friends. Her skills aren't for speed or strength, however, she's great at defense and magic creativity! Join her as she learns that light isn't always good and that not all darkness is evil! Ventus x OC x Vanitas! Different worlds! Includes RWBY songs and crossovers! Has darker themes with each passing world!
1. Side Story: Snowfall

**Hey, everyone! I know that the new Kingdom Hearts 3 game is gonna come out sometime at the end of next month and I'm glad to say that I'm so excited! In fact, I've gotten so excited that my urge for writing a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction just rose!**

 **Please note that there is little to no romance in this story, and I am willing to hear out ideas from you all! Also, please note that I have not watched all of the Disney movies or even if I had, it's been a very long time since I watched them so my memory may be a little bit off. That said, I will not be going directly into the main story right now, only some side stories before the main storyline to get you guys a good idea of what my OC is like! Good? Good!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Ven! Ven! Ven! Ven! Ven! VEN! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S SNOWING!"

Groaning, Ventus blinked his eyes; having woken up by the familiar, cheerful cries from one of his best friends. His vision went blurry, but once he had his eyesight focused and his mind more awaken, he found himself staring back at the young-er, older girl sitting in his bed, excitedly urging him to wake up.

"Okay, okay, Ignis...I'm up..."

Watching him sit up on his bed, the girl named Ignis then stood up and removed herself from said bed to give Ventus space as she twirled and spun around in a sort of happy dance, humming a cheerful tune. With long, luscious and gorgeous bright scarlet red hair, Ignis's hair accessory was that of a red-orange hairband. The rest of her clothing was mostly light, metallic armor over a black tunic and a red windswept skirt with black shorts underneath. Her armor covered her chest, shoulders, parts of her skirt, and she even wore armored boots and gauntlets with black fingerless gloves. Her child-like eyes were a deep chocolate brown color and seem to wander everywhere as she took in every detail of Ventus' room.

Like her best friends, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, she, too, strove to become a Keyblade Master under the guidance of their Keyblade Master, Master Eraqus. Despite Ventus having arrived over half a year ago, she got along with him the most mainly due to them being close in age and because of their similar personalities as well as some of their similar interests. When he arrived, he was still getting used to the Land of Departure, so Ignis was the first to volunteer to take him to a tour, exploring all sorts of the land and getting him to open up to everyone else with her cheerful attitude.

"So...what's going on...?" wondered Ventus.

"No training today! Master Eraqus gave us a day off today!"

Ventus blinked and rubbed his head. "Huh. He normally doesn't do that unless necessary. What's the reason?"

"This! Snow! It's snowing! Look out your window!"

If Ventus hadn't been fully awake before, he was now as he suddenly pressed his face up against the window; in awe at the magnificent winter wonderland before him. The grassy lands of the Land of Departure were no longer green; replaced only by the sight of white everywhere. Even pressing his hands against the glass window could he feel the sheer cold temperature outside.

"...Well, I mean, it must have been snowing last night. It's not snowing right now, though," said Ignis, noting that it currently wasn't snowing, but that she was close to the truth.

"Wow...I don't remember much because of my amnesia, but...So this is snow..." whispered Ventus, glancing what view his window could provide. "What do you do with snow?"

"Simple! You play with it! You can make snowmen, snow angels, and...my favorite activity..." Ignis' face darkened as she rubbed her hands maliciously while chuckling darkly. **"Snowball fights."**

"Ignis...? You're kinda scaring me a bit..." admitted Ventus, backing into the corner of his bed, away from Ignis' frightening self.

"Oh! Sorry, I was just remembering something that happened last year!~ Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on! Let's, go, go-!"

"NOT SO FAST!" Aqua barged into the room, placing her hands on her hips. "I knew it. I figured you would try and get Ventus to coerce into your...your... _evil_ schemes for this year's snowfall."

"Evil?!" squeaked Ventus, now holding his bed covers as a sort of shield.

"Why, Aqua!~ I would never force Ven-Ven to do anything he'd dislike!" purred Ignis, shaking her head innocently.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the clearly excited girl, Aqua informed her, "Well, while Master Eraqus did grant us the day off, we all know you're going to go outside and that it's pointless to change your mind. Regardless, you two are helping me with breakfast before you can even think of heading outside."

"That's fine by me!"

"And you have to finish your chores for the day!"

That was when Ventus and Ignis started voicing their complaints. "Awww, really? It's our rare day off!"

"Yeah, and there's snow everywhere!"

"I don't wanna hear it!" spoke Aqua sharply, placing a palm in front of Ignis' face. "You still have your responsibilities. Only after you've completed your chores will I allow you two to go outside and play. And trust me, I KNOW you two will eventually."

"Is Terra and Master Eraqus in the dining room?" wondered Ventus.

"...Yes."

It wasn't a complete lie. Eraqus was definitely sitting in the dining room, meditating as usual until breakfast was served. However, Terra was outside, building a well-structured snow fortress for the inevitable event of the dreadful snowball fight awaiting for them. Last year was practically traumatic for both Terra and Aqua, and they were sure this year, they would be much more prepared. Last year's snowball fight with Aqua and Terra forming a team up against Ignis was...horrifying. For the two older Keyblade apprentices, it was like facing a gigantic horde of Heartless when it came to fighting Ignis in the snowball war. Aqua's magic was enough to last them the first few minutes of survival, and after that...they completely blacked out.

Last year's incident practically scarred the two elder apprentices, and it was going to get worse as Ignis would also be prepared herself. Knowing her, she would probably get Ventus on her snowball fighting team, which is bad. Granted, she did have a disadvantage in numbers the first time, but if they were right, it would be an even 2-on-2 battle. The best Aqua and Terra could do is prepare and hope for the best.

Several hours later, the four dressed-up Keyblade apprentices set out outside to enjoy their free snow day; with Ignis being the first to plant her face into the snow headfirst before rolling out and laughing happily. Wanting to try it out for himself, Ventus followed Ignis' example and found the snow to be cold, but cushy, almost like a rough cloud.

'It's snow, it's snow, it's snow!" giggled Ignis, squirming and laying about in the snow; small flutters landing on her body as she relished in the enjoyment of snow. Thanks to his snow coat, Ventus could hardly feel the cold, but understood what Ignis was saying and smiled, nodding his head.

For the next couple of hours, the four of them played around in the snow to their heart's content. Terra, Aqua, and Ignis taught Ventus various snow games and activities such as a snow sculpture contest, tic-tac-snow, and their personal favorite; using the Keyblade Gliders as snowboards to slide down a large snow hill. That way, if something goes wrong, they could always fly to safety.

And now, the impending doom of the snowball war...has begun.

"Ven! Unleash our fury on the enemy!" commanded Ignis, collecting a large chunk of snow and helping form many snowballs to use as arsenal. The two teams were now equal-to-equal on each other, and after several minutes in the snowball war, both teams' fortresses were on the verge of collapse. Thanks to Aqua and Terra preparing firsthand, they were safe, but Ignis' continued enthusiasm and Ventus' quick strikes had them on the corner a couple of times.

"Got it!" Once again, Ventus unleashed a large barrage of snowballs onto Terra and Aqua's fort until it could no longer be stable and collapsed, leaving both adults defenseless.

"WE'VE BEEN BREACHED!" announced Aqua, using her magic to desperately gather snow to make a more sturdy fortress.

"PREPARE FOR RETALIATION!" shouted Terra.

"TAKE NO PRISONERS!" ordered Ignis with a wide grin on her face before the snowball war commenced.

"Wow! I never knew a snowball fight could be so much fun!" shouted Ventus through all of the noise. "Hey, Ignis? Let's do this again next year!"

"Agreed!"

Having overheard Ventus' statement, Aqua and Terra paled and glanced at one another. Uh-oh, looks like they'll have to plan things out more carefully and swiftly for next year, especially with two slightly troublemakers moving about. If they caused this much damage this time, just how much will be for next time?

At the end of the day, everyone was thoroughly exhausted, with Eraqus being the only one relaxed and in full health, as he had spent the rest of his day sipping tea and reading books in his comfortable chair. He knew that his four pupils would be exhausted, so he had sure to prepare snacks and brew some hot chocolate and tea for them.

Sure enough, he was right as the four looked as though they had been through a war. A snowy war, to be precise. With Aqua and Ignis' fire magic, they heated themselves and the other boys up, but Eraqus insisted on them sitting near the fireplace as he retrieved the snacks and drinks for them.

His apprentices covered in blankets and chatting with one another as they ate and drank together warmed Eraqus' heart to the brim, and he found himself no need to join in the conversation as he relished in relaxing himself. They were still young and inexperienced, but gifted Keyblade wielders with much more potential to help others in the future with their pure lights. He will enjoy this moment to the best he can.

At least, until their rough training begins yet again tomorrow morning.

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 **So? How was it? Not that long a chapter, I know, but like I said earlier, this is just a side story! And now you know more about Ignis! Yay! Great, now I'm starting to sound like her!**

 **Anyways, if you've got any ideas for her or her side of the story, please feel free to inform me! I already decided her stats and her abilities, so hopefully, you guys don't mind!**

 **Read and review!**


	2. Side Story: Tales

**Wow, I'm glad that a lot of people love this story already! Maybe it's because of the fact that a fourth player caught their attention, a fire member to complete the circle of elements! Well, whatever case is, here comes the next filler chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! All nicknames Ignis mentions to her friends are references from NicoB's Let's Play of Birth By Sleep!**

* * *

 **DING!**

"You have dishonored my temple for the last time, Swift One!"

"It is you who brings much shame, Crazed Bender!"

"HIYAAAAAA!"

"HOAAAAAAAAAA!"

This was it. The ultimate battle between Ignis and Ventus. A final clash to determine the winner and claim their prize once and for all. Something worth fighting for in their epic clash together as they fought with sweat, blood, and tears.

And they were fighting with long sticks.

"...What are they doing?" Aqua asked, sitting down on the stairways to the main building which was their home. Terra happened to be sitting down as well and watching the childish fight before him while holding onto a jar.

Terra sighed and fished out a comic book from his pocket before handing it to Aqua. "You know how Master Eraqus said that we could take anything from the attic so long as it wasn't dangerous or harmful? Well, Ven and Ignis went on another one of their adventures and found this. And now, like with the pirates and the knights act, they're roleplaying as some strange, honorable warriors."

"Samurai Stories...?" muttered Aqua, reading the title of the comic book before flipping through the pages. "So, these samurai are similar to Keyblade wielders, except they use swords."

"I read it and saw a character resembling Master Eraqus. Perhaps he got his attire inspired by that character," commented Terra, still gazing at the fight scene before him.

"I see. And what's that jar you're holding?"

"The reward for whoever wins this match. They made me the mediator to oversee this match. Let's just be lucky they didn't try using their Keyblades to fight this time. We don't want it to end up what happened last time."

"Well, they were the ones responsible for that last time, so they had to clean up their own mess," said Aqua. "By the way, what's inside the jar that's so important it got both our two troublemakers...into that?"

Once Ventus and Ignis' sword-like sticks clashed once more, they kept still, now attempting to win a contest of strength as both were wavering from exhaustion, but still determined to win. The battle could go either way, but after clashing multiple times, it looked as though their cracked sticks could give way at any moment.

"You cannot win, O Swift One!" shouted Ignis dramatically. "I hold all the cards in the deck!"

"I will never give up!" declared Ventus. "For love! For honor! For my master whom you killed shamefully! Haaaaaa!"

Ventus broke the power struggle by leaping back before charging towards Ignis, who took a defensive position and prepared herself. Ventus released a barrage of swift strikes at Ignis, and while Ignis was about to block some of the strikes, her defense couldn't block or avoid all of his strikes, which hit her on her sides, arms, legs, and even on the head.

Upon their earlier declaration, Aqua glanced down at one of the pages of the comic she was reading. "Huh. They actually said something that was written in this comic. Amazing what little things can inspire the two of them."

"Now, if only they can focus all that energy into their studies," said Terra.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Ahahahaha! I'm winning! Yes! I have you on the ropes, Crazed Ben-"

It was at this moment that Ventus' stick broke in half thanks to Ignis' latest deflective move.

"Eh?"

Ignis' wide grin couldn't be more wider as the tides have turned in her favor. "You're finished!" she yelled, pulling her stick to counterattack. Although not as fast as Ventus, she was still easily the second fastest in her team due to being energetic and cheerful all the time. She thrusted with the end of her stick at Ventus' chest several times before tilting her body and using all of her strength to perform one last stab to the center of his chest.

"Gaaah!" screamed Ventus, flying in the air after Ignis' final thrust attack.

With a wave of her hand, Ignis called out, "Aero!"

A gust of wind in a circular motion spread underneath Ventus and gently lowered him to the ground. While magic wasn't allowed in their short duel, the rules didn't say it couldn't be used right after the duel.

"Aaaahhh...I've been defeated! Bleh," shouted Ventus dramatically before playing dead; his arm on his chest, his eyes closed, and his head tilted to the side with his tongue sticking out.

Panting as she stood over Ventus' "lifeless corpse," Ignis gasped, "I did it..." She then rushed over to Terra and took the jar he had been holding onto, opened the top, and took out the true prize inside. "AND I GOT THE LAST COOKIE!"

"What?! All this for a measly cookie?" cried out Aqua, snatching the cookie from her hand. "No way. You're not eating it. We have dinner in less than an hour! I'm not having you spoil your appetite! Again!"

"But...but...Blueberry Mom!"

Aqua flustered from Ignis' nickname for her and asked, "And will you please stop referring to me as that embarrassing nickname? I don't even know where you got that from!"

Terra glanced at Aqua up and down. "...Blueberry-colored hair? Motherly personality?"

"Terra! You're not helping! You...You...!"

"Baguette Dad!" called out Ignis.

"Where did that come from?" wondered Terra.

"Well, baguette are hard bread, right? And your attacks are pretty hard hitters, right? So I combined the two together. Look, it was either this, or Choco-Rock Dad."

"Eh, I'll take the first option."

Ventus stood up and walked over to his friends. "Hey, Ignis? What's my nickname?"

"Ven-Ven!" cheered Ignis, opening her arms out for him. "Hurry up and cuddle with me! I wanna cuddle because Blueberry Mom refused to give me a cookie! Come on, you little Cinnamon Bun!"

"Wait, why am I Cinnamon Bun?" wondered Ventus, taken aback. "Shouldn't I get a cooler nickname? Like...uh...Wind Waver or something cooler!"

"You're Cinnamon Bun because you're cute and sweet as one!" replied Ignis, grinning. "It's so adorable it fits you perfectly!"

"No way! I'm not adorable! I'm awesome! I wanna be like Terra when I grow up! He's not adorable!"

Winching, Terra spoke, "I'm...not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

"Do it as a compliment if it makes you feel better!~" chirped Ignis. "But I'm bored! And we've got some time before we have to go back inside for dinner! I say we talk about something!"

"Sure, I'm game," agreed Ventus, sitting down on the stairs like the rest of his friends. "Uh...Aqua? Do you know what we're having for dinner?"

"Vegetable soup, along with baguettes and some meat," answered Aqua before turning to Ignis. "And don't worry, Ignis. I made sure to put plenty of vegetables in your soup."

Ignis gasped. "No! Don't tell me you put in-"

"Yip. Enjoy devouring every single onion in your soup. I look forward to making you finish your soup all the way to the bottom."

"You're horrible, Aqua! Bad, bad Blueberry Mom!"

"And you just gave me more reason to give you a bigger bowl of soup next time."

"Nooooooo!"

"I almost feel for Ignis," commented Ventus.

Chuckling, Terra whispered, "Don't worry. I know how much you hate your veggies, kiddo, so if Ignis diverts all attention to her during dinner, you should be able to sneak your veggies onto my bowl. Think of it as thanks for watching my back during our last sparring match against those two."

"Really?! You're awesome, Terra!"

"Ahem!" coughed Aqua, having eavesdropped on the two males' conversation. "Just for that, you're getting extra vegetables tonight!"

"Awwwww!" whined Ventus, glaring at Ignis as though it was all her fault. What he received in turn was her sticking his tongue out at him.

Terra ruffled his hair. "It's alright, Ven. At the very least, eating more vegetables makes you strong."

"You know what?" announced Aqua. "I think I know what we should talk about. Ignis' first time here in the Land of Departure."

"Oh! That was so long time ago, but I do remember a lot of fond memories! Go ahead! Spill the beans! I'm not afraid of anything embarrassing!" spoke Ignis confidently, laying her head against the stairs.

"Wait, when was this?" wondered Ventus.

"Oh, right. You came around a year ago, so you wouldn't know," said Terra. "Well, it was around 10 years ago. Me and Aqua were the new and first apprentices to Master Eraqus, and then a few months after we arrived, Ignis came as the third apprentice, and boy, was she trouble."

Aqua nodded. "Ignis always made everyday lively and while children are energetic, she had taken that term to a whole new level."

"That's right!" said Ignis proudly. "I terrorized the Land of Departure and made everyone my slaves! Mwahahaha! Free cookies everyday!"

"That's not how it happened," deadpanned Terra. "But, in a way, she is right. She did kinda terrorize the Land of Departure in her own child-like way."

"But it was thanks to Master Eraqus that she mellowed down significantly."

Ventus glanced from Terra to Ignis, then from her back to Terra. "...She...doesn't act differently from what you've told me."

"While she is still immature-"

"Hey!"

"She has greatly improved her behavior and has become stronger with me and Aqua. Though, she's still our troublemaker of the team," finished Terra, ruffling Ignis' hair.

"What sort of trouble did she cause?" asked Ventus, looking at Ignis. "It couldn't have been that bad."

Aqua and Terra glanced at one another before sighed exasperatedly. "You have no idea," they said in unison.

"Oh, you should have been there, Ven-Ven!" giggled Ignis. "I caused chaos everywhere! I fired a lot of spells, went crazy with my Keyblade, and destroyed an entire mountain once! Yup, those were the good old days!"

"That is not something you should be proud of!" scolded Aqua, lightly whacking Ignis on the head. "Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights Master Eraqus had? You caused him a lot of headaches!"

"Hey, I apologized, didn't I?"

"Yes, but those were still traumatizing times! I mean, for goodness' sake, you BLEW UP A MOUNTAIN! How, you did that, I'll never know!"

"Wait, how did she blow up a mountain?" wondered Ventus.

"Eh...She went a little crazy from discovering too much magic. Whenever that happens, we dub them, 'Magic Mayhem Days,'" explained Terra. "She tried a combination of two magics at the same time, but at the time, she was too young and inexperienced with magic, so she ended up blowing up a mountain nearby as a result."

"And I learned my lesson afterwards," said Ignis. "Yeah, now that I think about it, I was a bit crazy as a kid, wasn't I?"

"You think?" both Aqua and Terra glared at her, saying once again together.

"Whoa!" Ventus gasped in awe. "Can you teach me how to blow up a mountain?"

"Ven!" shouted Aqua, whacking him on the head.

"Ow! Okay, okay! I'm sorry!"

"Come to think of it, I did get a lot of whacks from both Aqua and the Master!" commented Ignis.

"Ever wondered why?" questioned Aqua sarcastically.

Ignis scratched her cheek sheepishly. "Yeah...I guess I did deserve it all those times."

"Wait a sec," said Ventus, raising his hand. "Could that mountain incident be why Ignis is rarely given Ethers anymore?"

Terra nodded, patting his head. "Spot on, Ven. Yeah, after that incident, Master Eraqus taught Ignis in manners...strictly. As such, he only gives her Ethers sometimes during magic training or on her birthdays."

"But I use them all up the next day," Ignis said. "Yeah, I should hold back my experimental magic training, but I just can't help it! There's so many things I could do with magic that gets me all excited!"

"So, what started your experimental magic thing?" wondered Ventus. "I know you love magic, probably more than Aqua, but...just what started it?"

"I saw a mage perform magic, and I was enthralled by it!" explained Ignis excitedly. "When I saw there were limits to magic, I thought of a lot of creative ways to deal with magic! So, that's where my handy-dandy 'Magic Creation Journal' comes in! I wrote down a bunch of ideas for magic, and if they work, I'd make a checkmark on each one! Kinda like a recipe book, only for magic! Sad to say, I do get jealous of Aqua because she's technically more magical than me! Not, in a bad way or anything, Aqua!"

"None taken," assured Aqua, smiling. "It's true, while I am more magically powerful than you, I could never comprehend with your creative thinking. Plus, some of your creative magic ideas have helped me in magic training, so thank you."

"Aww! You're making me blush, Blueberry Mom!"

"Aaaand you just ruined the mood."

"Noooo! Don't hate me!" whined Ignis, hugging Aqua's arm. "Baguette Daaaaad! Please convince Blueberry Mom not to hate me!~"

"You know, I was kinda going to, but then I heard your nickname for me, and I thought, no, no you don't get any help," teased Terra.

Ven couldn't help but laugh at the comedy scene before him. "If Aqua's the Mom, and Terra's the Dad, then what does that make you and me, Ignis?"

Sitting up straight and promptly, Ignis happily answered, "Easy! You're my cute Cinnamon Bun brother, and I'm the big sister!"

"...So what's your snack nickname?"

"Uh...I haven't really thought of one."

"How about Strawberry Shortcake Sis?" suggested Ventus.

Ignis gasped before hugging Ventus close to her. "Ven-Ven, you are a cute little genius! That is the most cutest nickname I've ever heard!~"

"Replace the Strawberry and the Cake part, and you'd get Short Sis," chuckled Terra.

Pouting, Ignis stood up with her hands on her hips, trying to get on her tip toes to reach a tall height. "How rude! I'm plenty tall myself! I drink milk!"

"Yeah, but you and Ven are still shorties compared to me and Aqua," said Terra, ruffling both the young Keyblade apprentices' heads.

Glancing at the time, Aqua stood up. "Alright, I think we've had enough talking for now. We can talk more at the dinner table, but for now, I need some help. All of your help. Let's go."

While the four of them walked inside towards the kitchens, Ventus asked, "Hey, what do you think Master Eraqus would be like in our crazy family team?"

"Uh...I think he'd be the Samurai Sashimi Grandpa!" declared Ignis. "Yup, definitely the grandfather part!"

"Who are you calling a grandfather? I consider myself quite young in my age!"

Slowly turning around, Ventus and Ignis saw Eraqus looking at them with his arms crossed. It took them two seconds to figure out what to say next before making a break for it.

"HE/SHE SAID IT!"

Watching the two youngest apprentices run off only made Eraqus chuckle before he took his seat at the dining table. Just another typical day at the Land of Departure.

* * *

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!**

 **Happy Holidays! And as such, here's the latest chapter for you guys as a Christmas present to the Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction community! Yes, yes I should have put this up at the top, but...meh.**

 **Also, in case you guys were curious, here is the official ages for our Tetrad team! Note, that Aqua, Ventus, and Terra's ages are actually official and in the Kingdom Hearts Wiki!**

 **Terra - 20 years old**

 **Aqua - 18 years old**

 **Ignis - 17 years old**

 **Ventus - 16 years old**

 **So, yeah! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday! Also, there will be at least 2 more side story chapters before we get to the main storyline! Read and review!**


	3. Side Story: Sicken Sights

**Alright, people! Here comes the new side-story chapter! Ready? Here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"How is he, Master Eraqus?" asked Ventus worriedly as he watched his master close Terra's bedroom door behind him.

"Like Aqua, he has the flu," answered Eraqus. "Well, it is around the flu season, so I should have expected this. As such, I have allowed Aqua and Terra a couple days off their training. At least, until their illness has passed."

Ignis then arrived, carrying a large bucket in her arms with a sickened expression on her face. "Ugh...Yup. Aqua is definitely sick. And you don't want to go to her room right now."

Curious, Ventus walked forward to see what was inside the bucket. "Hey, what's insi-Oh, gosh! Ugh!"

"Why would you even think of seeing what's inside, you idiot?!" shouted Ignis. "It's taking everything out of me not to look down too!"

"Well, why are you carrying a bucket of puke, then?"

"I was heading to the bathroom to throw it out! What did you think I was-"

"Enough!" yelled Eraqus, silencing his two apprentices. "I don't want to hear anymore squabbling from the two of you today! You're only making things worse by yelling at each other! I have to go out and buy some medicine from another world, so you two will be in charge of caring for Aqua and Terra for the time being. Don't cause anymore trouble for them, alright?"

"Yes, Master Eraqus!" both Ventus and Ignis put aside their differences, not wishing to anger their master. Too many times, they've experienced Eraqus' anger and were punished severely for their actions, which usually are pranks or any harmless troublesome matters that still were considered bad.

"Here," Eraqus handed Ventus a medical book from within his sleeve. "When I learned that Terra and Aqua were sick, I picked that up from the library room. Read it, and it should tell you how to properly treat someone when they have the flu. I shall read it when I return."

After Eraqus left, Ignis hurriedly rushed to the bathroom while Ventus scrolled through the pages of the medical book for the Flu chapter. He found the chapter and read through it, but because it was an old book, the words were small and made him squint.

About a few minutes later, Ventus managed to read a good portion of the chapter, but he just wanted to rip the book into pieces.

"Gaaaah!" shouted Ventus, throwing the book down. "Eggghhh! My eyes! It hurts from reading! Why is studying so painful?!"

Ignis returned; her paled face from before slightly recovered as she walked up to Ventus. "Hey, Ven-Ven! Just returned from treating Aqua. She's asleep, and-What are you doing?"

Whimpering, Ventus turned to Ignis. "Iggy..."

"I hate that name already. Never call me that again. I'll eat your desserts forever if you do."

His whimpering changed into a pout. "Fine! You give everyone names, but the second I do, you automatically hate them! No fair!"

Ignis stuck her tongue out. "Bleh! Gimme a cuter name, and I'll consider it! So, what happened?"

Pointing to the medical book on the floor, Ventus cried out, "Reading the book is too hard! The words are so small! It hurts my eyes!"

"Awww, come on, Venny! It can't be that bad," stated Ignis, picking up the book and practically shoving her face in as she tried reading the book. "...Eggggghh! My eyes! It hurts from reading! Why is studying so painful?!"

"...You can read magic books, but you can't even go through one chapter of a medical book," deadpanned Ventus with a blank expression before shaking his head. "That's just sad. Even more sadder because you just admitted defeat for a few seconds."

"Shut up!" pouted Ignis, throwing the book at Ventus, hitting his chin and causing him to throw his head back as a result. "You gave up reading it too, so don't think you're any different than me!"

"Gah! That frickin' hurt!"

"Good! You deserved it! Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"BLEEEEEHHHH!" Both Keyblade wielders heard a hurling sound from Terra's room and ceased their arguing. Worried for the older apprentice, they rushed inside his room only to find the upper half of his body dangling on the edge of his bed with a puddle of vomit on the floor.

Quickly, both Ventus and Ignis got to work to helping Terra. They cleaned up the vomit to the best of their abilities while tending to Terra's need. Whenever he needed to vomit, they would grant him access to a bucket. After it seemed he would stop puking, Ignis decided to check up on Aqua for her needs. It was unanimously decided that Ignis would care for Aqua while Ventus worked on Terra. They kept moving in and out of rooms, usually to get more cleaning supplies, empty out vomit buckets, or retrieve other supplies their caretakers asked of them.

A few hours later, Eraqus returned from his trip to the other world where he held a bag full of medicine and other supplies. Upon encountering Ventus and Ignis, he was quite surprised by their disheveled appearances. "Might I ask what happened?"

"So much...puke everywhere...!" complained Ventus.

"I wanna take a bath...I feel violated..." whined Ignis. "Why can't there be some sort of bubble cleaning magic spell or something?"

Eraqus said, "Well, I hope the two of you have learned more about responsibility. Now, there's one more thing I wish for you two to do. Administer medicine to both Terra and Aqua and then give them a glass of water. The medicine is highly effective, but it's effects are very strong, it'll make the two of them fall asleep instantly."

"Yes Master Eraqus…" groaned the two younger Keyblade wielders.

"Because of your hard work, and because of our current situation to take care of Terra and Aqua, we will not be issuing any lessons today. As I have mentioned before, Terra and Aqua will require a few days of rest, at most, a week, so you two will help me in taking care of them."

Despite their exhaustion, Ventus and Ignis would never abandon their two best friends and were eager to help them. "Of course!" said Ventus.

"We'll do everything we can!" promised Ignis. "If it's heating or warmth, I'm their gal!"

"And if they feel hot and need to cool down, then I'm up for the task."

Eraqus nodded. "Yes, it's good to see you care very much for Terra and Aqua. When you two finish your assigned tasks, I will need to make dinner preparations. As such, I will need your help, and you must obey every command, understood?"

"Why can't we do it ourselves? I'm sure with both me and Ignis, we can do it! You don't need to trouble yourself, Master!" assured Ventus.

Nudging her best friend, Ignis informed him, "Uh...Ven? Don't you remember the last time we tried to cook?"

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"AAAAH! THE STOVE AND THE BOILING WATER ARE ON FIRE!"_

 _"Ignis! What did you do?!"_

 _"All I wanted to do was turn up the heat with my fire magic!"_

 _"WAY TOO MUCH IF YOU ASK ME! WHO EVER HEARD OF WATER ON FIRE?!"_

 _"WELL, WHY IS THE STOVE ON FIRE?!"_

 _"Er...It may have to do with the ingredients I put in."_

 _"WHAT DID YOU PUT IN?!"_

 _"Sugar...Butter...Chili peppers-"_

 _"WHAT?! WHY WOULD YOU PUT SOMETHING SPICY IN SOMETHING AS SWEET AND FLUFFY AS CAKE?!"_

 _"You said you liked spicy food!"_

 _"CAKE IS MEANT TO BE SWEET AND FLUFFY! LIKE CLOUDS! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SPICY CAKE!"_

 _"Well, I'm sorry, okay?! It's my first time baking a cake!"_

 _"Is there anything ELSE you put in?!"_

 _"Eggs, salt, mustard, ketchup-"_

 _"Except for the egg part, WHY WOULD YOU PUT IN THOSE OTHER THINGS! THAT'S DISGUSTING!"_

 _"I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE TOO SWEET!"_

 _"EWWWW! NOW I DON'T WANNA EAT IT!"_

 _"WELL, PUT OUT THE FIRE THEN! YOU CAN MAGIC, CAN'T YOU?! USE A WATER SPELL!"_

 _"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! WATER!"_

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _"...THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! AND THE FIRE'S GROWING BIGGER!"_

 _"GET AQUA!"_

 _"AAAAAHHHH!"  
_

* * *

"...Oh, yeah," said Ventus. "I remember we had to remodel the kitchen. And we were grounded for 6 months. And we had to do chores. And-"

"Yeah, we get the picture," interrupted Ignis. "Let's just do what Master Eraqus tells us to, alright?"

"Fine..."

A few hours later, Ventus and Ignis were outside of their home building, looking up at the night sky as the stars twinkled brightly. After they gave both Terra and Aqua medicine, it was only them and Eraqus that ate together with the food they cooked together. Afterwards, Eraqus allowed them to wash themselves and gave them some free time before they had to go to sleep.

"...So, why couldn't you just cure both of them with magic?" asked Ventus.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way I'd risk their lives if I carelessly used magic on them!" said Ignis. "Trust me, I tried using Cure on myself when I was sick once, but it didn't work. Apparently, healing spells only heal wounds, not sicknesses or fatigue. Even if there were a spell to cure illnesses, I don't know it. Maybe it's somewhere out in one of the other Worlds..."

"The other Worlds..." mumbled Ventus, lost in thought. "When I become a Keyblade Master, I want to travel to the other Worlds!"

"Me too!" agreed Ignis. "I heard tales of other Worlds out there, like a World entirely made of water, a World with talking animals, and much more!"

"Man, you just got me more excited to visit the Worlds now!" cried out Ventus. "Awww! But...I guess we'll have to wait."

"Yeah..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...You know, this sort of setting, just the two of us alone...Kinda reminds me of a romance scene I read in a book," said Ignis, glancing at Ventus.

The two fell silent...gazing at each other's eyes...all alone together...with nobody around to disturb them. And since they were close in age and teenagers, it was only natural for them to fall in love...right?

"NAH!" Both of them laughed and pulled their gazes away, finding such a cliché situation quite ridiculous in their own opinion.

"Sorry, Ignis!" chuckled Ventus, trying to control himself. "You're pretty, but I don't like you in that way!"

"Same here!" said Ignis, winking at him. "You're cute, Ven-Ven, but I prefer older men! Like, not too old, but close to my age!"

"Like Terra?"

"No way! I mean, he sorta fits the bill, but I don't like him in that way. Besides, Aqua's the more suited choice for him! Remember that time last winter? When we tried to hook them up?"

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"Okay, Ven! I tied the mistletoe to the fishing line! You're good to go!" whispered Ignis to Ventus, handing him the fishing rod as they hid behind a couch._

 _"I don't see why you can't cast some flying spell on the mistletoe!" said Ventus, taking the fishing rod._

 _"Because all my spells are elemental-types! I've been trying to find a hover spell, but no success! If I use a wind spell, it'll get too windy and the mistletoe might fly away, leaving us in an awkward position!"_

 _"Well, why do I have to use the fishing rod?"_

 _"Because I did the work of tying the mistletoe! Don't worry about getting caught! The line is almost invisible anyways! As long as we keep our heads down and remain quiet, we should be okay!"_

 _"Wait, I hear something!" whispered Ventus._

 _"Quick! Hide!" The two fled and hid behind the large velvet curtains near the window, with only the fishing rod slightly poking out._

 _"So, how did you convince Terra to meet up with Aqua in the living room?" Ignis asked Ventus._

 _"I told him that Aqua wanted to see him in the living room. How'd you convince Aqua?"_

 _"Told her Terra wanted to ask questions about magic and that he thought Aqua was the right person to ask in the living room."_

 _Just then, the door opened, and Terra and Aqua entered inside, chatting amongst themselves. Just the sound of the door opening caused both young Keyblade wielders to quiet down to listen to their conversation, as well as not give themselves away._

 _"Strength isn't always everything, Terra," scolded Aqua. "Sometimes, magic can beat someone who focuses on strength."_

 _"Then, think you can teach me a spell? Like, some sort of temporary strength-increasing spell?"_

 _"See, there you go again, always relying on strength!"_

 _"At least I'm thinking of using magic to win my fights."_

 _"Magic on increasing your strength! Look, strength is good, but strength isn't everything! You have to have a balance of power!"_

 _"They're arguing! That's not good!" hissed Ignis to Ventus. "Quick! Use the fishing rod!"_

 _"Ewww! You just spit in my ear!"_

 _"Just do it!"_

 _After disgustingly wiping his ear, Ventus carefully moved the fishing rod, eying the mistletoe and making sure it would make its way between Aqua and Terra. The two older people had sat down on the couch, still arguing over their main strengths and the advantages they held._

 _"Ven! Psst! That's too far! Bring it closer!"_

 _"I'm trying! I might as well move to do that, and then they'll spot me! Don't you have an invisibility spell or something?"_

 _"If I did, do you think I would have come up with all this trouble?!"_

 _"Quiet! They might hear you!"_

 _Terra flinched when he felt something hit him. "Ow." He glanced around, but saw no one, so he assumed it was his imagination. Luckily for Ventus and Ignis, the mistletoe was behind his head when he looked around to see what had hit him, away from eye point of view._

 _"Idiot! You hit Terra!"_

 _"Ow! Don't smack me!"_

 _"Did you hear that?" wondered Aqua, looking around, confused._

 _Blinking, Terra nodded. "Y-Yeah...I heard that too."_

 _"If you think I'm so bad, why don't you try it?"_

 _"You know what? Fine, I will! Watch and learn, Ven-Ven! This is what your experienced and senior Keyblade Master-in-training can do!"_

 _Before Aqua could ponder on what was happening, she saw a strange mint-like plant with red berries appear right between her eyes. And since it was close proximity to her nose, she couldn't help but sneeze._

 _"Achoo!"_

 _"Bless you, Aqua."_

 _"*sniff* Thank you..."_

 _"...Nice job making her sneeze, O great Keyblade Master-in-training."_

 _"At least I didn't whack her on the head like you did!"_

 _"One time! That was one time!"_

 _"That happened literally a minute ago."_

 _"Hey, I think their faces are getting closer!"_

 _"Ooh! Scooch over! I wanna see them make out!"_

 _In actuality, Terra and Aqua were only getting closer to whisper to one another and listen in on Ventus and Ignis' "quiet" conversation. "...Yup, it's definitely them," sighed Aqua._

 _"Judging from the setup of all of this, I'd say they were trying to make us kiss under the traditional mistletoe culture," theorized Terra. "They really want to pair us up."_

 _"...You get Ignis, I get Ven."_

 _"Done."_

 _Meanwhile, Ven and Ignis were trying to find a way to hide behind the curtains, while at the same time, attempt to sneak a peek at what they were expecting._

 _"...Do you think they kissed yet?"_

 _"I dunno! I don't want them to see us if we peek our heads out!"_

 _"Okay, let's take a peek, and then hide behind the curtains a second later, agree?"_

 _"Agreed! One...two...three...!"_

 _The second Ventus and Ignis popped their heads out was the moment for Aqua to strike first._

 _"Stopra!"_

 _Ventus and Ignis felt stiff and unable to move after exposing their heads out. With wide grins under malicious expressions hidden in darkness, Terra and Aqua approached the two young apprentices with playful vengeance on their minds..._

* * *

Ignis and Ventus shuddered upon remembering the dreadful memory. They didn't dare to think about what occurred afterwards and had silently vowed not to mention the...life lesson torture they had to endure.

"Yeah...that was an eventful event we'll never do again unless we wanna die," said Ignis.

"Uh-huh...Say, wanna talk about the time we tried eating and drinking magic?"

"Oh yeah! Nice going," deadpanned Ignis. "That was totally all your fault, suggesting we do that!"

"W-Well, you agreed to do it, too!" protested Ventus. "I can't believe you tried to eat fire! FIRE!"

"I thought it was okay! Performers eat fire all the time!"

"Yeah, _professional_ performers! You almost burned your mouth!"

"Look, I got lucky!" said Ignis. "What about you? I summoned water like you asked, but I didn't expect you to drink magic water!"

"I thought it was okay! I don't get how enemies are fazed by water, which is supposed to be harmless! If we get into a situation where we don't have water, like, in a desert, I thought, maybe we should drink water made from magic!"

"And you learned that that kind of water is actually really bad for your health! You're lucky you got away with just a stomachache!"

"True..." said Ventus, crossing his arms. "...You know what? I'm bored."

"Well, we could just continue talking about our numerous failures from the past."

"I got a better idea," said Ventus, standing up. "How about we have a sleepover? We never had one in ages!"

"Alright, now I'm interested!" said Ignis, walking alongside Ventus as they headed back inside. "We can tell each other scary stories, use the light from our flashlights as Keyblades to duel each other, and...Ooh! We can make a fort!"

"Even better! Let's make a fort out of pillows and books!"

"We'd need a lot of books, though. The pillows and blankets are no issue, so where are we going to get the books?"

"Where else? The library room!"

"Master Eraqus' favorite place inside besides his room?"

"Yup!"

"...He's gonna kill us in the morning."

"But...?"

"LET'S DO IT!"

* * *

 **Funnier chapter than last chapter? Well, have no fear! One more side story next chapter, and we'll get on with the story for real! Read and review!**


	4. Side Story: Sparring

**Eeeeek! Last side story before we get onto the main storyline! And trust me, the main storyline will be very, VERY different compared to the original BBS storyline we all know and love!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"You know what? We should have a team name."

The four friends, who were hanging outside and enjoying the outdoors in their free time, were simply minding their own business when one of them, Ignis, brought up the suggestion.

"...A team name?"

"Of course!" said Ignis proudly. "We're a band of besties, all striving towards one goal; to become Keyblade Masters! As such, I think it's fun to have a little team name!"

"Ooh! Can I name the team?" asked Ventus excitedly, waving his hand. "I was thinking...Team Raider! Ooh! Team KM! Keyblade Masters! Team Light! Oh! How about Team They Didn't Have One!"

"Why...specifically that last one?" wondered Aqua.

"See, if we ever encounter any enemies, and they asked about our team name, the answer would be: They Didn't Have One!"

"..."

"..."

"...Cricket. Cricket."

"I heard that!" Ventus shouted to Ignis, who stuck her tongue out at him. "I don't see you coming up with ideas!"

"Team Journey!" declared Ignis. "Or, Team Ranger! Team Fortune! Something cool like that!"

"Those are lame names! My names are cooler!"

"Are not!"

"Just wondering," said Terra. "If we actually have a team name, who will be the leader?"

Ventus and Ignis glanced at one another before openly declaring their opinions. "Terra/Aqua!"

Both older Keyblade wielders couldn't hide their surprise when their names were brought out. They hadn't expected to be called out for leadership, not that they cared much about the whole team name. Because why become a team when just being friends was way better? In all honesty, they wouldn't have been surprised if it was both Ignis and Ventus arguing about themselves being the leader.

"Are you kidding me? Aqua's way suited for leadership!" argued Ignis. "She's totally capable! Calm, smart, and strong!"

"No way! Terra's the best!" argued back Ventus. "He's just like what you listed for Aqua! Except way stronger!"

"You're just saying that because you guys are just...guys! Guys always stick to each other! What was that saying again? Bros before hoes?"

"Yeah! Bros before hoes!"

"Hey, no inappropriate language!" scolded Aqua.

"Sorry," both child-like teenagers apologized before resuming their argument of the role of leadership.

"Terra's the best!" shouted Ventus. "He's cooler, and big in a lot of places."

Terra winched from Ventus' comment. "I'm...not sure I feel comfortable being referred to like that."

"Bigger isn't always better, you know," said Ignis.

"Small things please small minds," pointed out Ventus.

"The best things comes in small packages!"

"So do small potatoes!"

"Great oaks from little acorns grow!"

"Talk softly and carry a big stick!"

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

"I'm...large and in charge?"

"You're too big for your britches!"

"A...A bird in your hand will keep the doctor away?" said Ventus, trying to come up with a good quote on why bigger things were better than smaller things.

"What?"

"The squeaky wheel gets the worm!"

"Nope. Stop," said Ignis, finding the conversation taking an awkward turn.

"Why do we even need a team name? We don't need one. We're close friends already, we're a team of our own!" encouraged Terra.

Ventus and Ignis glanced at one another. If it was one thing they could agree on upon their argument, it was the answer that came out of their mouths.

"Because team names are cool."

Aqua sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. "I figured it was something like that. Well, you two can come up with all the cool team names you want. Me and Terra aren't participating in your games."

"I don't know..." said Terra. "I was...mildly intrigued by the whole team idea, and you have to admit, team names are cool."

"Yeah! Terra said it!" cheered Ventus.

"See? Baguette Dad agrees with us!" said Ignis.

Aqua frowned and placed her hands on her hips. As always, she has to be the most mature one of the group. Granted, Terra is also mature, but sometimes, he just brings out these small, childish tendencies to amuse Ventus and Ignis. Perhaps, because since he's now an adult just like her, he wishes to relieve some of his childhood tendencies for a little while longer. Well, they're still apprentices, and unofficially, she and Terra must protect both Ignis and Ventus, who bears pure hearts of light for many reasons; one being their child-like attitudes.

"...But, even though Baguette Dad's cool, I still think Aqua should be the leader!" Ignis spoke proudly.

"Wha?! You're still on that?!" cried out Ventus. "No way! Terra's the one who should be leader!"

"Guys, guys, calm down," said Terra, patting both of them on the head. "You're acting like we're not here. Calm yourselves before you settle this through another one of your prank wars. And no, you two are not getting anymore ideas. Don't make me fill your pillows with mustard and ketchup like last time."

"No! Not that! Anything but that!" cried Ignis, clutching the sides of her head. "It took me a week to get the smell out! My perfectly beautiful long hair can't stand that!"

"And if you want a remake of that-"

"We'll listen! We'll listen!" said Ventus urgently.

"Alright, good," Terra continued. "Now, there's really no point in a team name because we're already a team. All four of us together. We cover each other's backs no matter what. If one of us is in trouble, we help the other out with all we got. I think...that's what a true team's purpose should be."

Feeling touched and a willing urging to join in, Aqua piped in. "That's right. We each have our own responsibilities. We're like...a vanguard of Keyblade wielders, sworn protectors of the light and innocent. When we accomplish our dreams, let's go on a journey. All four of us. Not just as best friends, but as a team."

"Yeah...I'd like that," agreed Ventus.

"Yeah! Aqua, you sounded so cool just now!" said Ignis. "If you were to become a Keyblade Master, you'd definitely be an inspiring role model for sure!"

"I...I'm not that big of an influence..." said Aqua, flustered as she looked away out of embarrassment.

"Oh yeah? Terra's my inspiring role model!" declared Ventus, gazing at Terra with admiration in his eyes. "Him, Aqua, Master Eraqus...oh, and you too, Ignis!"

"Ven..." Touched by his words, Ignis spoke, "...The little cinnamon roll made a confession to me."

"Okay, now you ruined it."

"Hah?! I was trying to be nice! Then, you had to go and say that, you jerk!" shouted Ignis, bringing Ventus to a headlock and ruffling his hair with her fist.

"Owowowowowowow! I give! I give! I give!"

"No way! I'm not letting go one bit! And don't you dare use your adorable puppy dog eyes on me again! They won't work on moi!~"

"Damnit!"

Terra and Aqua laughed at Ventus and Ignis' sibling-like squabble before deciding a few minutes later that they should break the two apart. "Alright, alright. Since you two got so much energy, how about you put that to good use with a bit of a sparring?" suggested Terra.

Ventus and Ignis slowly turned their heads towards one another...before grabbing onto their partners; Ventus with Terra, and Ignis with Aqua.

"I take Terra as my partner!"

"Then I take Aqua! Let's make this a Tag Team battle!"

"Agreed!"

Terra and Aqua sweatdropped before nodding to each other. As Keyblade wielding apprentices, they were taught by Master Eraqus to be prepared for the unexpected no matter what sort of situation they may face later in the future. They haven't had 2-on-2 battles in a long while, so a little team building effort wouldn't hurt.

Everyone positioned themselves in the open training field outside, with Terra and Aqua's partners standing side-by-side with them. "How...exactly did it come to this?" wondered Aqua.

"Honestly, I just stopped questioning things like this at this point," said Terra.

"You're going down, Iggy!" called out Ven as he, Terra, and Aqua brandished their Keyblades.

"Damnit, I told you not to call me by that stupid nickname! It's not cutesy!" complained Ignis, summoning her own Keyblade. "That's it! I'm eating all your desserts from now on!"

"Bring it on!"

Like other Keyblade wielders like her friends, Ignis' Keyblade was no exception to uniqueness. Her Keyblade's handle was dark red, with the base of the blade being yellow-orange that slowly changes into red at the end of the tip. The bottom of the handle resembled a flame-like bird soaring with the end of its tail bearing a red feather-like Keyblade Token. Swirling around the Keyblade shaft is a spiral-like flame design that ended up as two curved and sharp spikes resembling a bird's beak as the teeth of the Keyblade. The guard resembles a circle of fire and diverts from yellow-orange to red, encircling the handle while the top of the guard is a blooming white flower.

Phoenix Fairy.

Just as Wayward Wind represents the element of wind, Rainfell water, and Earthshaker earth, Phoenix Fairy represents the last of the four elements; fire. It holds destructive properties, but more towards defensive capabilities than increased strength. Not only does Phoenix Fairy represent the element its wielder belongs to, but also her playful attitude which resembles a fairy. A phoenix is a mythological creature of fire that's said to be immortal by being reborn every time it dies and that its tears contain massive healing power, so the fact that it's a legendary being of fire is fitting for the name of Ignis' Keyblade.

Ventus had speed, Terra his strength, and Aqua was capable of handling herself with more powerful magic, but there were two kinds of strengths Ignis could easily rely on. An offensive type; her own magic skills, and a defensive type; her defensive skills.

Ignis wasn't afraid to admit that Aqua was better at magic than she was and that she still has a long ways to go to be able to be around Aqua's level, but she wasn't upset. It was a clear fact that Ignis loved experimenting with magic at every chance she got, and her creative ideas were jotted down on a special notebook she carried around. Aqua may be magically gifted, but even she couldn't even think up of the amazing magic combinations Ignis had discovered on her own. There was a sort of trade between Aqua and Ignis; Aqua would help Ignis improve her magic, while in turn, Ignis would reveal some of her creative magic secrets to Aqua to enhance her magical capabilities.

In all the battles they had, Ignis could confide in her own strength to defeat Ventus. Her physical strengths were stronger than Ventus, but weaker than both Terra and Aqua. She's swifter than Aqua and Terra, but Ventus' speed outmatches her every time they fight or race. Overall, if there was something she was definitely better than all three of her friends, it was her defense. She had a self-taught defensive sword style that she used not only with her Keyblade, but with magic as well. While Aqua is proficient in several types of magic, just like her, they had one main type of magic they had an affinity with. Aqua's was water, and Ignis preferred fire magic.

Silence remained between the four fighters as they waited for one side to make the first move. There was some shifting movements, but nobody attempted to do anything at the moment. While it's true that the first move can be advantageous, it could expose to any weak spots, depending on the first move, so all four fighters had to be extremely careful.

"Ven," whispered Terra. "In a few seconds, we'll charge in as fast as we can, alright? You take the lead since you're faster, and I'll be right behind you to deliver a heavy blow."

"Gotcha," agreed Ventus.

"Those guys are totally discussing their first move! So unfair!" whispered Ignis. "I say we blast them with magic first! We have the long-distance advantage!"

"I agree," said Aqua. "But...let's try out that new teamwork strategy. You know, the quick one?"

"Oh, good thinking! Yeah, let's do that!"

Nodding to each other, both girls faced the two boys and switched positions quickly, aiming their Keyblades at their opponents. The tips of their Keyblades surged with magic and before either boy could do anything, they fired.

"Fira!"

"Watera!"

Ignis' second-tier fire spell tried to hit Terra, but he brought up his Keyblade to guard; the impact of the fire spell making him hiss in pain from the slight burning pain as it forcibly shoved him back. Ventus wasn't so lucky, as he was splashed in the face and thrown on his back by Aqua's water spell.

Ventus grunted and sat up, swiping the water off his face before his eyes caught sight of Aqua leaping in the air with her Keyblade above her head, about to strike down. Reacting to such an action, Ventus rolled out of the way as Aqua swung down, missing her target due to him having such quicker agility. Getting up, Ventus got into his regular fighting pose and readied to fight against Aqua.

"Fire Surge!"

"Sliding Dash!"

To compensate for his slow speed, Terra rushed forward with a speed-based strike to close in the distance between him and Ignis as Ignis brought up a guard and enhancement to boost up her Keyblade, as evident of the ring of fire surrounding her blade. Terra slammed his Keyblade against Ignis', and just that one strong strike was enough to bring her down to one knee as she struggled to hold her own against Terra's large strength.

Terra brought his Keyblade back and slammed it against her Keyblade once more, causing Ignis' Fire Surge to break as she was thrown back like Ventus earlier. Seeing Terra run towards her, Ignis pointed her Keyblade at the ground. "Stone! Water!"

The combination of the two magic spells created a mud puddle for Terra to trip over and fall onto, dirtying him and breaking his concentration on Ignis as he glared at her. "Really?! This is the same spell you cast on me last time!"

Ignis grinned and giggled, "Imagination can be a powerful thing!" Now it was her turn to retaliate as she ran forward with Keyblade in hand.

Acting quickly, Terra shouted, "Zero Gravity!"

"Aaaaah!" cried out Ignis, being sent upwards in the air due to a zero-gravity field Terra created instantly.

"Hey, you can't complain! You did say imagination can be a powerful thing!" called out Terra, preparing to launch himself in the air. "Aerial Slam!"

Seeing Terra prepared to strike her down, Ignis brought up her hand to defend. "Reflect!" Being in mid-air, a spherical barrier formed around Ignis, protecting her from Terra's attack. However, the impact of his blow sent Ignis crashing back to the ground; the barrier protecting her one last time from the crash before shattering.

"You're finished!" yelled Terra, about to swing his Keyblade as he was crashing down.

"Watera!" countered Ignis, pointing at the ground beneath Terra. A geyser of water appeared and flew upwards, sending Terra flying upwards. Using her Keyblade as a conductor, Ignis lifted Terra up and down by focusing and moving the geyser up and down along with her Keyblade, causing Terra's movements to become unstable and for the young man to grow dizzy.

Meanwhile, Aqua was having trouble against Ventus due to him constantly running around the area, taking advantage of his speed. Not only that, but he had cast an Aero spell on himself, allowing the wind to increase his speed as he took pride in his evasion, knowing Aqua couldn't target him with her magic so long as he continued to be evasive.

"Hahahaha! Catch me if you can!" taunted Ventus.

Aqua remained calm and waited for the right moment to use a Shotlock on Ventus. "You can't run forever, Ven! Eventually, you'll grow tired and you'll have to stop! And that's when I'll strike!"

Hearing Terra's cries, Ventus glanced around and saw Terra having some trouble from some geyser water spell Ignis had casted to keep Terra afloat. Knowing he had to help his partner, Ventus stopped for a moment before throwing his Keyblade at Ignis like a boomerang. "Strike Raid!"

Ignis panted as she kept the geyser going with her magic. Her magic power wasn't unlimited, and depending on the number and level of spells, she could or couldn't keep going in a magic battle. The only reason she was able to hold up against some of Terra's attacks were because of her defensive skills and magic, which either enhanced her defense or blocked Terra's offensive attempts.

Her concentration was broken off when a sharp pain slammed into the back of her head, forcing her to cancel out the water spell as Terra landed back on earth, trying to recover his stamina. "Ow!" she cried out, rubbing her head.

Seeing that Ventus stopped for that Strike Raid attack, Aqua took the opportunity to fire the move she had been preparing. "You're done! Prism Rain!" Several orbs of light divided into different colors fired from her Keyblade and headed towards Ventus.

"Oh, no!" cried Ventus, beginning to make a run for it using his speed. Although, because he had been running around and hadn't gotten any rest, he was beginning to tire out...until the sight of the orbs of light homing onto him granted him a motivational reason to run fast.

The second Terra and Ignis locked eyes with each other, they made their move. Terra tried to get up and rush at Ignis, but Ignis, seeing that Terra was not only drenched, but also underneath a puddle of water from the water spell she casted earlier, had an easy solution to keep Terra still.

With a grin, she casted loudly, "Aero! Blizzard!" The cold, ice spell combined with the power of wind quickly caused the puddle to turn into ice as well as freeze most of Terra's body in place as he was somewhat encased in ice.

"R-R-Really?!" shouted Terra, shivering in place.

Laughing, Ignis said, "Hey, at least now you can be some sort of ice sculpture and then me and Aqua can draw ya!" She decided to turn around and see how Aqua was faring against Ventus.

Ventus, after successfully evading the Prison Rain attack, was on the move again, moving around so quickly that Aqua couldn't keep up. Aqua was impressed that Ventus was improving his skills, but even she knew that he couldn't rely on speed in every battle, which was why she was preparing a special, yet difficult spell to teach him a lesson.

"Tornado!" called out Ventus, summoning forth a tornado from behind Aqua, making sure to keep a good distance away so he doesn't get caught up in the blast.

Aqua gasped as she turned around, having been taken off guard and not expecting a magical sneak attack from behind. She had two options; to cancel out the spell she had been working hard on concentrating to dodge the air spell, or just keep going and use the spell on the tornado to save herself.

Suddenly, a grin-faced Ignis appeared in front of Aqua with a spell prepared. "Quake!" Boulders popped out from beneath the ground and served as stable shields against the wind spell; the tornado dispersing into large winds whose only offensive to the girls was the wind blowing away their hair harmlessly. Otherwise, the earth spell served greatly as a good defensive maneuver.

Taking this chance, Aqua pointed at Ventus and shouted, "Slow!" Ventus' movements grew as slow as a snail and even he was starting to notice the major effects of the time-related spell. Despite Slow being a basic spell, time magic was extremely difficult to master, even for Keyblade wielders like themselves as it required a large deal of concentration and patience.

While Aqua kept the time spell focused on Ventus, she saw Terra charging towards Ignis. "Ignis! Terra's coming at you!"

Ignis already knew the perfect spell to stop Terra. "Stone! Water!"

Once again, just like before, Ignis' combined spell of the two different elements created yet another mud puddle for Terra to trip over and plant his face into the mud. "Would you quit doing that?!" shouted Terra, irritated.

"Nah! How did you get out, anyways?"

"Fire spell," answered Terra, standing back up. He pointed at the slow-acting Ventus with his Keyblade and casted, "Esuna!"

All movements returned to Ventus at regular speed before he rushed back to Terra's side. "I'm okay! I can still fight!"

"Me too!" agreed Ignis.

Aqua squinted and examined their current situation. At the moment, she seemed to be the least injured and tired, while the rest seemed exhausted. Having never defeated Terra in a fight, Ignis did a good amount of damage to him, although she was just as tired and injured as him. Ventus hasn't really sustained any injuries, but he was the most fatigued out of them all due to constantly running around and less on the offensive. Maybe they can win this after all.

Later, both Ventus and Ignis were sprawled out on the ground, defeated while Aqua and Terra sat down on the stone steps, exhausted.

"How did it come from us having partners...to them losing to us?" wondered Aqua, finding the whole fight bizzare.

"I guess at some point, they decided to switch sides and work together. And guess that worked out so find for them," spoke Terra sarcastically.

"Aww...we lost!" complained Ventus, frailing his legs about in frustration.

"If we couldn't beat Terra and Aqua...we've got a long ways to go..." whined Ignis.

Aqua shook her head. "Being a Keyblade Master doesn't mean you have to be the strongest. All that matters is that your heart is in the right place. Surely you remember the Master's teachings?"

"Yeah, yeah..." both Ventus and Ignis said, waving their arms effortlessly to shrug off yet another one of Aqua's lectures.

"Hmm..." Sitting up from her position, Ignis looked up in the sky and said, "... _May your heart be your guiding key_...Isn't that a famous phrase passed down from Keyblade wielder to Keyblade wielder? Master Eraqus loves that phrase."

Aqua nodded. "That's right. It's a phrase to remind us that our hearts are our strongest weapons against the darkness."

"That, and Keyblades," pointed out Terra, standing up. "Now, how about we all go back inside? It's getting late. We could all use a bath. And some grub."

"You mean you," teased Ignis, giggling. "I can't believe I made you trip so many times with my mud spell!"

"Ha ha" Terra said sarcastically, glaring at her. "Just wait until tomorrow. I'm gonna make you pay."

"Ven-Ven! Save me from the scary man!" cried out Ignis, jumping into Ventus' lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Gah! You're too heavy! Get off! Get off!"

"Rude! I am a lady, and you never say a lady is heavy!"

"Come on, Ignis. I need help preparing dinner. Terra can take a bath first since he's the dirtiest."

"Kinda need it too. Ven, you can go after me."

"Alright!"

* * *

 **So? Got a good glance at Ignis' fighting style? I tried to be as defensive as possible, but it was more her magic creativity that kept her alive in the fight. That said, there is another reason why her Keyblade is like a phoenix, but that's more story-related! Read and review!~**


	5. Prologue Part 1

**Finally! Here we go, beginning with the main storyline! Although, not much will happen in this prologue, but hey, it'll be a start! More will come! Anyways, I plan to make things quite different in this story, but at the same time, follow the timeline as well! Trust me, you'll be intrigued! Enough talking, because we'll start now! BTW, one of the attack ideas, mainly the fire Shotlock used for this chapter, was an idea given to me by Chirithy564! Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Okay, okay, okay! Just a little more to the top!" giggled Ignis to herself as she was using her Keyblade, Phoenix Fairy, to help conduct her magic. Currently, she was working on some sculptures made out of mud and ice, using her artistic and magic talents for pure fun. "If I can mold and harden the sculpture, I should be able to make it impenetrable! At least, until it's a rainy day!"

The reason why she was working on these sculptures was for a surprise for her friends. After all, tomorrow was the Mark of Mastery exam for both Terra and Aqua, and she wanted to cheer them up by making magic-made sculptures of them, as well as herself and Ventus. This way, this would serve as monuments for all four of them when they become official Keyblade Masters, at least until a rainy day comes.

"Aaaand done!" said Ignis, proud of her own creations. Sometimes, when she wasn't experimenting on magic, she loved to do artistic things with her magic as it was a ton of fun doing so. "I gotta show the others!"

Running down a pathway from the hills, it didn't take long for Ignis to track down and find her friends, all standing together and laughing with each other. Grinning, an idea popped into her head. Why not surprise them...with a surprise attack? Like those ninja characters she read in one of her master's old comics, where they appear out of nowhere with such precise speed and accuracy?

"Aero!" said Ignis, casting a wind spell on herself. Manipulating the wind with her hands, she caused gusts of wind to raise her up in the air and fly her until she was high above her friends. It took her until around 2 or 3 years ago to master and control the basic wind spell for flight. Back then, she had lots of trouble controlling such power, but now, she used it freely like a fairy, and she wrote down the directions of how to do it in her journal for creation magic.

She cancelled out the spell and descended down on her friends, landing right between them. "Ninja!" she shouted, startling all three of them.

"AAAAH!" screamed Ventus, falling to the grassy ground in shock. Shaking his head to get over the surprise attack, Ventus cried out, "Okay, there is no ceiling above us or anything! Where did you even come from?"

"Flying spell!" boasted Ignis proudly with her hands on her hips.

"Aren't you getting a bit too old for these pranks?" teased Terra, ruffling her hair.

"Aww, you're just upset because I didn't prank you for a while!~" giggled Ignis. "And after all the hard work I made for the three of you!"

"What do you mean?" asked Aqua, being a bit skeptical. Ignis was practically unpredictable with her imaginative ideas, and mixing her up with her love for magic spells for a natural disaster.

Yanking on Aqua and Terra's arms, Ignis bounced up and down. "Come on, come on, come on! I wanna show you guys something! Let's go, go, go!"

"Alright, alright," chuckled Terra, releasing Ignis' grip from his arm along with Aqua's.

"Hey, wait for me!" called out Ventus, catching up to as he and the others followed Ignis. "So, what's the surprise?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, now would it?" teased Ignis.

"Awww, come on! Just a little hint?"

"Okay, okay! It's cake!"

"Wow, really?!"

"Ignis, please tell me you really didn't bake a cake!" scolded Aqua, glaring at her.

"Ahahaha! Of course not! I would burn the kitchen down in reality if I actually tried baking one!"

"Wha? But you said there would be cake!" whined Ventus.

"The cake is a lie!" exclaimed Ignis, pointing her finger right at Ventus' face. "That's right, I lied right to ya face!"

Ventus pouted, before a mischievous grin formed on his face and he opened his mouth to playfully bite down on her finger. Realizing his intention, Ignis pulled her finger back and gasped, cradling her hand close to her. "Rude! No cake for you!"

"I thought you said the cake was a lie?" said Ventus, still grinning.

Ignis' eye twitched and she stuck her tongue out. "Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"What is that?" wondered Terra as they reached their destination. Standing high and tall were four sculptures of themselves, made completely out of a combination of both mud and ice, courtesy of Ignis' hard work.

"Tadah! My finest work, yet!~" bragged Ignis, standing tall in front of the sculptures she created. "Well? What do you think? I wanted to do a sculpture of all of us, so that we would remember the good times together!"

Aqua felt touched. "Aww, that's so sweet of you, Ig-Wait, why did you make my chest area so big?!"

"Those are your pink cross X strap thingies!"

Terra took a closer look at his sculpture. "Why did you make me shorter than you? And my hair is not that spiky!"

Ventus glanced at the sculpture of himself. "Wait...did you make a cat version of me? You did! I can see the cat ears and tail!"

"Hey, it's my work, I get to decide how to draw ya!" pouted Ignis. "And admit it, neko version of you is too cute!~"

"My pants aren't that baggy!" pointed out Terra.

"What's that coming out of my Keyblade?" questioned Aqua, pointing the sculpture version of herself holding a fake Keyblade made out of both mud and ice.

"It's water magic!" said Ignis. "Look, I worked really hard, okay? Besides the minor issues, it looks good, right?"

"Well...I guess so," said Ventus. "Wish you didn't make a kitty version of me, though."

"Aww, but I could have made it worse!~"

"How much worse?"

"You could have been Princess Ven!"

"Okay, you know what? Never mind, I like this version of me!" said Ventus quickly. "Yeah, it just screams out the badass in me!"

Ignis burst into laughter. "Awww! Badass cute neko Ven-Ven! That's adorable!~"

"Hey! I'm not adorable! I'm a badass just like Terra! Isn't that right, Terra!"

Terra smiled. "That's right, Ven. You are badass. And cute."

"Wait, what?"

Unable to contain it, the three older Keyblade wielders chuckled as Ventus pouted. Then again, it didn't take long for him to laugh along with them over how ridiculous the scenario was, especially towards their own sculptured versions.

They all headed back to the same area they were before following Ignis, staring up at the stars which they thought were different worlds for each. Breaking the silence, Aqua stood up taking out something from her back pocket. "Oh, yeah! Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow! So, I made us some good luck charms!"

She showed her friends star-shaped lucky charms that came in different colors. She tossed the orange-yellowish one to Terra, the light green one to Ventus, kept the blue one for herself, and handed Ignis a blood red version.

Ignis squealed when she got hers, bringing it close to her face. "Oh my gosh, I love it! It's so cute! Thanks, Aqua!"

Aqua giggled, knowing Ignis would love it, as well as the rest of her friends. "Of course. One for each of us." As she said this, all four of them revealed their own good luck charms to each other. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit forms an unbreakable connection. So, as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever break you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other."

"Mmm! Star-shaped fruit! When I become a Keyblade Master, I wanna go to that place with star-shaped fruit and eat one!" declared Ignis.

"Me too!" said Ventus. "Ignis, let's share one together!"

"Sure! It's gotta be delicious if it's star-shaped!"

"No, I don't think it works like that," protested Terra. "Ah, whatever. If I find some, I'll bring some back to you guys, okay?"

"Wow, really?"

"Thanks, Terra!"

"Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had," said Aqua, referring to their good-luck charms.

"I don't care! I love my good luck charm!~" said Ignis, hugging it close to her.

"Oy, sometimes you are such a girl," Terra teased to Aqua.

"Thanks for the compliment, Terra!"

"Er...I was talking to Aqua."

"Hey, what do you mean, 'sometimes?!'"

Ventus was a little upset by Aqua's meaning when she interpreted that the good-luck charms were meant to be made out of seashells. "So...this is a good-luck charm?"

"Well, that's yet to be seen," said Aqua, paying attention to Ventus. "But, I did work a little magic on it."

"Really? What?"

"Yeah! What kind of magic did you put in it?" asked Ignis, eager to know.

Aqua smiled and raised her good luck charm high in the air. "An unbreakable connection."

"Cool!" said Ignis. "Well, I hope you and Terra do real good in the exams tomorrow! Master Eraqus always told us that they're not easy!"

"Come to think of it, after us, you'll be next in line for the Mark of Mastery exams, too," Terra pointed out.

"Huh? What do you mean?" wondered Ventus.

"Oh, that's right. Ven was only here for about a year or two now. We three all have more experience than him. Well, I came a long time ago before him, but I'm just as well-trained as you guys!"

"Come on! What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to explain," spoke Aqua. "Normally, to take the Mark of Mastery exam, one has to go through at least 5-10 years of training under a master. However, if a Keyblade wielder was more experienced and stronger, they can take it in under a year or so."

"And I've been with Blueberry Mom and Baguette Dad for about 10 or so years, so I'm almost ready!" said Ignis happily. "I talked to Master Eraqus, and he told me that I'm nearly there, but I need more experience and training. He estimated I would be ready in about...a few months or so. At most, half a year. I'm so excited!"

"Oh, I just thought, we could take the Mark of Mastery exam together, Ignis," admitted Ventus sadly. "I thought, since Terra and Aqua are going first, we would be going second. I guess I kinda forgot that you're my senior since we're close by age."

"Don't worry, Ven-Ven!" assured Ignis, patting his back. "You heard what Aqua said! If you work really, really hard, then you might be able to take it the same time I am!"

"Although, truth be told, that's extremely a low chance," said Aqua.

"Are you encouraging him, or trying to crush his soul more?" Ignis asked, glancing at her blue-haired friend.

"No, no, Aqua's right," said Ventus. "I know I have a lot to learn before I'm ready, so I can wait a bit longer. Ignis, when your turn comes, I'll be cheering you on!"

"Awww! My little cinnamon roll boi is growing up! Cheering on his cute senior!~" cooed Ignis, hugging Ventus close to her.

"Hey! Don't treat me like a kid!"

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes!"

"Awww! You didn't deny it!~ You love being hugged like this!"

"What?! Gah! No! You tricked me! I don't like being hugged like this! Yup! I said it!"

"Nope! Too late! Cuddle time!" giggled Ignis, hugging him more.

Chuckling once more, Terra faced the open field and announced, "Well, tomorrow's the exam. Anybody wanna spar?"

Ignis and Ventus slowly looked at each other...before pulling away. "Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! Me! Me! ME!" shouted Ignis, waving her arm around and jumping around.

"No way! I can take ya!" challenged Ventus.

"Okay, okay! How about both of you spar with each other?" suggested Terra. "That should solve both your problems."

It still baffled both Terra and Aqua when they saw that in a split second, both child-like teens had armed themselves with their Keyblades, ready to fight one-on-one. How they both have so much energy, they'll never understand.

"You ready to die, dude?" Ignis taunted.

"As if!" said Ventus, twirling his Keyblade. "How about a bet? Winner gets the loser's desserts for a month!"

"Bring it on."

Ventus charged first, taking the initiative by making a frontal thrust at Ignis, who blocked using the blunt side of her Keyblade. Hurriedly, Ventus continued with a barrage of quick slashes that barely caused a dent in Ignis' defense as she deflected each one with each. When she saw an opening, she swung her Keyblade at Ventus, who intercepted by blocking, knocking him back.

Ventus landed safely just as Ignis rushed at him, bringing his Keyblade up to guard. Just when it looked like Ignis would attack with her Keyblade, she switched hands and fired an Aero spell at close-range, knocking the breath out of Ventus as he was sent flying back, tumbling around the ground. He quickly recovered and braced himself and engaged blows with Ignis again before backing away for distance.

Once again, he ran forward and began a flurry of attacks, all of which Ignis deflected with an easygoing smile on her face. Just when Ventus thought one of his blows would hit her in the chest, Ignis playfully deflected it as though swatting a fly. It was already clear that Ventus was running low on stamina from his heavy breathing and constant attacks, while Ignis was on the offensive just a few times, and she was still raring to go. Suddenly, Ignis moved in close at a speed that surprised Ventus, and before he could do anything, Ignis slashed at his chest a little, injuring him a little before he was forced to retreat and recover his breath.

Panting, Ventus said, "Quit goin' easy on me! You're not gonna win unless you stay on the offensive!"

Placing a hand on her hip and leaning forward, Ignis grinned. "Well, you know what they say: The best offense is the best defense! We might be 1 year apart, but when it comes to experience, I'm still superior to ya!~" To prove her point, she moved in and forced Ventus to guard as she struck, trying to locate a weak point within her attacks. When she knocked Ventus' Keyblade out of his hands, she raised her Keyblade and brought it down...

Only for it to be blocked by Aqua's Reflect spell.

"Well, that works well if you're fighting one on one," said Aqua, approaching the field with her Keyblade. "But you need to know how to handle a crowd, too."

Deciding to join in the fun, Terra walked into the field, summoning his Keyblade. After all, if all of his other friends were going to spar with each other, surely having another combatant wouldn't hurt. Besides, he didn't want to be left out of the sparring match.

It was quickly decided that everyone was on their own, a total one-on-one-on-one-on-one. Everyone could either tag team with someone temporarily, or three of them could gang up on one unfortunate person, or attack each other individually. Either way, it was all fair game.

Taking advantage of his speed, Ventus struck Terra first, thus causing the two to clash with their own individual strengths; Terra with his raw power, and Ventus with his speed.

"Thunder!" Aqua dodged the first few strikes delivered to her by Ignis, before firing a Thunder spell at Ignis, who grunted in pain but shook it off and attacked back.

Ignis threw her Keyblade like a boomerang at Terra, who ducked in time as Ventus switched targets and headed for Aqua. She intercepted his quick blows with patience, although she was unfortunate to receive a few clean hits due to Ventus' speed.

"Blizzard!" She fired a Blizzard spell at Ventus, who cartwheeled out of the way and rushed at her.

Ignis barely escaped one of Terra's earthshattering blows that cracked the earth after he slammed the ground with another one of his heavier blows. Still, suck a move created distance between them as she aimed her Keyblade at Terra, narrowing her eyes as she concentrated on her magic.

"Flame Salvo!" cried out Ignis, shooting out multiple flares at Terra. He ran and leaped out a few of the homing fireballs, but his speed wasn't like Ventus, so he took the blows with a cry of pain. Unwilling to give up, he started firing spells of his own, causing Ignis to grin as she rarely engaged in any spellcasting duels with Terra.

Terra broke their short spellcasting duel by targeting Aqua, catching her off guard by striking at her, successfully landing a few blows onto the blue-haired woman. Aqua regained her composure and was back on track, dodging and deflecting his blows with her own receiving attacks.

"Fire!" yelled Ignis, firing a strong fireball at Ventus just as he threw his Keyblade at her. She moved her head to the side to dodge and circled all around Ventus, slashing at him with weak but quick slashes before casting a Reflect spell on herself just as Wayward Wind returned to attack her from behind, only to be thrown off when her spell protected her.

Ventus summoned his Keyblade back to his hand and thrusted at Ignis, only for her Reflect spell to block the attack and then shatter afterwards as the spell's effect wore off. He moved in quickly, not allowing Ignis the chance or time to cast any spells, for he knew how deadly she was when far apart from him. Only this time, he learned to savor his blows and tried to find a way to break through Ignis' irritating, but impenetrable defensive moves.

Terra was facing the same issues Ventus had, but with Aqua. He and Aqua were evenly matched, with Ignis always being a close second. The most difficult part from separating Aqua from his close range was his speed, as he was fully aware that he craved strength over speed, and he knew that Aqua knew that as well. If Aqua was far from him, she could unleash her strengths on him, which was always devastating magic spells more stronger than Ignis. Ignis was plenty dangerous when it came to spells, especially with creative magic thinking, but compared to magical strength, Aqua bested him, her, and Ventus altogether.

Eventually, all four had grown tired and ceased their sparring, having enough for a day. "Trust me, you guys are ready," Ventus said to both Aqua and Terra. "You're gonna clean up at the exam tomorrow."

"I hope it's that easy," said Terra, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"It's like the Master said," Aqua said. "Power is born within the heart. When the time is right, you just need to look inside yourself, and you'll find it there."

"Yeah!" agreed Ignis as Ventus nodded. "Man! That was a great sparring match! But, we all know the truth."

"What truth?"

"I totally kicked your ass in that match."

"Oh, you did not!" said Ventus. "I won!"

"No way!"

"Guys, guys! Let's not make this into another fighting session between you two," said Terra, placing his hands on both their shoulders. "We ALL won. There were no winners or losers. Okay?"

"How about we sit down and rest a little before heading back. Wouldn't want to collapse all the way back home, especially when we have an exam tomorrow," suggested Aqua. Everyone agreed and laid back against the grass, staring up at the starry skies.

Ventus and Ignis began to play one of their frequent games: Guess The Type of World. It was said that under each star lies a world for each one, so they made up the game just for fun.

"Hey, I bet that star over there is a world where only birds rule," guessed Ventus.

"Which one?" asked Ignis.

"That one."

"Yeah, I dunno which one you're pointing to. There's like a million stars right each to another. And why birds?"

"I dunno. I ran out of ideas of what world's main thing could be."

"I bet that one's full of cute, talking cats."

"Which one?"

"That one."

"Well, I dunno which one you're pointing to."

"Exactly."

"Hey! You just copied my words!"

Ignis giggled. "Yeah, I totally did. Hey, Aqua? Terra? If you become Keyblade Masters, what kind of apprentices will you take?"

"Hmm? Isn't that a bit early?" asked Terra. "We've got plenty of time. I mean, we're the first apprentices Master Eraqus took in, and he seemed...pretty elderly."

"Is that your way of saying, when he got old, he decided to take in apprentices?"

"Careful, wouldn't want the Master to hear you say that to him. Remember the last time he punished you? Made you clean toilets for a month."

"Ugh, don't remind me. But, I figured out what kind of apprentice I would take in when I become a Keyblade Master!"

"Oh?" wondered Aqua. "What kind?"

"The adorable kind!" squealed Ignis. "She has to be a child! So that I can squeeze her squishy cheeks and cuddle with her whenever I want! Ooh! And if possible, I want her to be interested in magic, like me! Ooh! And she has to be a girl!"

"Jeez, it's almost like you're describing a little girl version of Ven," joked Terra.

"Oh, no! She already thought up animal versions of me!" said Ventus, shuddering. "I don't need her to go over a new level!"

"Ooh! A cute little Venny would be neat! I wonder if his genderbent version would be called...Vena!"

"Nice going, Terra. She's already come up with ideas."

"Sorry, man."

"No you're not!"

Ignis stood up and summoned her Keyblade, raising it to the sky. "Oh, yeah! And when you appoint someone of pure light as an apprentice, there's this weird incantation you have to say! Now, what was it again...?"

Standing up, Terra placed his hand on Ignis' shoulder, reciting the incantation for her. "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be."

Finishing the rest of the chant, Aqua continued, "And you will find me, friend, no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

"That's a really neat chant!" said Ignis. "I wonder who made it up in the first place?"

"Probably one of the earliest, first Keyblade wielders, but I guess we'll never know," answered Aqua. "Now do you know the chant?"

"Of course! If not, I can always just look through my notes again."

"Hey, you can't always rely on your notes. If you really are serious of being a Keyblade Master, you have to memorize that chant."

"Alright, alright, but I've got plenty of time!" Ignis yawned and started walking off. "I'm heading to bed..."

"Yeah, we should all get some sleep," agreed Ventus. "I'm just so excited, though! I can't sleep!"

Ignis smiled and turned her head towards him. "Want me to cast a Sleep spell on you, then?"

"No way! Last time you did that, I was late for training, and Master Eraqus scolded me!"

"Hey, you asked me to cast that on you!"

"And it'll be the last time you do that!"

"Regardless, having a good night's sleep is good, so let's go," said Terra before the four of them started to head back towards the main building, where their sleeping quarters were.

What they didn't know was that that very night would be the last night they ever spent right beneath the stars.

* * *

 **Okay, so this part 1's done, and we all know what part 2 will be! Read and review! Also, if you all have any ideas for how and why Ignis might leave the Land of Departure, I'm open to suggestions!**


	6. Prologue Part 2

**Hi, guys! I got a few suggestions from you guys, and I gotta say, I love them! Now, one of the ideas for this chapter regarding Vanitas is from ChaosDancer12! Thanks so much!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

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 _'When is the exam gonna start? I wanna see it already!'_ thought Ignis, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she tapped her foot impatiently against the ground.

Currently, she and Ventus were also present to be witnesses and supporters for Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery exam, being on opposite sides within one another as the other two candidates faced their master, Eraqus, and their master's long-time companion, Xehanort.

"Today, you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery," announced Eraqus. "Not one, but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates. But, this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy. Not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither. But I'm sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark. I trust you are ready."

"Yes," spoke both Aqua and Terra firmly.

Summoning his Keyblade, Master's Defender, Eraqus declared, "Then let the examination begin." Using his light magic strengthened by his Keyblade, Eraqus summoned forth some orbs of light that appeared in the middle of the room.

Unknown to anyone, Xehanort used some kind of dark energy to corrupt and further increase the orbs of lights' powers, causing the orbs of light to multiple and become more aggressive in nature, as evident of the wisps of darkness flowing around each one.

Eraqus was just as surprised as Aqua and Terra from the orb of lights' sudden change in behavior and power. Snapping out of it, Aqua and Terra rushed forward, taking out their first two targets as one of the orbs of light headed towards Ven.

"Ven!" both older Keyblade candidates cried out in worry.

Ignis rushed forward to aid him when she held up her Keyblade to block one of the orb of lights, taking it out after two quick swipes. As for Ven, he took out the orb of light targeting him and was ready to defend himself.

"Don't worry about me!" shouted Ventus. "You two focus on the exam!"

"But, Ven! You and Ignis are in danger here! Have Ignis take you to your room and wait there!" called out Aqua as she and Terra stood back-to-back, facing the orb of lights surrounding them.

"No way! I've been looking forward to this! Seeing you two become Masters...I'm not gonna miss it now!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit, Ven-Ven!" encouraged Ignis. "Terra, Aqua, if anything goes wrong, I can help him. Don't worry, me and Ven have been training just as hard as you guys! But, I'm still stronger than Ven."

"Hey!"

Terra smirked and assured Aqua, "They're right. They can taken care of themselves."

"Yeah!" agreed Ventus.

"Stay sharp, both of you!" spoke Aqua urgently, seeing as there was no point changing anyone's minds. Everyone nodded and split up to fight their own individual battles, having their own share of enemies to fight against.

Ven's attacks were swift, but weak in power, as it took several hits to get rid of even one orb of light, whereas one hit from Terra was more than enough to eliminate an orb of light but left his movements completely slow. Ignis constantly changed from attacking physical to attacking magically, though she relied more on attacking physically.

Once again, Aqua proved to be the better spellcaster than Ignis not just from having higher magical might, but faster casting time as well. "Bubble Blaster!" cried out Aqua, firing one of her favored water-based Shotlocks towards the orbs of light. This either weakened or took out some orbs of lights, but as for the weakened ones, it was a great help towards the rest of her friends.

Irritated at his lack of speed, Terra decided to use one of his few, but best speed-based techniques to take out a row of orbs of light. "Sonic Shadow!" he yelled, rushing through the targeted orbs of light with shadows veiling his body. He then resumed to dealing heavy blows towards the other orbs of light.

"Thunderstorm!" cried out Ventus, launching small electrical bursts from his Keyblade at a few orbs of light approaching him. While he was distracted, he failed to notice at the last second another orb of light hitting him, causing him to fall down.

Ignis appeared by launching down from above and taking out the orb of light that hit him. "You okay?" she asked, offering her hand to him.

"Y-Yeah! Thanks!"

"Of course! I could never let anything happen to my little cinnamon roll!~"

Ventus groaned and rolled his eyes. "I wished you'd stop calling me that!"

Ignis giggled before turning back to the battle with a serious look. "We're not getting anywhere with this. There's still a couple remaining and-and I just got an idea."

Lately, Ignis has been working on combination magic through yet another one of her creative ideas. She postponed such advanced magic when she was younger because she wasn't skilled in magic yet. Also, she blew up a mountain in the process. But now, she was trying to formulate ways to combine at least two types of magic together, and even though the results were weak, should she improve her magic training, she should come up with various magic combination techniques.

Aiming her Keyblade at the ceiling, Ignis summoned her own pure orb of light before calling out, "Magnet!" The basic magic spell formed a vortex of magnetic force that merged with the pure orb of light, causing the dark color of the magnetic force to change to white. Sweat drippled from Ignis's forehead and back of her neck as she started gathering the other distorted orbs of light towards the magnet spell that was infused with her basic light spell.

Aqua and Terra stopped assaulting their targeted orbs of light and watched as the remaining ones gathered around the magnet spell Ignis created. Xehanort glanced from Ignis and towards the creation of her two combined spells, astonished at the young pupil's magical intellect and creativity, wondering why Ignis was not included in the Mark of Mastery exam along with Eraqus' other two apprentices, if she was this powerful? She may not possess darkness like the young lad, Terra, but it was clear in terms of creativity, she was truly terrifying if her creativity was expanded more.

"...Great! Now, we can't reach it, either!" complained Ventus.

Grunting, Ignis struggled with the successful combo spells, trying to keep them in as long as she could. "Dude, be creative! Use magic, for crying out loud!"

"Oh...right!"

Taking in Ignis' suggestion, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua fired spells of their own, destroying a good chunk of the orbs of light before Ignis' spells dispersed and they came crashing down. Ignis fell on her bottom, exhausted and taking a breather as the rest of her friends finished off the last of the orbs of light.

 _'I guess I should have realized that using two spells at the same time would require so much magic power,'_ thought Ignis, standing back up with aid from her Keyblade. _'I should be more careful.'_

Terra and Aqua returned to the center of the room, awaiting for their master's next set of instructions as he approached them. "That was unexpected," he admitted. "But one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which brings us to your next trial."

Having studied and trained for the Mark of Mastery exam, both Terra and Aqua knew what was to come and separated from one another soon facing each other as they knew their next trial would be that of combat.

"Now, Terra and Aqua, the two of you will face each other in combat. Remember, there are no winners. Only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Begin!"

Aqua and Terra rushed towards each other; their Keyblades clashing each other for the first time before breaking apart. The two equally matched combatants exchanged blows with one another until Terra chose to stay on the offensive while Aqua dodged each blow. Aqua took the initiative when she had the chance, forcing Terra back before one of her blows nearly hit Terra, causing him to slightly panic in the midst of battle.

Seeing Aqua charge at him, Terra was about to attack when he felt an impulse of darkness engulf his arm before gaining control of himself in time to block an attack from Aqua. Xehanort, having gained a new interest in the individual named Terra, smiled maliciously as a cunning new idea formed into his head.

After a while, Eraqus called the match off and, after some time later, announced the results. "We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery. Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there is always next time. That is all. Aqua, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions."

After Eraqus left the room with his old friend, Xehanort, the only remaining individuals in the large room were Aqua, Terra, Ventus, and Ignis.

"Hey..." spoke Aqua, trying to comfort the disgruntled Terra, who was clearly upset as well.

"You okay?" asked Ignis as she and Ventus rushed up to Terra.

"Terra, I'm sorry," apologized Ventus, wishing he could do something to cheer up Terra.

"...The darkness...where did it come from?" wondered Terra. "Sorry, but I need some time alone." He walked away, and despite them wanting to comfort him, they knew it wasn't the right time to be doing so.

* * *

 _Sometime later..._

Noting that it wasn't a good time to talk to Ventus, Aqua, or Terra, of all people, Ignis decided to take a walk within one of the small forests in the Land of Departure. One of the many things she enjoyed while living in the Land of Departure was exploring the lands within a lot, though before, she used to get lost a lot. Because she's lived in the Land of Departure for many years and explored them, she knew all the routes and shortcuts like the back of her palm.

Finding her favorite clearing within the forest, Ignis eagerly laid back against the soft grass, giggling to herself as she rolled around the comfortable bed of grass, not caring if her hair was messed up slightly. She always did enjoy taking naps in the wildlife, though she did sometimes did get scolded for it.

Fishing inside her bag, Ignis took out her Magic Creation Journal, scrolling through the pages until she found an empty one. Thus, she proceeded to fill that page with new combination spell she performed earlier, deciding to once again, test that out a different time. She decided to read through her past progress out of fun, hoping that her testing spells might conjure up a new idea for her.

Despite her journal being filled with spells made of creativity and imagination, there was one page that wasn't comprised of spells and in fact, was history to the first Keyblade wielders. Ignis just wrote down the story to remind herself of the beginning for the first Keyblade wielders in existence, but it wouldn't hurt to read through the story again.

 **The First Age of The Keyblades**

 **Many years ago, darkness and light clashed with one another so long as life existed, thus bringing forth dark creatures known as the Heartless. At the time, the only means of defending themselves against these vile creatures were through normal weapons or magic, but even then, it wasn't truly enough to extinguish all Heartless.**

 **One day, through sheer force of will and strong heart, people were granted the power to wield weapons magically made from the heart known as Keyblades. They proved powerful enough to drive back the Heartless back to whatever dark world they came from, and peace prospered within the peoples' lands once again after many years of hardship.**

 **However, a clan of scholars specialized in magic viciously attacked Keyblade wielders all around, wanting to steal the power of the Keyblade for their own selfish and greedy needs. They slaughtered many and tried torturous, cruel methods to force the power for themselves, but despite all their efforts, the clan was quickly struck down by the remaining heroes of the Keyblade wielders, never again to cause suffering and misery to innocents ever again.**

 **Not much is known about the clan of merciless torturers, except that they held powerful magic and many types of knowledge. Also, they were easily identified by color of their silver eyes.**

 **This clan was named-**

Hearing the sound of twigs snapping and the ruffling of trees, Ignis snapped the journal shut and put it away, glancing around. "Ven? Aqua? Terra? That you? ...Ven, I swear, if you try and sneak attack on me again, I'm gonna stick you with pudding and feathers again!"

Ignis heard something and summoned her Keyblade in time to successfully block whatever attack was coming her way. She winched as she slid back from the attack, but regained her composure as the attack returned back to its owner; the attack being a Keyblade.

The owner of said Keyblade happened to be a masked individual wearing a black and red organic-looking bodysuit with a dark cloth wrapped around his waist. He stepped out from the shadows and into the clearing where Ignis was.

"Huh, not bad," complimented the masked boy. "But, I wonder if you're much stronger than...What are you doing?"

"Oooohhhh…." cooed Ignis, dropping her Keyblade, which vanished once it hit the ground. Suddenly, she rushed up to the masked boy in a speed so unexpected, it startled him as she examined him. "You...You look so awesome!"

"What?"

"That outfit, Keyblade, but more importantly, that mask! Dude, you totally look like an awesome badass fighter!~ Plus, tall, dark, and handsome! My favorite type of guy! Hmm...But...it would be a lot better if you didn't have that skirt..."

The masked boy twitched underneath his mask. "It isn't a skirt."

"Then why does it look like one?"

"Well, it isn't!"

"Dude, if it's wavy and looks like a skirt, I'm pretty sure it's a skirt," teased Ignis before dodging a Keyblade sweep from the masked boy. "Whoa! Hey! Jeez, no need to get all upset at me, Skirt Boy!"

"Don't call me that! My name is Vanitas!"

"Vanitas, huh? That's a pretty unique name! I'm Ignis, fellow Keyblade apprentice to Master Eraqus!~"

"I don't care who you are," spat Vanitas, getting into a battle stance. "Come with me, or we can do this the easy or hard way. I was going to offer you the easy way, but your stupid attitude makes me want you to choose the hard way."

"Why should I go with you?" wondered Ignis. "All I wanted to do was read, take a nap, and then head back, but then you had to go ruin my afternoon! Meanie!"

"Like I care."

"Rude!" cried out Ignis, pouting before summoning her Keyblade. "And here I thought you were a cool badass, Skirt Boy!"

"Don't call me-! You know what? Whatever, I'm gonna enjoy crushing you," threatened Vanitas with a slight sadistic tone before disappearing in a flash.

From the corner of her eye, Ignis saw Vanitas reappear behind her, about to slice her down from above when she brought up her Keyblade in time to defend, only to be thrown back by the falling slash attack. Vanitas rushed at her again with his high speed, but Ignis pointed to the ground, muttering a quick and simple fire spell from her lips as the fire spell shot her upwards like a rocket, prompting Vanitas to follow after her and lock blades with her once they came into contact.

Ignis narrowed her eyes and was the one to break the lock by firing another fire spell up close, creating a minor explosion which sent Vanitas flying back until he regained momentum by backflipping and landing back on his feet before launching himself towards Ignis. He exchanged blows with her as Ignis was forced into the defensive, something she excelled at, but had trouble keeping up with his swift and fierce attacks as he kept summoning short ice pillars to leap off from and to block Ignis before continuing his assault on Ignis.

At last, Vanitas broke through her guard when he spotted an opening and slashed at her shoulder, in which she cried out in pain and leapt back, clutching her injured shoulder. Seeing Vanitas vanish, Ignis knew exactly where he would be attacking and put up a quick Reflect spell to block his attack, successfully doing so and forcing him back.

Just as the Reflect spell was about to wear off, Ignis snatched an ether from her pocket and popped open the lid with a flick of her thumb, swallowing the contents immediately. _'I used up a lot of magic during the exam earlier today, and if my MP was full when I fought Vanitas, or if I had some more rest time, I wouldn't have such a difficult time right now! This should restore my magic a little, but this is the only ether I've got! Man, I should really start taking Aqua's advice and storing these up for emergencies,'_ Ignis thought.

Ignis and Vanitas continued clashing with their Keyblades, dodging and moving around the forest as they ran out of the clearing to take advantage of the forest terrain. Because Ignis traveled around the forest for a long time, she had an upper advantage and would hide behind trees to dodge or to use as cover, whereas Vanitas relied on teleportation sneak attacks to strike Ignis. Both also attempted to take the other down by using magic on one another, careful not to use fire magic, which unfortunately, that was something Ignis specialized in.

Ignis swung around and slashed at Vanitas once they hit ground, only to find she only slashed at his after image. Energizing his Keyblade with darkness, Vanitas engaged in another clash of strikes against Ignis, who defended by infusing her Keyblade with fire.

"Careful, sweetheart. Don't want to accidentally burn down the forest, now, do you?" taunted Vanitas once they locked themselves into another struggle of power.

"Look, you're cute-!" grunted Ignis as she was losing in terms of strength. "But, if anything happens, I could always just blame you!" With all of her strength, she pushed him back, making him falter even a little. But that was enough for Ignis as she leapt back, concentrating on her power. "Sorry, Master...I'll blame Skirt Boy for this."

Vanitas, though slightly irritated by the ridiculous nickname Ignis gave to him, wondered what she was talking about when her body burst into flames. No, she wasn't burning to death, but more like the flames were accepting and fusing with her body before she charged forward, shooting flames from behind her using her Keyblade as a boost.

Vanitas tried to slice her, but Ignis fired at a different direction to dodge the slash before kicking at Vanitas, hitting his shoulder and then sliding to the ground effortlessly. He proceeded to slash at her again, only for her to keep using fire as a boost to dodge. She charged at him again, but her eyes widened when she saw him fire black lightning and fireballs at her from a quick swipe from his Keyblade, forcing her to bring up her arms and Keyblade to defend as she crashed into a tree.

The tree she crashed into quickly caught fire, as did some other trees in the area that were caught up in her previous fire blasts, but she paid no heed to them for the time being. Vanitas rushed at her again, leaving behind after images that slashed at her before disappearing back into him as Ignis was forced back into the defensive for the time being, although the attacks hurt less now that she was boosted up with one of her special moves, her personal favorite Command Style, Firestorm.

Vanitas leapt up and fire three destructive lightning bolts of darkness as Ignis fire three equally strong fireballs from her Keyblade, causing a massive explosion before Vanitas used the smoke as cover to get up close to Ignis. Ignis put her guard up as Vanitas continuously slashed at her, forcing her to slide back a good distance before she presumed a fighting stance.

Eyes igniting with determination and power, Ignis knew it was now her turn to take the offensive; having her speed and power greatly enhanced thanks to Firestorm. She unleashed a large barrage of fire-based attacks when up close to Vanitas, and even with Vanitas moving up thanks to his slight teleportation power, Ignis was able to keep up with him and eventually force him on the defensive, especially after a devastating combo of fast-paced fire slashes that finished with a large fireball explosion, harming only Vanitas as other fire-based attacks and spells would have no effect on Ignis as she was under the effects of Firestorm.

"Flame Salvo!" Driving him back, Ignis fired devastating fire spells in the form of bigger, faster, and stronger fireballs from the tip of her Keyblade. Though he moved around, a few were able to home in on him and blast him, driving him back farther. As for the fireballs that missed their targets, well, the forest was soon becoming a large storm of fire everywhere.

Despite having been injured throughout the majority of the fight, Vanitas appeared almost unharmed as he zoomed around Ignis in a circular pattern, confusing her. He stopped and sent a wave of darkness towards her, forcing her to use a large variety of fire to block and survive the powerful attack, Unfortunately, such a move used up the effects of her Firestorm Command Style, and as such, she was depleted of stamina and left exhausted as she fell to her knees.

Panting, she could feel the heat of the burning trees through her skin and hear the crackling flames and falling trees as they succumbed to the fires. But more importantly, she could hear the crouching of footsteps approaching her as the cool surface of a dark Keyblade touched her cheek.

"I admit, it's been a long while since anyone's given me a challenge like you just now," admitted Vanitas, sounding smugly impressed. "Now, come with me, or I'll have to drag you back forcibly, conscious or not."

"W-What? Is this some sort of kidnapping or something?" questioned Ignis, glaring up at Vanitas with defiance in her eyes.

"Eh, you can call it that. Now, are we doing this the hard-"

"Hard way!" yelled Ignis quickly, smacking his Keyblade out of her face with her own, allowing her time to get up. Both were exhausted, but Ignis thought that perhaps if she wore down Vanitas, he would be forced to retreat, or better yet, she would defeat him!

Unfortunately, calculations were not her forte.

She clearly underestimated his strength and stamina, as while Vanitas was tired out from the battle, he could still go on, whereas Ignis couldn't last another minute. Worse, she didn't have the Firestorm boost up effects to back her up, so when she engaged in combat with Vanitas once more, it didn't take him long to overpower her as he knocked her Keyblade out of her hands and held onto her wrists tightly.

"I wouldn't be doing this if you'd just behave!" Vanitas shouted before hitting the back hilt of his Keyblade against the side of her head, knocking her out. Her body fell to the ground as though it was a puppet with its strings cut loose.

With little effort, Vanitas picked up her unconscious body and threw it over his shoulder before summoning a dark portal to escape the burning forest of death. Just for extra evidence to show a certain someone later on, he swiped Ignis' hairband off her hair and put it in his pocket for safe keeping.

Ignis didn't stay unconscious for long, but she was still exhausted and close to falling back to unconscious land again should another hit take her down. She lifted her head a bit and saw a...desert-like canyon environment all around as she felt herself being carried on the shoulder. It didn't take a genius for her to figure out Vanitas was carrying her after practically kidnapping her.

If Vanitas figured out she was awake, he could easily knock her out again without a second thought. But Ignis has just a little bit of magic left...and she had an idea so crazy, it just might work.

As fast as her remaining strength could off her, Ignis pushed herself off Vanitas and jumped a good distance away from Vanitas, stammering when she made the landing. Vanitas paused and turned around, annoyed.

"I'm beginning to think you're the persistent type. Just couldn't stay asleep, huh?"

"Oh, I was asleep. By the way, hit to the head earlier? Ow!" complained Ignis, rubbing the side of her head where Vanitas' attack hit, hissing in pain. "Couldn't you treat a lady more properly, Skirt Boy?"

"First off, don't call me that. Second, I'm not afraid to hit ignorant girls like you."

"Boo! Meanie," pouted Ignis, slapping her left pauldron, thus beginning the activation of her Keyblade Armor, which was shown after a bright flash of light.

Her Keyblade Armor...actually appeared more for movement than simple defense like a normal set of armor would. Granted, it still had defensive parts for an armor, such as the gauntlets, chest plate, and helmet, actually, the upper half of the body consisted of fully-clad armor while the lower half still had parts of armor such as the boots. The rest wasn't armor but had slight bagged pants, and a long-length robed jacket that nearly resembled the ends of a dress. The armor was mostly black-colored with streaks of gray, plus Ignis' long, red hair was magically turned into a low ponytail that flowed with the wind like a tail. It was probably made that way to make sure her hair wasn't a nuisance in battle.

"You know, if you had activated that armor earlier, our fight would have been so much more interesting," admitted Vanitas.

"Hey, Vanitas. Guess what? What? What?"

"...What?"

"Smoke bomb."

"What are you-?"

"Fira! Aerora!" Using the combinations of both fire and wind-type spells, Ignis quickly caused a large smokescreen to fill the area, blinding the two of them so that they could no longer see each other.

"Shit!" Ignis heard Vanitas cursed, thus dropping to the ground and hearing his footsteps pass her location. "Where'd she go?"

As though to answer his questions, Ignis summoned and then aimed her Keyblade at a different direction within the smokescreen, summoning a portal in which its entrance caught Vanitas' attention. She could hear his footsteps fading away and the sound of him entering the portal before it closed up.

"Ha! Sucka!" laughed Ignis before groaning in pain from her injuries. "Okay, ow, ow, ow! Ugh, and I just ran out of magic!"

As the smokescreen vanished, Ignis giggled to herself as she began walking away, unsure where she was. What she was certain was that her portal powers consisting with the Keyblade weren't...exactly perfect. One of the best things to learn to being a Keyblade Master was the power to create portals that take you anywhere you want to go, provided you knew the exact location. Because Ignis had just recently started learning how to utilize the power, she clearly had difficulties with it, and as a result, she ended up in random places within the Land of Departure.

She had no idea where she sent Vanitas, but if she had to guess, it might be somewhere within the Land of Departure.

Ignis couldn't return to the Land of Departure yet, as she was overwhelmingly exhausted and out of power to summon another portal. The best thing she could do is escape whatever world she was in and then hope the Land of Departure wasn't too far from here.

Tossing her Keyblade into the air, her Phoenix Fairy transformed into her own version of a Keyblade Glider before Ignis jumped on and flew off into space. She could feel herself growing sleepy from the harsh battle she was forced to enter, and she didn't know how far she traveled, but when she spotted a world, she immediately zoomed in with faster speed.

Unfortunately, she approached with too much speed, prompting her Keyblade Glider to crash into trees before she was flung off and crashed to the ground; blacking out.

* * *

 _Meanwhile..._

Ventus laid on his bedroom bed, swinging a wooden Keyblade toy Terra gave to him long ago. He was still lamenting on the fact that Terra didn't get promoted to Keyblade Master, whereas Aqua did. Granted, he was happy for Aqua, but he wanted to do something for Terra to help cheer him up. Hearing the bells ringing, Ventus got off his bed and started leaving his room when he heard an unfamiliar voice speaking to him.

"Better hurry, Ventus," warned Vanitas, leaning against Ventus' bedroom wall. For some reason, he was drenched and dripping water droplets all over the floor.

Turning around, Ventus asked, "Huh? Who are you?"

"Or you'll never see Terra or that Ignis girl ever again."

Ventus frowned, confused. "What? Get real, I can see both my friends anytime I want."

"Like right now? Terra's leaving you right behind, and by the time you catch up, he'll be a different person. As for Ignis, well, let's just say she was forcibly removed from this world. And no, I don't mean she's dead, but she's in the hands of yours truly somewhere."

"What?! Look, I don't know who you are, but you don't know a single thing about Terra!" shouted Ventus. "And you can't seriously expect me to believe you kidnapped Ignis! She's a lot stronger than she looks!"

"You're right on that mark, she is a lot stronger. A lot stronger than you, at least." Facing Ventus, Vanitas took out the hairband he stole from Ignis and showed it to him. "But can you honestly think I'm lying if I didn't have her possession in my hands right now?"

Recognizing Ignis' hairband, Ventus gasped before letting out an angry cry as he charged and swung at Vanitas with the wooden Keyblade. Vanitas sidestepped out of the way and stuck his foot out, causing Ventus to crash into his bed.

"Oh, grow up. Charging into someone like that is just way too predictable," spoke Vanitas coldly.

Twisting his body around, Ventus demanded, "Where is she?! What did you do with Ignis?!"

"Let's just say she put up a pretty good fight, but I came out victorious and dragged her body into another world. You'll never know the truth unless you go out and look for your girlfriend yourself."

Ventus' blush couldn't be ignored before he replaced it with an angry expression. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Ventus, Ventus, Ventus...We both know that isn't true. You might not have had feelings for her in the beginning, but even you're starting to notice more things about her as you grow up. It's called puberty; get a dictionary and look it up."

"I swear, if you did anything more to her-!"

"Tick tock, Ventus. The more you spent time with me right now, the less time you have in saving both Terra and Ignis. Two lives can be saved if you act fast enough," warned Vanitas, summoning a dark portal. "Come on, what could you possibly know when you're stuck here, looking at nothing but what's in your tiny little world?" With that said, he disappeared into the dark portal, being transported elsewhere and leaving Ventus alone.

"...I don't like Ignis that way," Ventus muttered, still blushing. He noticed slight puddles from the trail Vanitas left and exclaimed, "Wait...Ugh! He left puddles in my room! What, did he decide to take a swim at a lake or something and then come here to say that to my face! Oh wait! Terra! Ignis!" He ran out of his room to hurry, heeding Vanitas' warning.

* * *

 **Another chapter finished, and the end of the prologue! Just to let you guys know, if you want a visualization of Ignis' Keyblade Armor, then I got inspired by the main character, "Harbinger," from the game, Omensight! Seriously, you guys should check that game out, it's pretty interesting!**

 **That said, read and review, and by the way, not all worlds Ignis travels to will be the same as the other trio. I'm spicing things up, and I can tell you that the first world Ignis will be going to is from a Disney film created long time ago! That's all!**


	7. Camelot (1)

**Hey, guys! Wow, so glad that you guys enjoy this and that Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally out! I don't have the game, so I'll be watching the walkthroughs on You Tube, so I'm so excited, guys!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Miss? Are you okay? Please, wake up..."

Groaning, Ignis slowly started regaining consciousness and found herself being shaken by someone. That shaking ceased when she sat up and shook her head to become fully awaken. When she came to, she found herself deep within a very large, dense forest, but she wasn't alone.

Sitting next to her was a scrawny young boy, younger than she was and scrawny like a stick. His face filled with concern and he stood up and offered her his hand. "A-Are you okay? It's a good thing I found you! You're very lucky that a wolf hasn't come to gobble you up, Miss!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Okay, okay, okay! I'm okay...I'm okay..." muttered Ignis, taking the boy's hand and standing up, only to arch back in pain from her wounds with the battle against Vanitas. "Just...gimme a minute, alright?"

"O-Oh, yes! Of course, Miss! Um...Do you need anything else? Like water, or-or..."

"No, no! I'm good," said Ignis. "Alright, ow...Gonna need to heal myself later...Anyways, hi! Nice to meet you! Hey, thanks for saving me back there!"

"Oh, I didn't really do anything, Miss. I just found you while I was trying to find something and tried to wake you up," spoke the boy. "My name is Arthur, b-but everyone calls me Wart."

Ignis frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "Huh? Why'd they call you that?"

"W-Well, it's just a nickname."

"That's a horrible nickname! A cute boy like you shouldn't be called that!" said Ignis, poking his forehead, causing the young boy to flinch. "I'd definitely punch the guy who would give me a nickname like that!"

"O-Oh, but you mustn't! A beautiful lady such as yourself shouldn't harm herself nor defend someone like me," assured Arthur, rubbing his arm.

Ignis' expression brightened up and she squealed at Arthur's comment, bouncing up to him and ruffling his hair. "Awww! That's so sweet of you, calling me beautiful and being worried about me! Don't worry! I'm tough as nails!"

"I-I see...Forgive me, Miss, but-"

"Oh! Sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! My name's Ignis! Nice to meet ya, Artie!~" said Ignis, handshaking his hand.

"A-Artie?" wondered Arthur, confused.

"Yup! Wart is too disgusting a nickname for ya, so I'll call you by Artie! That alright with ya?"

Arthur nodded. "I-I don't mind at all. Miss Ignis, are you perhaps...a knight? I've never seen or heard of a female knight before."

"Okay, first off!" started Ignis. "No need for formalities! Just call me Ignis! And second, I'm no knight! But...uh...do you know where we are? I mean, I get we're in a forest, but what...area are we in? Like, what land?"

"We're in England, M-I mean, Ignis," said Arthur. "This is a forest in England. I can escort you out of the forest, but um..."

"What? You lost or something and you can't get back?"

Arthur shook his head. "I...I was hoping that you'd wait a little bit before we leave the forest. You see, I entered the forest to retrieve an arrow that fell somewhere around here, but don't worry!" He picked up a stick and told her, "I'll protect you!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Why would you want to enter a dangerous forest like this for one simple arrow? Can't you just buy some more?" wondered Ignis.

"Unfortunately, arrows are very expensive, and...I did cause a bit of trouble that made the arrow fall into the forest, so it's my responsibility to retrieve it. B-But this is good knight training for me, too! Because I get to get the arrow and escort a fair maiden like you out of the forest!"

"You training to be a knight?"

Arthur answered, "More towards a squire. I've got a long ways to go before ever becoming a knight. But I do hope to grow up to be a brave knight that protects everyone!"

"That's a noble goal! I'm...a sort of apprentice of my own, but I'm very close to being initiated towards a Master!" assured Ignis proudly.

"If I may ask, Ignis, um...What brings you to the forest?" wondered Arthur.

Ignis was about to answer truthfully, but decided against it, knowing that she was in a completely different world. The existence of other worlds is meant to be a secret and very few within worlds knows of the existence, including herself. "Oh, I'm just a simple traveler! A foreigner, if you will!~"

"Oh, I see! That explains so much!" said Arthur. "I've...I've never met someone like you, Ignis. Forgive me, but I can't help but notice how...peculiar your appearance is. In a good way, of course! I never met someone with such strange armor and red hair! And with an unusual name!"

"Hehehe!" giggled Ignis, pumping her chest out where her chest armor could be further emphasized. "Thanks very much! You can touch the armor if you want!"

Arthur flustered and looked away. "O-Oh, I mustn't! I-It's very rude to touch a lady without permission! A-Anyways, we should probably be heading off!"

"Alright, you take the lead, I'll defend!" proposed Ignis.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if we face any danger, just leave it to me! I'll protect ya!"

"H-How? You don't have a weapon, and it's simply rude to allow a lady to do all the fighting!" protested Arthur.

"Hey, don't worry about the details too much!" assured Ignis, patting him on the head. "Best case scenario, we get that arrow of yours and walk away freely, safe and sound! Now, let's get going!"

Unable to come up with a counter argument, Arthur reluctantly agreed and took the lead with Ignis following behind him. They bypassed several trees, skipped on stones in a small stream, and got lost a few times as they made their detour within the forest, searching for the arrow.

During their search, Ignis had time to think to herself. From the looks of things, it seemed that she landed in another world while trying to get away from Vanitas, who defeated and proceed to kidnap her for whatever reason. Next time she saw him, she was going to punch first, and then ask questions later. She remembered crashing into something before falling unconscious, which was kinda embarrassing considering she is close to being a Keyblade Master.

Regardless, she did recall the rules of the various worlds Eraqus taught her. It would lead to conflict and war should other worlds become aware of the other worlds' existence, which is why very few is aware of that fact. Once she recovered her magic power and healed all of her wounds, she was going to get out of the world she was in and return to the Land of Departure. Then again, her teleportation powers with the Keyblade aren't exactly top-notch, since if she tried long-distance traveling, she would randomly end up in a different place, and every time that happened, it would take a while for Eraqus to track her down. The best she can muster is just short-distance trips, like from one close tree to another sort of distance.

Yeah, today was not her day.

"Oh! There it is!" said Arthur, pointing to the arrow embedded in a tree branch up high within the other trees. Without warning, he grabbed onto one of the lower branches and began climbing his way up towards the tree.

"Uh...Artie? I don't think you should-Maybe I should do that instead. I have some experience climbing trees, you know," called out Ignis worriedly as her gaze followed him everywhere.

"O-Oh, no! A lady like yourself shouldn't trouble yourself like this! Besides, I'm actually a tree expert too! Please don't worry yourself about me!"

As Arthur climbed more higher, there was a point where he nearly fell off when his feet pressed against a weaker tree branch that broke apart, prompting him to hang onto another tree branch. Ignis nearly shrieked in fear and came close to rushing to catch him in her arms, only to sigh in relief. Then, she notice the tree branch falling into the jaws of a very hungry-looking wolf, who seemed baffled at catching the prey rather than his dinner.

Angered at the wolf's presence, Ignis summoned her Keyblade and marched towards the wolf, who had spat out the stick. "Bad wolf! Bad! Go away! Shoo!" she shouted, swinging her Keyblade at the wolf, who grew frightened by her weapon and ran off in the blink of an eye.

Arthur had stopped climbing to witness Ignis chasing off the wolf with the strange weapon he's never seen before. "Ignis? What is that?" he asked curiously.

Looking up, Ignis put away her Keyblade and called out, "Arthur, I really don't think it's safe for you up there! Get down this instant!"

Before Arthur could comply, he glanced up and saw the arrow just nearly at an arm's length away from him. "No, wait! I think I've got it-! W-Whoa!" Suddenly, the tree branch he had been holding onto while leaning towards the arrow broke apart and he fell right into the hay-like rooftop of a cottage, accidentally intruding inside.

"Artie!" called out Ignis before spotting the cottage that was right in front of her. "Wow, how did I not notice that?" She rushed towards the front door and began knocking frantically. "Arthur? You okay? Say something!"

The door opened, and greeting her was an elderly man wearing blue wizard garbs and glasses. "Oh! Well, I certainly didn't expect a second guest! Come, come!"

Inside was a strange workshop home-like environment for the cottage, but most importantly, Arthur appeared safe and sound, seated at a table while tea was brewing above a small fire stove.

"Artie! Are you okay?" asked Ignis, walking up to him. "You hurt?"

Arthur shook his head. "Oh, no! I'm alright! The rooftop cushioned my fall and landed me right into this chair!"

"Oh, so you're okay? Not hurt or any bruising?"

"Nope, I'm okay!"

"Oh, okay, good." She then whacked him on the head with her fist.

"Ow! What was that for?" complained Arthur, rubbing his head.

"Because you were an idiot! Honestly, I can't believe you! You should have let me get the arrow!" shouted Ignis with her hands on her hips. "Don't you ever do something that reckless again! One arrow shouldn't be enough to risk your life!"

"I..." Realizing that Ignis only harmed him because she was concerned, Arthur felt guilty, since she had a point. "I'm sorry..."

"Now, now! What's done is done! That's all in the past. Come, come! Take a seat! And I'll brew the two of you some tea!" offered the elderly wizard before Ignis took him up on his offer. "Now, my name is Merlin! Come, come! Who are you two?"

"Oh, my name's Arthur! But everyone calls me Wart," introduced Arthur, gazing curiously around the room at the strange liquid vials and the numerous piles books on the other side of the room.

"How anyone can call you such an awful name is still beyond me," said Ignis. "Oh, I'm Ignis! And if anyone calls me by a horrible name, I'd punch them in the face!"

"Oh! A feisty one!" spoke Merlin, having his suspicions on Ignis.

Glancing around more, Arthur spotted a fluffy owl seemingly glaring back at him, leaning forward to stroke its feathers. "What a perfect stuffed owl..."

Insulted, the "stuffed owl" emerged to owl as he shot up and took offense to Arthur's comment. "Stuffed-?! I-I-I-I BEG YOUR PARDON?!"

"He's alive!" gasped Arthur. "And he talks!"

"A-And certainly better than you!" spat the owl.

Ignis gasped joyfully, patting his feathers. "He's so fluffy! Hehehehe! So cute!~"

"Enough! I-I-I am not some mere toy to pet on!" the owl cried out, flying into his own small owl home resembling a bird's house, only for owls.

Pouring the hot tea into a tea cup, Merlin grew annoyed at his owl's behavior. "Oh, come, Archimedes! Come, come now! I want you to meet the Wart! Now, you must forgive him. He's only a boy."

To help Arthur calm down his pet owl and get into a friendly relationship with him, Merlin handed Arthur a freshly batched cup of tea to give to Archimedes. Just as he expected, Archimedes popped out, thinking he was the one being referred to as "boy."

"Boy? Boy? I see no boy!" cried out Archimedes before spotting the tea cup...and then snatching it before shutting the door to his tiny home.

Thinking he further offended the owl, Arthur stammered apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry that I-"

Chuckling, Merlin assured the young boy, "That's alright. He's much too sensitive."

Poking his head out of his home's door, Archimedes cried out, "Sensitive? Huh? Who? What? What?"

Ignoring his pet owl, Merlin poured tea into both his two guests' tea cups, smiling at the two of them. "Thanks, Merlin!" chirped Ignis, taking her tea cup.

Arthur nodded. "O-Oh! Yes, thank you! But, how did you know that I would be-"

"Oh, th-that you would be dropping in? Well, I happen to be a wizard!" exclaimed Merlin proudly. "A soothslayer! A prognosticator! I have the power to see into the future! Centuries into the future! I-I've been there, and I've seen all these things! They're-They're only plans and small models, of course, you know!"

"Wow! A wizard?" wondered Ignis. "And one that can see the future? Ooh! Ooh! Tell my fortune! Tell me! Do I get to marry a handsome hunk in the future? Tall, dark, and handsome? My kind of standards? Also, does he have a BIG-"

"Oh, my! If what you're saying is what I suspect to be, not in front of this poor young boy!" scolded Merlin. "And why spoil such things when you can experience them for yourself?"

"Right, right, right! Sorry!"

Demonstrating his knowledge for the future, Merlin picked up what appears to be a toy train and placed it on the table, pouring hot tea into it before closing the cover. "Now, this for instance, is a steam locomotive!" He pushed it gently, causing smoke from the hot tea to come out of the toy train's hole as it traveled towards Arthur, smacking into his tea cup before the young boy turned it around and watched it ride back to Merlin.

"Don't you mean, a train?" said Ignis.

Blinking in surprise at Ignis' knowledge, Merlin nodded. "W-Why yes! Now, that won't be invented for hundreds of years!"

Impressed, Arthur asked, "Oh! You mean you can see everything before it happens?"

"Yes! Everything!"

Eavesdropping on their conversation, Archimedes smugly shook his head, popping out from his home. "Ah-ah-ah-ah! _Everything,_ Merlin?"

Frowning, Merlin shook his head. "Oh! No, no! Not...everything! I...uh...I admit, I didn't know whom to expect for tea, much less two unexpected guests! But, as you can see..." He, with his cane, pointed to the open hay ceiling Arthur accidentally fell into before lightly whacking Arthur on the head. "I figured the exact place!"

Rubbing his head, Arthur praised in astonishment, "You're very clever, sir!"

"Yes! Well, never mind the, the, the sir. Just, uh, plain Merlin will do!" said Merlin, settling down on his own seat. "Now, would the two of you care for some sugar?"

"Oh, yes I would! Please."

"Me too! I love a lot of sugar in my cup!" said Ignis, waving her hand.

"Alright, then!" said Merlin, clapping his hands, which signified the start of his magic. To both Ignis and Arthur's amazement, the sugar bowl sitting on the table animated to life and picked up a teaspoon, lodging it on its shoulder like a weapon as it hopped its way towards Merlin. "No, no! Manners! Manners! Guests first! You know that! Oh, and then say 'when' when you want it to stop!"

Turning around, the sugar bowl headed towards Arthur and began scooping out spoonfuls of sugar from within it into Arthur's tea cup. Amazed by the magic being performed before him, Arthur called out, "When!"

The sugar bowl stopped and hopped towards Ignis, who, after snatching a cookie off the cookie plate, handed the rest to Arthur. Ignis watched as the sugar bowl placed more sugar into her tea cup before giggling, remarking its actions as cute. She went to pat it on the head before yelping in pain when it smacked her hand with its teaspoon, not liking to be touched. "When!" she said, deciding that was enough sugar before watching the sugar bowl hop towards Merlin's tea cup.

Merlin got up and began picking up books from his small library, asking Arthur, "Have you had any schooling, lad?"

Chewing on a cookie, Arthur nodded. "Oh, yes! I'm training to be a squire! I'm learning the rules of combat, and swordsmanship, and jousting, and horsemanship!"

Picking up more books from his shelf, Merlin nodded. "Oh, yes, yes, very good! That's-That's-! No, no, no! I mean, a real education! Mathematics, History, Biology, Natural Science, English, Latin, French!" After grabbing an armful of books into his arms, Merlin returned to his seat, only to find his tea cup overflowing with a small mountain of sugar and that his magical enchanted sugar bowl was still pouring spoonfuls of sugar into his tea cup. "When! When! Blast it all! WHEN!"

Startled, the sugar bowl ran away from Merlin and hid behind a teapot in fear. Ignis merely stayed silent during all of what was happening, but resumed to sipping her tea and eating her cookie. She couldn't believe her luck when she had arrived in another world for the first time in a long time. Now she was meeting a wizard who could help her get back home!

"Impudent piece of crockery," muttered Merlin, scooping the mountain of sugar from his tea cup and then sweeping the rest off the table with his beard as though it was a broom. He turned his attention to Arthur and placed his books down on the table. "Boy, now you can't grow up without a decent education, you know!"

"Oh, I suppose not, sir," agreed Arthur. "Merlin, I mean!"

"So! I am going to be your tutor!" offered Merlin, opening up one of the books and beginning his teachings.

"But, I gotta get back to the castle!" said Arthur, picking up a cookie to take along the road back home. "They'll want me in the kitchen!"

"Oh, well, then very well!" chirped Merlin, getting up and picking up his bag with his cane. "We'll pack and be on our way! You watch now, you'll like this!"

Arthur and Ignis watched curiously as Merlin stood on top of a stool and tapped it with his cane, getting into position as though he was a musical conductor. As he began his magic, he began chanting an incantation in the form of a song, and all over, all of his possessions and belongings began to rise and afloat.

 _"Higitus figitus zumbakazing!_

 _I want your attention, everything!_

 _We're packing to leave. Come on, let's go!_

 _No, no, not you; books are always first, you know!"_

Going in a row, all of the books within the cottage began to move, shrinking in size as they approach and begin entering Merlin's bag through the use of his magic.

 _"Hockety, pockety, wockety, wack!_

 _Abra abra dabra nack!_

 _Shrink in size, very small!_

 _We've got to save enough room for all!_

 _Higitus, figitus, migitus, mum!_

 _Prestidigitonium!"_

Next came the silverware, including the sugar bowl that served Ignis, Arthur, and Merlin earlier, though because it was out of line, it attempted to move in between the silverware and the books.

 _"Alakafez, balakazez!_

 _Malakamez meripides!_

 _Hockety, pockety, wockety-WHAT?!"_

At the sugar bowl's sudden interruption at the song when it disrupted the line of order with its meddling, Merlin caused the objects to stop in place and began wagging his cane at the sugar bowl. "Now, stop, stop, stop! See here, sugar bowl! You're getting rough! That poor old tea set is cracked enough!" Getting back to standing on his stool, Merlin once again got into position. "Alright, let's start again! Ah...Oh, where was I?"

"Yeah...I didn't even understand half of the lyrics you spoke," admitted Ignis, confused.

Arthur, on the other hand, had a better answer. "Uh...Hockety, pockety?"

"Oh, yes, yes! That's right!"

 _"Hockety, pockety, wockety, wack!_

 _Odds and ends and bric a brac!_

 _I'll be with you in just a minute, son!_

 _Packing's almost done!"_

Among the objects being shrunk and placed into Merlin's bag was Archimede's bird house, in which he barely escaped from as soon as the shrinking process was at hand. Angered by Merlin's thoughtlessness, Archimedes cried out, "You...You...BUNDLING BLOCKHEAD!"

Startled by Archimedes' tone, Merlin ceased the song and magic, attempting to calm down his furniture. "Hey, easy there; no, no! Go ahead! Dum goo-dily doo-dily doo-dily dum!"

Arthur and Ignis quickly got off the chairs they were sitting on, seeing as they were levitating and being shrunken just like the other objects, and soon, they noticed that the cottage was nearly empty, with the song pacing faster as it was coming to an end.

 _"Higitus, figitus, migitus, mum!_

 _Prestidigitonium!_

 _Higitus, figitus, migitus, mum!_

 _Prestidigitoniu-Oh!"_

At the last verse, the last object to be shrunk and placed into Merlin's bag was the very stool he was standing on. Once the last of Merlin's belongings entered into his bag, the wizard closed the bag, leaving him and the other two youngsters in a very empty cottage.

"What a way to pack!" gasped Arthur.

"Yeah," agreed Ignis. "Could go without the song, though. Hey, Merlin! Think you could teach me a spell of how to do that? Could really use that spell in a lot of helpful ways!" _'Like chores! No more chores in just a few minutes!~'_

Picking up his bag, Merlin walked out the door with both Ignis and Arthur following him. "Now, now, young lady! Don't you get any foolish ideas that magic will solve all your problems. Because it won't! Same with you, Wart!"

"Awww!" complained Ignis; her shoulders slumped.

"But, sir! I don't have any problems!" protested Arthur.

"Oh, bah!" spat Merlin, closing the door behind him as Archimedes flew out the window to follow the trio. "Everybody's got problems! The whole world's got problems!" Unfortunately, when he tried to close the door, his long beard got caught in between. "Oh, blast it all!" He tugged with all his might, successfully freeing his beard, only for it to tangle around his face until he unraveled it. "There! You see what I mean? See, that's the trouble with the world today! Everybody butting their heads against a brick wall! All muscle and no mentality! Do you want to be all muscle and no brain?"

As Merlin talked, Ignis and Arthur continued following after him within the wilderness. To answer his question, Arthur said, "I don't have any muscle."

"You don't? Well, how do you move about?" questioned Merlin, stopping Arthur with his cane.

"Well, I suppose I-I do have a little."

"Aha! There, you see? Well, that's enough," Merlin said, continuing to venture deeper into the woods. "Now, develop your brain! Knowledge, wisdom! There's the real power! Higher learning! That's the thing!"

Merlin stopped and leapt onto the other side, and considering the distance was small, both Arthur and Ignis easily prevailed through the obstacle. "So, first thing tomorrow morning, we'll start a full schedule!" decreed Merlin, sliding down a mudslide as though he was skiing before skiing through a small pond and then landing on the ground. "Eight hours a day, and two for study period!"

Arthur tried and failed miserably to be as skilled as Merlin when he slid down the mudslide and the pond, whereas Ignis had better luck due to physical training through the years. "But I don't have the time! I have page duties!"

"Pah! Page duties? Ha!" Merlin ventured forward, knowing the other two were still following and attempting to keep up with him. "Well, we'll change all that! There's got to be a shake-up!"

"W-Well, yes, sir! I suppose so!" agreed Arthur, panting.

"Hey, Merlin! Do you think maybe you can slow down a bit?" called out Ignis, trying to help Arthur move faster.

"I can't do that! Time is money, after all!" denied Merlin. "Lad, how do you ever expect to amount to anything without an education, I'd like to know? Even in these bungling, backwards, medieval times, you have got to know where you're going, don't you?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Yes, of course. So you must plan for the future, boy!" said Merlin, now standing on top of a hill. "You have got to find a direction! And you've got to-Uh...By the by, what direction is this castle of yours?"

"I think it's north. The other way," said Arthur, pointing to _the exact opposite_ of where they should be heading.

"...Dude! Why didn't you say anything?! We pretty much went all this way for nothing!" complained Ignis.

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"Then, we better get a move on!" urged Merlin, also frustrated that they wasted their time climbing up the hill for nothing. "Come on, pick up the pace! Pick it up! Pick it up!"

As the trio headed their way towards the north, they entered the woods and were suddenly surrounded by strange dark creatures that popped out of nowhere.

"Oh! Not these blasted monsters again!" cried out Merlin, waving his cane around as he prepared to cast a spell. Unfortunately, he was too slow as one of the dark creatures tackled him and knocked his cane out of his hands.

"Arthur! Merlin! Get back!" shouted Ignis, summoning her Keyblade, much to the two's reactive surprise. She quickly engaged into combat, and though the dark creatures were swift, they were no match for Ignis, who had years of training under a Keyblade Master. It took a few blows to take out some of them, and even then, there were a few left.

Deciding to use a technique she developed with one of her fire spells, Ignis concentrated on what little magic she had at the moment and thrusted her palm out. "Fire!" A fireball shot out and destroyed one of the dark creatures, but further concentration had the fireball moving with more flames boosting its effectiveness as she used a homing technique to make the fireball continuous until the last of the dark creatures died out.

Blinking in surprise, Arthur couldn't help but cry out, "Whoa! T-That's amazing, Ignis! You can use magic too, just like Merlin!"

"I know, right?" squealed Ignis excitedly as she put away her Keyblade.

Having his suspicions confirmed, Merlin pushed up his glasses. "Hmm...Interesting. Ignis, correct? Later, we must have a talk, you and me! It is of great importance, but for now, we have to head to the castle! Can you take care of more of those vile creatures while getting there?"

"Done!" agreed Ignis. "Oh, and Artie? I can teach you how to fight, too! You said you're going to be a knight, right? Well, why not get some training from an experienced fighter like myself?"

"Oh, really? Yes, of course!" said Arthur eagerly. "But...I thought girls can't be knights."

"Okay, that's offensive, and girls can be knights!"

"A-Actually, my dear, in these times, women are restricted especially in the art of combat!" explained Merlin.

"Wait, what?"

"Look, I'll explain everything much, much later! Come, now! We better get a move on!"

Throughout the trip back to Arthur's castle home, Ignis finished off any dark creatures, and hungry wolves, that came across their paths. Arthur watched her fighting style and was further amazed by how skilled of a fighter she was, and even Merlin was impressed.

* * *

 _Later..._

The trio entered the castles' dining hall, where Arthur was playfully assaulted by two large dogs whom he seemed acquainted with, as they were sloppily licking and kissing him as a sign of affection.

"Hey, Artie! I want in, too! Let me play with the doggies, too!" giggled Ignis.

"Tiger! Talbot! Off with you!" scolded a large man resembling a walrus, pulling apart the two dogs by their collars. "Now, look here, Wart! What's the big idea of gallivanting off in the woods and worrying the living daylights out of everybody?"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," apologized Arthur.

"Well, sorry's not enough! That's four demerits! Four hours extra kitchen duty! Eh, report to the cook!"

"B-But sir! I'd like you to meet-"

"Go on, boy! Hop it, boy! Hop, hop, hop it!" yelled the walrus-like man, watching as Arthur ran down towards the kitchen.

 _'Wow...He's a terrible guy!'_ thought Ignis. _'Though, I do understand his worry, though.'_

"Well, yes, you've got to keep a tight schedule to run a big place like this. Need strict rules. Especially for small boys," muttered the man.

"And I most certainly agree!" spoke Archimedes, who was sitting on top of Merlin's hat.

"And who are you?" The walrus-like man asked.

"My name is Merlin," introduced Merlin. "And this is Archimedes, a highly educated owl."

"Educated owl?" The walrus-like man howled with laughter, calming down a minute afterwards. "Say, that's a good one! And, what about you, young lady? I bet a pretty flower like you'd got to be from a noble family or something, eh? But why wear some armor when it clearly ain't suited for you?"

"Uh...I'm not rich or anything," said Ignis. "And I prefer keeping my clothes like this, thank you very much!"

"Huh! You call armor clothes? Armor is equipment meant for battle only! Not for a simple girl like yourself!"

"Okay, the battle part, I can agree, but once again, rude!"

"Say, lass! How old are ya, anyways?" asked the walrus-like man.

"Wow, it's been like, five minutes since I got here, and I already don't like you," said Ignis, annoyed. "You don't ask a lady her age! That's like, downright rude!"

"Eh, I'm going to have to agree with her statement on this one!" agreed Merlin. "Perhaps you should be gentler towards the fair lady, uh...What is your name?"

Boasting proudly, the man said, "I am Sir Ector! And sitting right there is my son, Kay!" He addressed to a young man chewing on a drumstick and watching the conversation with mild interest.

"Well, this young lass right here is Ignis, and she-Well, I guess you could say she's an acquaintance of mine! A very important one, indeed! Oh, and I happen to be the world's most powerful wizard!"

Once again, Ector exploded into laughter. "Ahahahaha! Come off it, man! Gazooks!"

"Alright, I shall demonstrate!" exclaimed Merlin. _"Higitus figitus migitus moe! Wind and snow, swirl and blow!"_

Once Merlin's incantation finished, a swirling flurry of snow flew towards Ector and filled his body with snow, causing him to shiver and blow snow off his moustache.

"W-What the devil are you up to?" questioned Ector, shivering nonstop.

Laughing, Merlin said, "And that is what I call a 'wizard blizzard.'"

"Uh...Merlin? I can do that too," whispered Ignis.

"Oh, I don't deny that you can. Which reminds me, magic is amongst the list of things we do need to discuss later," whispered back the elderly wizard.

The spell was still snowing onto Ector, but despite the cold, he was still impressed by the magic Merlin displayed. "Hey, Kay! Would you look at this? An indoor blizzard! And in the month of July!"

Still eating his drumstick, Kay replied nonchalantly, "So what?"

"Alright, Marvin. Turn her off, I'm convinced!"

"Uh...don't you mean, Merlin?" corrected Ignis.

Merlin chuckled and quickly dispelled his snow spell. " _Alakazam!"_

Brushing the snow off his walrus-like body, Ector asked hesitantly, "I-uh...I hope you don't go for any of that black magic."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," assured Merlin, shaking his head. "Never touched the stuff. My magic is used mainly for...educational purposes." Wagging his finger at his magic bag, he adjusted his magic so that it could be used as a chair for him to sit on as he explained. "In fact, that is why I am here! I am here to educate the Wart!"

"His name is Arthur," reminded Ignis, annoyed.

Brushing off the remains of the snow off his hair, Ector heard Merlin's proposal and grew angry, stomping up to him. "Oh, no you don't! I'm running this place! And if you think you're going to fiddle with my schedule, you'd better pack your bag of tricks and be gone!"

At that, Merlin disappeared in a sudden poof, leaving nothing but air in his absence, surprising everyone in the dining hall. "Wha-?! Where'd he go?!" wondered Ignis. "No, no, no, no! You are not leaving me with this guy, Merlin!"

"Oi! I happen to be Sir Ector, and I demand respect, young lady!" demanded Ector.

"Why I would respect someone who calls Arthur by Wart? That's a terrible name! You're a terrible person!"

"Why you-!"

If Ector had stepped any closer, Ignis was certain she was going to punch him straight in the face. Luckily, Merlin's voice that echoed throughout the dining hall intervened. **"I'm gone! But then, I'm not gone! Hehehe, so, if I do leave, you can never be sure that I am gone, can you?"**

At Merlin's logical words and Ector's limited knowledge, Ector was at a loss as he attempted to look for Merlin, only to fail. "Well, er...I must say, you-you've got me there, Marvin! Yes, well, you win. You're welcome to stay."

Popping out of nowhere, Merlin appeared, surprising everyone. "Thank you. You're very kind. Very generous, I must say."

"But! As for you, young lady! I don't like your attitude one bit!" spat Ector, marching up to Ignis.

"Hey, back up fatso!" warned Ignis.

"Now, now! Let's all stay calm!" assured Merlin, stepping in between the two. "I'm sure we can all come to a sort of...compromise!"

"A what?" wondered Ector.

"An agreement," answered Ignis.

"Hmm...What do you have in mind, Marvin? You claim she is an acquaintance of yours, but what can she do while she stays here?"

"Why, she can do all sorts of maid chores, such as cleaning up the castle, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and such!" said Merlin.

"What?! Why would I-"

Merlin covered her mouth with his hand and told Ector, "After all, you do need more hands to clean up this ancient, yet strong castle, correct?"

"Hmm...Well, one of the maids did break her arm last week..." muttered Ector. "Alright, fine! Maid!"

One of the maids working in the kitchen rushed up the stairs. "Yes, Sir Ector?"

"This is a new recruit to help you in your cleaning duties!" announced Ector, pushing Ignis forward. "She'll be helping you from now on!"

"I hate this," muttered Ignis, crossing her arms. _'First world in a long time, and I'm stuck with cleaning duty? Ugh, it's like back home!'_

"Very well! Come along, dear! I have to go through the rules with you!" said the maid, grabbing Ignis' wrist and leading her down the kitchen. "And we must get these...these strange foreigner clothes off of you! Especially the armor!"

"I'll put my own clothes away, thanks very much!"

Once downstairs, Ignis spotted Arthur putting away piles of clean dishes and washing a new pile of dirty ones while the maid left to get her uniform. "Psst! Hey, Artie!" whispered Ignis.

Looking up from his work, Arthur couldn't help but express his surprise at seeing Ignis down in the kitchens with him. "Ignis! What are you doing here?"

"Thanks to Merlin, I'm stuck as maid for a while," sighed Ignis. "I've got more important things to take care of, and he manages to make me do chores. Ugh!"

"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that," apologized Arthur.

Ruffling his hair, Ignis smiled. "Nah, not your fault. What I'm more mad is that fatso and that son of his! Well, more towards the fatso!"

"Um...that's my adopted father, Sir Ector, and I'd really appreciate if you didn't insult him like that."

"Wait, that guy's your Dad?" wondered Ignis.

"Y-Yes?"

"Oh my God, I am so sorry for you."

"W-What?"

"Even if he adopted you, I still can't believe that he would call you by Wart!" said Ignis. "Merlin, too! Ugh, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind when I talk to him next time!"

"Oh, please don't! I'm fine, being called Wart," assured Arthur. "I don't really mind."

"No way! If anybody insults a friend of mine, I wouldn't forgive them for it!" said Ignis, shaking her head. "A cute cinnamon roll like you shouldn't be insulted!"

"A...a what?"

"Eh, think nothing of it. By the way, here." She tossed an apple to Arthur, who caught it but nearly had it slip from his grasp due to his slippery, wet hands. "I stole one from the dining table earlier. I figured since you didn't get a chance to eat, you deserved it."

"Oh, no! I possible couldn't! I-I mean, you didn't eat either, so you should take it!" offered Arthur.

"That's sweet of you, Artie, but I'll be fine! Besides, you look like you need it more than me!" said Ignis. "Now, eat up! I'll cover your pos-"

"Young lady! I have your uniform right here!" called out the maid, reentering the kitchen when she spotted the two. "Wart! How dare you eat now! Especially in the dirty kitchens? I'll have you know-"

"That you're not touching him until he finished his meal!" said Ignis indignantly, standing up for Arthur once more. "Can you not see how thin he is? Plus, it's just one apple! Let him take a break for a few minutes!"

"I-How dare you disrespect-"

"No, no, no, no, no! How dare you neglect a kid as hungry as he is? You're the adult! You're supposed to take care of younglings! You want to get to him? You have to get through me first, and believe me, I'm not afraid to hit a woman!"

The maid was at a loss, not knowing what to do. She never seen this strange girl before nor has she seen any other girl stand up to her so boldly. But, in a sense, she was correct at Arthur's condition. He really did look like a poor little animal starving and appeared as though he wished to avoid any conflict as possible.

"...Very well. But, only for a few minutes!" said the maid. "Now, come with me, I have to hand you your uniform!"

"I'm keeping my old clothes, but I'll wear the uniform anyways," said Ignis, following after her.

"Very well, then. As long as you obey the rules and the orders of the lord of the castle!"

"And that is...?"

"Sir Ector!"

"Oh, damnit."

* * *

 _Later, that stormy night..._

 _'I hate this outfit, I hate the rain, I hate the snobbish attitudes of all the people here! I wanna go home!'_ thought Ignis, dripping wet as she entered the tall tower that served as Merlin's temporary home within the large castle.

Discarding her usual set of clothing into a safer place, Ignis was forced to be garbed in traditional, old Medieval Age maid robes, which, in her opinion, was like a commoner's dress with an apron. She liked dresses, but she wasn't a huge fan of them, either. Plus, her current outfit felt itchy and dirty to her.

After finally finishing the dishes and cleaning up a few rooms, Ignis had some time to herself before she was required to head to bed, so she decided to take the time to track down Merlin and have that special talk with him. Upon hearing the thunderstorm and the storming rain as well as feeling the tower close to collapsing at any second, Ignis steadied herself as she made her way upwards.

 _'Jeez! It's a wonder this tower hasn't collapsed yet!'_ thought Ignis once she entered Merlin's room, which was filled with all of his belongings that used to be in his cottage. "Merlin?"

"Oh! Yes, Ignis, was it? I've been expecting you!" said Merlin, patching up the last leaky hole with another umbrella. "There! Now, no rain will bother us for the rest of the night! Now, I do believe you've been anticipating a talk?"

"Yeah..." said Ignis, settling down on a chair. "So, what's up? And why did you have me become a maid? It's awful here!"

"Yes, yes, I quite understand your predicament, but it's absolutely necessary!" said Merlin. "Tell me, you really aren't from this world, are you? You're a Keyblade wielder, correct?"

Surprised, Ignis nodded. "Uh...yeah. Are you one of those few people who know that there are other worlds out there?"

"Indeed! In fact, I've had lots of experience traveling from one world to the next! But, it's been quite a very, very long time since I encountered a Keyblade wielder, so color me surprise when I saw you summon your Keyblade to fight off those vile creatures earlier!"

"By the way, it sounded like you knew those creatures. What are they?" asked Ignis.

"They are known as the Unversed. Vile monsters that are attracted to negativity," explained Merlin. "I know not when or where they came from, but I can assure you that they are quite dangerous! The inhabitants of this world are no match for any of them. Me, on the other hand, I can defend myself, but you serve to have a better chance than me, especially since their weakness happens to be that Keyblade of yours."

"But, why the Keyblade?"

"The Unversed are monsters of darkness, so naturally, their enemy are those aligned with the light. It goes to show that your Keyblade is a weapon of light, of course. Other means of destruction such as my magic can destroy them, but using the Keyblade is just much easier. This world isn't the only world filled with Unversed, as I know there are other worlds as well."

"If that's the case, I shouldn't be wasting my time here in this world anymore," said Ignis, standing up. "I have to go back and warn my Master about-"

"Eh, that's the thing. You see, I require your presence in this world a bit further. And it's not just me, but the people of England need you too, to deal with the Unversed."

"Okay, I can understand that, but what I don't get is why you had me become a maid! Against my will, if I might add!" said Ignis, still bitter about that fact.

"Yes, well, you should know that the inhabitants of this world are not too familiar with magic, and it probably would have consequences should I introduce you as my granddaughter or apprentice-in-training," said Merlin. "Besides, women are not educated in this world. It's far too early for women to have equal rights like men."

"What?!"

"Yes, well, women are treated like servants in this era, serving only the higher ranks and being made to care for children and do all the housework. They aren't like you, Ignis, whose had both education and combat."

"That's awful!"

"But that's not all!" said Merlin. "Women here are normally meant to marry at around...which age was it? 12? 14?"

"Wow, this just makes me hate this world even more," said Ignis, annoyed. "Seriously, I'm 17, and I know that normally, you get married like around 18 or older!"

"Hmm, imagine that. I never thought you to be 17. Never mind that, the point is, I had you be a maid because there was no way Sir Ector would allow you in the castle without having a role to fit in! Think of it as a cover up until you get rid of all the Unversed in this world!"

"Ugh, I don't like it, but I guess I have no choice," said Ignis. "Look, if I'm going to help get rid of the Unversed, then I want something."

"Very well, what is it you seek?" asked Merlin.

"First, you gotta stop calling Arthur by 'Wart.' His name is Arthur! Wart isn't a proper name, and I don't care if he says he doesn't mind. It feels like an insult name to me!"

"Oh, very well! I have a feeling that isn't all, though."

"Yeah," said Ignis, crossing her arms with a smirk. "You gotta teach me a few cleaning spells."

Merlin frowned. "Now, see here! I believe I told you that you can't solve all your problems with magic!"

"Okay, put it this way. During my time here, I'll be serving as a maid, right?"

"Correct."

"That just means that I'll be forced to devote my time being a maid, and less time dealing with the Unversed, right?"

"I...Well, I suppose so."

"BUT! If you teach me a few cleaning spells, I can get my maid duties done faster and then deal with the Unversed afterwards! You know, two birds, one stone!" said Ignis.

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I did drag you into this mess, anyways," muttered Merlin. "Very well! I shall teach you a few cleaning spells! I needed to talk to you about magic, anyways!"

"Oh, good! A topic I'm actually interested in," said Ignis.

"Well, you see, the magic you casted in your battle against the Unversed earlier is something regarded as black magic."

"Come to think of it, didn't you say you never liked black magic?"

"Yes, but in my own definition, I believe that black magic is merely dark magic, evil type of magic!" explained Merlin. "Your type of magic is considered black magic, yes, but I prefer to think of it as offensive magic. Whereas white magic is for supportive purposes, such as healing. Try not to use too much of your magic. I can tell you're the type who likes using all sorts of flashy magic all at once."

"You're no different," pointed out Ignis.

"She's got you there!" laughed Archimedes.

"Oh, hush, you old owl, you!" said Merlin. "Yes, but I save up my magic and use it when necessary. Unfortunately, I don't have any ethers or elixirs at the moment, as I must synthesize and gather more materials. Somewhere in this world, there is a Moogle shop, so the owner should provide you what you need, provided you give him Munny in return."

"Ooh! Moogles! I always did love them! They're so cute!" said Ignis.

"Yes, cute little devils who loves giving me headaches almost every time I go shopping! But, enough of my personal problems! They should be able to provide you items you normally never find in this world. Anyways, Ignis, I have a proposal. I shall teach you what you wish; cleaning spells. And perhaps I shall teach you some more useful spells for combat, but in exchange, you must also teach me some spells as well."

"But you're a full-fledged wizard! Don't you know more spells than me?" wondered Ignis. "I mean, I love the opportunity to learn more new spells, but-"

"Yes, yes, but knowledge is endless everywhere! Plus, I do need to clean up my rusty combat skills should I ever find myself cornered by the Unversed," said Merlin. "Your magic spells should provide me aid in battle, and it's a fair exchange! One spell for another spell! How about it?"

"Hmm...New spells, the discovery of some negative-attractive monsters, and I kinda do need a few days to heal my wounds," muttered Ignis. "Eh, why not."

"Excellent!" cheered Merlin. "I'll even throw in a little extra! You see, the first few times I successfully defeated a few Unversed on my own, I've been doing a little experimentation on my research on them, and I'm very close to completing my latest invention; the Unversed Cleanser! You see, it's an object that tells how many Unversed are remaining in a single world! It may provide useful to you should you enter a world and you find some Unversed there."

"Cool! I could use something really handy like that!" said Ignis. "Oh, hey! Can I ask something? You have teleportation magic, right? When this whole mess is over, can you teleport me to the Land of Departure? That's where my home is!"

Merlin shook his head. "Sadly, I cannot. I can only teleport to places I've been, and I've never even heard of the Land of Departure. Perhaps my dear old friend, Yen Sid, can help you. He lives in a tower in another world, and he used to be a Keyblade Master himself."

"Oh, I've heard of him. My Master is old friends with the guy. Never met him, but I heard he's a strict wizard."

"Yes, Yen Sid can be quite strict, I agree. Now, shall we begin our magic lesson?"

"Yes, sir!" said Ignis, excitedly taking out her Magic Creation Journal.

"What is that?"

"Oh, this is my personal journal! Any spells I create or new ones, I jot them down!"

"Interesting...Well, let's start from Lesson 1!"

* * *

 **And this is Part 1 of Ignis' adventures in her first world out! I still can't believe that Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally out! If you guys have any ideas for the Sword in the Stone world, go ahead and tell me!**

 **For now, read and review!**


	8. Camelot (2)

**Hey, guys! So I did some thinking after some reviews from the last chapter came up, and it's thanks to both Akarenger and DragonMack that I have established some new ideas for the slight Sword in the Stone arc!**

 **Okay, so maybe England shouldn't be the world's name, so I decided to change it to Camelot! Fitting since it's well known in the Arthurian era, and of course, it'll be natural for both Merlin and Ignis to train Arthur, and Archimedes helping out too, I guess.**

 **Sorry if Ignis seems to be somewhat Mary Sueish, but I swear, I'm not trying to make her overpowered or anything. She still has her weaknesses, as I mentioned earlier in the story. Yeah, thanks to Akarenger, I realize I haven't shown much about her more physical defensive skills, so I'll try to add that more into the story.**

 **That said, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"I got you!" cried out Arthur, charging towards Ignis with a shortsword, as having a larger sword wouldn't fit his physique. Ignis sidestepped at the last second and stuck her foot out, causing the young boy to trip and fall on his face in the castle courtyard.

"You're not going to win all your battles by just attacking all the time," said Ignis, placing her hands behind her head casually. "Trust me, I was like you when I was younger. Brash, reckless, and always wanting to use strength to win."

"Ooff…" groaned Arthur, sitting up. After his swimming lessons with Merlin, which involved him transforming into a fish and learning the lesson of outsmarting his enemy, he began training with Ignis in the art of swordsmanship. Despite her friendliness, she was quite rough with him as her mentor. "How'd you become so strong, then?"

"Pushups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice!~" sang Ignis playfully.

"R-Really?"

"Well, that and lots of training. I've been training for about 10 years, which is how I've gotten so tough! My swordsmanship is a little based on my master's, but after countless mistakes and losses, I've developed my own defensive fighting style! Added with magic, of course!~"

"Wow, no wonder you're so strong!" said Arthur. "And here, I thought that girls couldn't be strong knights!"

"Hey, that's a bit sexist!" pouted Ignis. "Where I come from, girls can do a lot of things! Much more than cook or clean! They can fight! Oh! I guess that's another lesson you should know. Never underestimate your opponent! Believe me, I've...ugh...been taught that A LOT. I was overconfident as a kid, and...well, you know. I got beaten down a lot."

"That must have hurt."

"Well, my master was a strict guy. Sure, I've grown more mature than I ever was as a kid, but I've still my childish charm!~ Artie, never lose that innocent, pure heart you've got!~ A knight that protects people with his life, but moreover, a knight with a pure heart, is a true knight!"

"Really? How...How can I still keep this...pure heart?" wondered Arthur.

"That's simple!" said Ignis. "Always do good deeds, eat your vegetables, be respectful towards your elders, show kindness, and all that good stuff and you'll be good as gold!"

"I see!" agreed Arthur happily. "I can do that!"

"But...kindness won't always win a battle, you know," informed Ignis, growing serious. "You can't just go up to an enemy and say, 'Hey! I don't want to fight you! Let's be friends!' Know what they're going to do? Cut you down right there and then!"

"Well, there is some truth to that," said Arthur, standing up. "Sir Ector always said not to show mercy to the enemy. That to show mercy is weakness."

"It kinda depends on the situation," admitted Ignis. "Your adopted Dad's both right...and wrong. Yeah, he probably said that as a lesson so that when you do go into battle, you don't get yourself killed or anything. But, showing mercy isn't always a weakness."

"Then...in the rare occasion that I do show mercy, when do I know it'll be the right time?" wondered Arthur.

"Follow your heart and you'll be sure to find it," said Ignis. "Like, I'm sure you'll know when the time is right. Hey, think you can keep a secret?"

"Oh, sure! I don't mind. What is it?"

"The whole mercy lesson thing...Is something my master taught me. But...well, you see, there's this sort of power struggle conflict going on always. Light and darkness. Master always says that light is good, and darkness is evil, but as I grew older, I...kinda started to doubt him."

"Why would you doubt your master? Isn't what he's saying true?" wondered Arthur.

"Don't get me wrong, I know he's telling the truth, but...I have a feeling that his sort of logic is kinda wrong. I mean, I realize that light is good and all, but there were some of his lessons that made me...doubt. Like, the mercy lesson. He always says to show mercy even to your enemies, that doing so proves that you're in the light. But...what if those enemies come back, more stronger than before? Then you'll regret you didn't finish them off. Isn't that kind of mindset somewhat...stupid?"

"Have you told your master your thoughts?"

"I...No. I was afraid he might get mad at me. He always likes to say that the good is good and that darkness is evil. I kinda agree, but at the same time, I don't...Because a certain friend of mine is attuned with the darkness."

"Does that mean your friend is going evil?" asked Arthur.

"Of course not! Terra could never turn evil!" exclaimed Ignis, startling Arthur. "Sorry...But, I could sense that Terra is struggling with the darkness that suddenly appears inside him. Everyone has both light and darkness inside them. Even me and you. But lately, the darkness Terra has is growing stronger, and it proved its power during his exam, which caused him to fail because the Master said that he couldn't control it. I don't think it's Terra fault, but Terra was really upset that he failed his exam. He was so close to being master, too!"

"I...I hope your friend is alright," said Arthur.

"He failed, but I'm sure he'll be alright. He's pulled through...Okay, this is his first exam, so I'm sure he's going through a tough time now, but that's all the more reason why he needs his friends to support him," said Ignis. "Arthur, I don't know how long I'm going to stay here. Merlin is fixing something up for me, and when that time comes, I may have to leave. Until then, I'm gonna help you train to be a strong knight that protects the weak and innocent! Just like a true knight would do!"

"Why do you have to leave?" asked Arthur. "I'm sorry that the treatment at the castle isn't good for you-"

"Oh, no. It's nothing like that, even if it gets irritating a bit. It's just, I have to return back home and comfort Terra and help out my other friends. They kinda don't know that I was kinda kidnapped and-"

"What?! You were kidnapped?!"

 _'Okay, I said way too much! Gotta change the subject!'_ thought Ignis. "Sorry, it's not that important to you. Anyways, we're wasting time. Break time's over! Gotta get back to training ya!"

"O-Oh! Right!" said Arthur, picking up his sword. "Um...so..."

"I bet I can guess what you're thinking," said Ignis. "How can I attack her when she's so quick and can easily block my attacks? Right? Well, you should know one of the basic rules in combat. Attacking isn't everything. You have to dodge and defend at times, too. They're simple but important key elements in battle. Come on, attack me. I'll show you how many times I can hit you during our fight."

"Okay, then! Here I go-"

"And that's another thing! Don't announce that you're going to attack your opponent! That's like, giving yourself away! You do that, you expose another weakness the enemy could take advantage of and defeat you!"

"Oh, I see! Then, I'll-"

"Artie! What did I just say?"

"...Hyaaaaa!" Instead, Arthur charged towards Ignis with a battle cry as the trained Keyblade apprentice readied herself for any attacks. Since he was still a newbie, she could tell that his attacks were too predictable, too much reliant on strength, and he just kept swinging around, trying to land a hit on her. Every slash, she blocked easily and counted how many times she bypassed his guard and harmlessly poked at his skinny body with her Keyblade.

Having enough of his barrage of weak attacks, Ignis knocked his sword out of his hands with a single swing of her Keyblade; the sword landing on the ground.

"See? 24 times. I hit you 24 times and I could have killed you 24 times."

Exhausted, Arthur fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. "I...I understand...But...How can I be as good as you?"

"First, you gotta build up your body! Training, resting, and eating lots of nutrients and drinking tons of water will do that for ya!" said Ignis. _'Even when I trained for 10 years, compared to Aqua's, my chest is so small! No fair! How does she get them big like that?!'_ "Now, we're going to focus on defensive exercises! You should know, when you defend, you not only block attacks, but you also slowly but effectively wear down the enemy! Keep that in mind. Now, I'm going to attack, and all you can do is defend. Keep in mind of one thing in battle, and tell me what you figured out once the exercise is over."

"What one thing?" wondered Arthur.

"That's what I want you to figure out once the fight is over. Now, word of advice; keep a firm grip on your sword and don't let go."

Picking up his sword and readying himself, Arthur gulped and nodded. Ignis then began with a barrage of light attacks, making sure to keep her movements slow so that Arthur could pick up her attack pattern and use the blunt side of his sword to defend. He falted a couple of times at the start, but was beginning to defend attacks, bringing a confident smile on his face.

That's when Ignis started picking up the pace did things escalate harder for Arthur. Her movements became more faster and her strikes more stronger. Arthur found himself hard to keep up and was hit several times around his body before laying on his back; his sword stabbed promptly on the ground yet again.

"So, what did you learn, Artie?"

"I...I think that as time went by, your attacks were much more stronger and faster! I...I couldn't keep up at all!"

"Wow, congrats Artie! You figured it out!" said Ignis, sitting down next to him as her Keyblade vanished. "It's always tough at training, but that just goes to show how much more you have to do to become stronger!"

Arthur nodded. "I...I think I get it. Ignis, may I ask something? You said that you have friends training under the same master as you. Are you the strongest one of them?"

"Oh, no. Far from it. Terra and Aqua can definitely defeat me, no prob. I think I'm stronger than Ven, though, so that's kinda a victory in my book. Oh! Would you like to know about them?"

"Oh, yes, please!"

"Well, I can't talk too much about them, but they are all strong! Terra is pretty much the embodiment of strength! Ven is like, the super fastest speedster I've ever met! He's faster than me, for crying out loud."

"If he's faster than you, why did you claim that you're stronger than him?" asked Arthur.

"And that's another lesson you should know," said Ignis. "Artie, being the fastest doesn't make you the strongest. Sure it's nice to be fast, and that it's a key element in battle, but you can't always rely on one key element. Like, you can't rely on attacking all the time. It's the same for speed. I'm perfectly fine not being the most fastest out of my friends, although I would like bragging rights."

"Bragging rights...?"

"Eh, nothing to worry about. Now, Aqua...She and I are on almost equal terms, but she has a bigger winning record than me, so you know. Despite that, she has her own weaknesses, too. One thing we have in common is that we both love magic."

"Oh! Are you two wizards like Merlin?" asked Arthur.

Ignis shook her head. "I mean, kinda, but Merlin doesn't swing a sword around. He's probably got years of knowledge for magic in his head. Me and Aqua are like...a mixture of a knight and a wizard together. Except, Aqua is more talented at magic than me. But being talented in magic has some weaknesses, too. She's read a lot on magic books than me and her main power is always on magic but that doesn't exactly help her physical process. Like, she spends a lot more time training on her magic than training physically. Me, on the other hand, I'm different, like the exact opposite. I spend a lot of time training physically than a lot on experimenting with magic. You could say...Aqua's like a glass cannon. She can dish out a lot of powerful spells, a lot more than I know of, but in exchange, if she were to be taken down with one heavy hit, that's it for her."

"Wow..." said Arthur. "I heard that combat in chivalry is always honorable, but I suppose that it's hard and life-threatening, as well."

"Yup. Real-life combat is nothing is joke about," said Ignis. "I mean, you can have a lot of fun training and engaging yourself in fights, but when it comes to realistic combat where your life is at stake, that's nothing to joke about. Remember those dark creatures we saw in the forest? Things might have had a different outcome if I wasn't there."

Arthur nodded. "I know. But Merlin is so powerful! I bet he could have taken out those nasty creatures."

Ignis sighed, shaking her head. "No, Arthur. You're missing the point. Artie, I won't always be there for you. Soon, I'll have to leave, I told you this, right?"

"Y-Yes...?"

"And that also means that Merlin won't always be there for you, either. Sure, we're here now, but we're also preparing you for the future. I'm training you in combat, and Merlin is training your education and stuff. Why a lot of people in this world don't know how to read, I'll never understand."

Arthur looked down. "I...I don't want you to leave. You're actually one of the few people who care about me."

"Yikes...That's...uh...That's really sad," admitted Ignis, feeling sorry. "But, I understand. Your Dad and...okay, _brother_ , aren't exactly the best people to interact with. But, hey, you're not alone! I mean, I remember those two cute dogs! They seem to love you!"

"Tiger and Talbot are Sir Ector's dogs, though. I don't interact with them too much," said Arthur. "But, I do love them. They're always so nice to me!"

"The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you," said Ignis. "That's a quote I read before that was heartwarming. In other words, you do a kind thing to someone, and that kindness will one day return back to ya! Remember that."

"I will! Thank you, Ig-"

"Hey! Wart!"

Looking up, both Ignis and Arthur saw a angry-looking Ector and Kay stomping towards them. Kay took one look around and smirked when he saw the sword. "Oi, you're in big trouble now, Wart. You aren't supposed to be sword training until much later! It's forbidden to take weapons out when it's not training time!"

"What? You didn't tell me about that!" Ignis said, turning to Arthur, who looked away in shame.

"And why would he need to tell ya something like that, lass?" questioned Ector rudely. "You're nothing more than a servant, you don't need to know stuff like chivalry and whatnot! Now, get back to your chores! Go on! There's dishes you need to clean and whatnot! And get back into your maid garments! Not those pathetic things you're wearing with your weak armor!"

"...Asshole," muttered Ignis, walking away.

"What was that, lass?!"

"I said you have a lovely moustache!"

Being the idiot that he was, Ector took the false compliment and began brushing his fingers on his moustache. "Oh, why thank you! I've worked very hard to get it into perfection!~"

 _'What an idiot,'_ she thought, heading back to work. _'Well, training was fun until it lasted. Ugh, back to that itchy dress thing. Even if I'm in another world, I have to do chores.'_

Luckily for her, no head maid or any of the other maids were around in her assigned area to berate her about "lady-like duties" or her clothing. Instead, she reluctantly changed into her maid dress and proceeded to clean the numerous piles of dishes. She wanted to use her new cleaning spell to hasten things up, but she wanted to wait until her magic lessons later to use up her magic. She didn't have any ethers at hand, so the situation was troublesome for her.

It didn't take long for Arthur to join her in scrubbing and cleaning the dishes because it was an order given to him by his adopted father after he tried to explain to both him and Kay about his adventures as a fish with Merlin. They thought it ridiculous and as a result, Arthur was sent to join her in dishwashing.

 _"For every high,_

 _there is a low._

 _For every to,_

 _there is a fro._

 _To and fro._

 _Stop and go._

 _That's what makes the world go 'round."_

As Arthur was singing, Ignis happily hummed along the tune and told him, "Hey, Artie! You have such an angelic voice, you know that?"

Flustered, Arthur hid half of his body inside of a cauldron as he proceeded to clean the inside with a sponge. "O-Oh, I'm not that good. I just...like to make up songs during my chores."

"Well, how about we sing together?" suggested Ignis. "I'll let you take the lead, and I'll follow! I've got a few songs of my own to pass the time!"

"Ahem!" announced Merlin, who had teleported into the kitchens. "As much as I would allow you two to sing the day away, I do have something to ask of Wart right here."

"Merlin..." warned Ignis.

"Oh, right, right, right! My apologies! I did say I would no longer call him that," said Merlin, whacking his head with his fist. "My lad, have you ever considered being a squirrel?"

"Oh, no. I don't suppose," answered Arthur, continuing to clean the cauldron.

"Well now, there is a tiny creature with enormous problems. How he has survived throughout the ages is one of nature's big mysteries. His life is hazardous. Downright dangerous! Uh...Would you like to try it?"

Shaking his head, Arthur resumed his cleaning duties. "Oh, no. I better not."

Surprised by his response, Merlin asked, "It's, uh...Too dangerous for you, eh?"

"Oh, no! I-It's not that! It's just that I've got six demerits. All this work to do!"

"What a mess! What a medieval muddle!" cried out Merlin, seeing that neither Arthur nor Ignis were going to get done anytime soon. "Hang on...Ignis, didn't I already teach you a few cleaning spells?"

"Kinda wanted to wait until our next magic lesson later today to try out my magic. I don't exactly have an ether with me to restore my magic, so you know."

"Well, have you tried tracking down a Moogle like I asked you to?"

"Those guys are tricky to find!"

"Hmm...Point taken," said Merlin before standing on top of a pot to assume a conductor's position. "We'll have to modernize it! Start an assembly-line system! Alright, now! One and a-two and a-three and a-four!"

Various dirty plates and cups lined themselves up in balanced piles thanks to Merlin's magic. It wasn't just the dirty dishes Merlin was controlling, but also the cleaning supplies as the elderly wizard sang his incantation for his magic.

 _"Higitus figitus migitus mum!_

 _Skitun de bitun de batun de dum!"_

"Awesome! Nice magic work, Merlin!" praised Ignis, relieved that she no longer had to do any of the chores.

"But I'm supposed to do it," protested Arthur.

"No one will know the difference, son. Who cares as long as the work gets done?~" sang Merlin, enjoying himself. With other cleaning tools in the kitchen, the dishes were not only being washed, but also dried and stacked cleanly in another table. It wasn't just the dishes being cleaned up, but the entirety of the kitchen such as the floors being swept from dust.

 _"Rubbedy scrubbey!_

 _Sweepty flow!"_

"Come on, come on! Let's go, let's go!" whispered Merlin, urging the two of them to follow after him. Even after leaving the kitchen, the magic still resumed its duties, cleaning all over the kitchen.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Man, it's so unfair that I'm the only one who didn't get turned into a squirrel!" complained Ignis, brushing aside tree branches as she explored the forest while grasping her Keyblade. "Then again, Merlin is right. I need to be on the lookout for any Unversed. And I'm finally out of that dumb, itchy dress!"

After informing Ignis that he was going to teach Arthur another lesson after planning on transforming both himself and Arthur into squirrels, Merlin ordered Ignis to roam around the forest and search for any Unversed. After all, they needed a defender to protect them and defeat any dangerous creatures, and who better than a Keyblade wielder like Ignis?

Just when Ignis was beginning to feel bored, she heard some strange swirling sounds and turned around to spot a group of Unversed appearing, only they looked different than the ones she faced the last time. In fact, they appear to be weasel and bird-like Unversed creatures, and there were a lot of them in front of her, ready to take her out.

"Yikes. That is a LOT of Unversed," muttered Ignis before preparing herself for combat. "But, I guess it's still my duty to wipe them out!"

The weasel-like Unversed rushed up to the frontlines and raised their tails; the tips of their tails emitting a red glow before they began firing small fireballs at Ignis.

"Barrier!" cried out Ignis, pointing her Keyblade at the sky as she focused her magic on her defensive spell. The barrier took on the fireballs, leaving Ignis unscathed once the assault of fireballs finished.

Some of the frontal weasel-like Unversed charged at Ignis; baring sharp fangs and ready to gnarl and bite her into little pieces as Ignis began coating her Keyblade with fire magic, a type of elemental magic she specialized in.

"Fire Surge!" Surrounded by revolving ring of fire whose source came from her Keyblade, Ignis twirled around at the exact timing when the Unversed closed in on her; being thrown back from the attack.

The bird-like Unversed shrieked and flew towards her; their beaks swirling with wind magic. Ignis moved around, avoiding them but ended up clashing against the weasel-like Unversed, forced to block their attacks and managing to take down a few of them.

 _'I'm practically cornered everywhere!'_ thought Ignis, panting. _'Maybe it's time to divide the groups!'_

"Tremor!" yelled Ignis, summoning forth an earthen wall, separating her from the weasel-like Unversed and making her focus on the bird-like Unversed first. Grinning maliciously, Ignis engulfed her Keyblade with thunder magic this time; the lightning effects crackling against the metal of her Keyblade before she spun it around in her head, testing it out.

"Strike Raid!" Throwing her thunder-infused Keyblade towards the flying Unversed, she watched as the combination of her flying Keyblade and thunder magic grew into effect. Not only were the bird-like Unversed damaged severely from the Keyblade hitting them, but the thunder magic literally shocked them, causing them to fall and vanish in defeat.

The ones that remained were still holding strong as they began to assault Ignis with pecks, overwhelming her with their remaining numbers. But all of the bird-like Unversed gathering together was exactly what Ignis wanted.

"Thunder!"

A ray of lightning struck down on Ignis' exact location, taking out the rest of the bird-like Unversed...as well as knocking an injured Ignis down on her back.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, oww…Cure..." groaned Ignis, healing her own wounds with her magic. "Why did I think that was such a good idea...? Man, I'm such an idiot! Note to self; find a way to create magic-infused armor...Specifically thunder ones..."

Ignis couldn't celebrate yet, as her victory was short-lived when she spotted the weasel-like Unversed climbing over the earth wall and making their way towards her. Some even remained on top of the wall and began casting another barrage of fire spells from the tips of their tails.

Summoning back her Keyblade, Ignis used a Barrier spell to defend herself against the fireballs, waiting until the weasel-like Unversed were too tired out to continue their barrage. She thought of using a wind spell, but had a better idea as she ran up to the earth wall and placed her palm there.

"Quake!" The earth magic coursed and traveled up the earth wall, creating multiple sharp spires that shot up and penetrated through the weasel-like Unversed, causing them to release painful shrieks before vanishing.

Placing her Keyblade against her shoulder, Ignis leaned back in a casual pose. "Done and done! Whew! That was a nice worko-"

Hearing a splash behind her, Ignis turned and saw a large fish-like Unversed pop out from the small river. Emerging from the shadows of the nearby trees to join its comrade, a large wolf Unversed appeared as well, making Ignis speculate that, unlike the Unversed she faced earlier, these two were actually stronger and could prove trouble.

"A two-on-one fight, huh? Guess I gotta deal with some big-time bosses sooner or later," muttered Ignis excitedly, getting into a fighting pose and preparing for what her two enemies had in store for her.

The fish-like Unversed got into a meditative state and began glowing a blue aura; the aura flowing into the wolf Unversed as its muscles bulked up before unleashing a loud howling battle cry, charging towards Ignis.

 _'Did that fish just power up that wolf?!'_ thought Ignis, jumping back for distance. "Firaga!" A gigantic fireball blazed through the air and hit the wolf Unversed directly, but even after receiving a direct hit, only the end furs of its body were burnt as it raised its claws to strike once in close distance. Instantly, Ignis brought up her Keyblade to defend before being granted a slash attack on her chest armor that sent her flying towards one of the trees.

"Gah!" She cried out, falling down to the ground before laying an arm around her chest armor, which now bore claw marks. _'If it weren't for my armor, I'd be shredded to pieces by now! I don't get it! That was one of my most strongest spells! ...Unless that wolf guy has magic resistance? Actually, that could be it. Then, guess I should focus on the fish first!'_

"Thundara!" Multiple bolts of lightning shot out from her Keyblade and focused towards the fish Unversed, but before they could make contact, the wolf Unversed took the full force of the Thunder spell, leaving very little marks on its body.

"Whaaa?!" _'My guess is...maybe the fish guy is actually vulnerable to magic and that he's the white mage of his little team,'_ thought Ignis. _'And if the wolf guy is magic resistant...maybe his main weakness will be in close combat! Still, he's really dangerous even when up front, so I'll have to be careful! Ugh, I have to repair my armor later on. Maybe Merlin can help. Here I go!'_

"Boost! Haste! Armor!" chanted Ignis, raising her arm as the three supportive spells spread throughout her body, granting her high temporary physical strength, speed, and defense. Although she was left exhausted due to using three spells at once that drained her magic power, she knew it would come to good use once she engaged in combat against the wolf Unversed.

True enough, she rushed ahead at a much faster pace, surprising both her Unversed opponents. Slashing upwards, Ignis initiated the first blow before backflipping back for distance and maintaining a defensive pose. Enraged, the wolf Unversed once again charged at Ignis as its wound was being healed by the fish Unversed from afar.

"What?! That fish guy can heal, too? That's not fai-!" Ignis stopped midsentence before bringing up her Keyblade to block the wolf Unversed's assault. Gritting her teeth, Ignis released one of her hands gripping the hilt of her Keyblade to point her index finger at the fish Unversed, who was possibly chanting another supportive spell to boost up its companion.

"Fire!" A small but quick fireball was unleashed from her finger and hit one of the fish Unversed's eyes, breaking its concentration as it fell from its meditative state and was flopping around like the fish it is. _'Yup! I was right! He isn't resistant to magic!'_

Because of the stat boosted spells placed on herself, Ignis was able to keep up with the wolf Unversed's attacks and sometimes even counterattack herself. Then, when the wolf Unversed spun around and attacked her with its tail, forcing Ignis back, the spells placed on her had worn off, leaving her back to her normal state.

Seeing as there was no time to cast a spell on herself, Ignis rushed forward when she saw the wolf Unversed charge right back at her before dodging a swipe of its claws; slashing twice at its arm in retaliation before being thrown back by a secondary swipe of claws. However, thanks to that slash, she was now a fair distance away from the wolf Unversed.

"Firaga! Firaga!" called out Ignis, firing two big fireballs, arcing towards the fish Unversed. As she expected, the wolf Unversed took its attention away from her to shield its comrade from the fireballs, providing Ignis enough time to cast one status spell on herself. "Armor!" Ignis always figured that the best value in battle was to focus on defense, especially in this fight, when her wolf opponent was all about offensive and only defensive when it came to magic spells.

Getting on all fours, the wolf Unversed roared and charged towards Ignis. Thanks to the fish Unversed, the wolf Unversed gained a physical attack boost, causing its claws to darken in raw power as it slashed overhead at Ignis, who gritted her teeth as she blocked the claws with her Keyblade, standing her ground while slowly being pushed back.

She lands an uppercut to the wolf Unversed's chin by firing a short fireball from her simple fire spell. With the basic Aero spell, she propelled herself upwards before using the wind spell again to land on the ground, performing a downward airborne slash at the wolf Unversed's chest. As the Unversed attempted to attack her again, she slid between the wolf Unversed's legs, slicing its tail with a mighty, quick slash which uttered a painful roar from the Unversed.

"Water!" chanted Ignis, summoning forth six orbs of water from the nearby river before focusing on making them into six water-like spirals. "Blizzard!" With the freezing spell, she twisted and frozen the water-like spirals into icicles, firing three of them at the wolf Unversed, which was only to distract it. With the other three icicles, she unleashed them at the fish Unversed, making it lose its concentration and become injured as a result.

"Aero!" Using the wind to not only propel herself but increase her speed for a slight second, Ignis lessened the distance between herself and the distracted wolf Unversed, successfully attacking the wolf Unversed with two slashes. A right swipe from the Unversed is blocked with her Keyblade, and just as the wolf Unversed was about to strike with its other claw, Ignis aimed her free arm at that claw and released a Thunder spell, forcing it back. The wolf Unversed may have magic resistance, but there's a limit to how much it can take, and just because it had magic resistance doesn't mean it's immune to pain.

With the wolf Unversed slowing down due to fatigue and wounds all over, Ignis took this chance to counterattack with a combo of slashes. She leapt, dodged, and blocked everywhere around the wolf Unversed, even with the Armor spell status wearing off; all while slashing at any openings before finishing off her combo with a slashing cartwheel.

As Ignis prepares another attack, the wolf Unversed, having gained a speed boost from the fish Unversed, times its left swipe perfectly to swat her away, sending her to the ground on her back. The wolf Unversed took this chance to pounce onto her, pinning her arms down with its own. It raised its head and opened its jaws, ready to gnaw down at her when it felt coldness and ice coursing throughout its body.

Gripping the arms that held her down, Ignis quickly used a second-tier Blizzard spell, Blizzara, to freeze the wolf Unversed in place seconds before it was able to finish her off with its jaws. "Aerora!" Using a wind spell to force the frozen wolf Unversed off her, which blow off chunks of ice off its frozen body, Ignis leapt to the air and finished it off with a series of attacks using her Keyblade, landing down perfectly as the frozen wolf Unversed dissipated.

That left only the fish Unversed, who appeared to be sweating out of fear.

It did attempt escape, but its big body, while advantageous underwater, was slower in land. Plus, to ensure it wouldn't escape, Ignis froze the river with another Blizzard spell before pointing her Keyblade at the fish Unversed with a sinister grin on her tired face.

"Thundara."

One large jolt of lightning was more than enough to roast the fish Unversed, who was vulnerable to magic, before it faded away just like its wolf Unversed.

"Whew! I'm so tired!" whined Ignis, collapsing to the ground.

"Oh ho! Brave, my dear girl! Bravo!" cheered Merlin, applauding as he, Arthur, and Archimedes stepped out from the trees and bushes they were hiding from. "A true Keyblade Master-in-training, indeed!"

"That was amazing, Ignis!" agreed Arthur. "With the way you moved, and how you cast all those magic spells, and how-how you attacked and all!"

"Much better than what Merlin would have fought with," snickered Archimedes, only to get a bit of a swat from his master.

"I never knew knights could fight like that!" exclaimed Arthur.

"Well, I'm not exactly a knight, but I am still in training!" replied Ignis proudly. "Can we go back to the castle? I wanna eat something! I wanna take a bath!"

"Oh, alright. We're finished here anyways," said Merlin. "Come along, everyone! We're going back to the castle! Perhaps the dishes are done by now?"

"Yay!" Prompting herself up on her feet, Ignis skipped behind Merlin as he took the lead, slowing herself to match Arthur's pace. "So, Arthur, how was your squirrel adventures?"

"Oh, it was surely an experience, Ignis! Maybe not as exciting as your fight, but really an experience! I have so much to tell you!"

* * *

 _Later..._

What awaited the group back when they arrived in the kitchens was a disaster. The magic that was supposed to be meant for cleaning the kitchen was ceased and focused on attacking both Kay and Ector for disturbing their work, creating an even larger mess than before.

"Now, what do we have here?" cried out Merlin.

"Jumpin' hoptoads!" gasped Arthur.

As quick as a flash, Merlin began to deactivate his magic to cease all activity and disasters before they grew worse. _"Alakazam!"_

Falling into a small tub of soap water as some of the pans crashed into him, Ector sputtered water out of his mouth; completely drenched wet before he spotted Merlin, Arthur, and Ignis with an angered expression.

"There you are, you old goat!" shouted Ector, struggling to get free from the tub he was trapped in. "What's the big idea of flinging your evil spells all over the place?! Oh, oh! Lend me a hand, boy!"

"Yikes, busted," muttered Ignis, watching as Kay rushed to help his father out of the tub. Just as Ector stomped towards Merlin, Kay slipped on the water and fell headfirst into the tub, yet no one paid any heed to him.

"Well? What have you've got to say for yourself?" questioned Ector angrily, standing up to Merlin as bubbles escaped through his mouth every time he talked.

Flinching when the bubbles harmlessly hit him, Merlin argued, "You call washing dishes and sweeping floors a work of evil?"

"I'LL decide what's right and wrong around here!" yelled Ector. "Besides that's the Wart's and lass' jobs! One of their duties!"

"Hey, I didn't even ask to be a stupid maid!" shouted Ignis. "And besides, if you have a bunch of maids working for you 24/7, why do you even need Arthur to do the chores for you?"

"Quiet, lass! The adults are talking!"

"I'm 17."

"Then why are you not married yet? Oh, no wonder no one wants to marry ya!" insulted Ector, getting all up on Ignis' face. "Nobody wants to marry a rude and lazy lass like ya!"

"...I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna wring his neck so hard, that-!"

"Now, now! Remember what I said? In these times, women are treated differently," reminded Merlin before glaring at Ector. "Even if what he says is both true, yet offensive."

Turning his attention towards Arthur, Ector warned him, "Look here, boy! If you want to make that trip to London, you'd better toe the mark!"

The head maid, angered and slightly traumatized from the magic that occurred earlier, began to berate Merlin. "You old goat! If I ever catch you in my kitchen again, I'll-!"

"Madam!" said Merlin. "You won't." With that said, he disappeared in an instant.

"Oh, dear...He's gone!" gasped the head maid.

"Well, by Jove," said Ector, surprised.

"We oughta run the old geezer right out of the castle," suggested Kay, having gotten his head out of the soap tub after slipping towards it.

Ector shook his head frantically out of fear. "Oh, no, no, no, no, Kay! No! He might cast an evil spell on the lot of us! Turn us all into stone! No, there's no telling what the old devil could do!"

Before Ignis could defend Merlin, Arthur did it for her as he marched up to his foster father and brother. "He's not an old devil! He-He's good! And, his magic is good, too! If-If you'd just leave him alone-!"

"Now, look here, Wart! That's three more demerits!" scolded Ector.

"Box his ears, Dad!" suggested Kay.

"Hey!" yelled Ignis, coming forward to defend both Merlin and Arthur. "I've got a couple things to say, you snoobish, fat walrus!"

Ector gasped before angrily glared at her. "You dare-"

"Shut up! First off, his name isn't Wart! He's Arthur! What kind of parent names his own son such an awful name?! Secondly, how is cleaning magic an evil magic?! Merlin did some good around here while you go off punishing Arthur for some stupid rule changes!"

"Lass, that's enough outta you!" argued Ector. "Anymore from you, and you're fired!"

"Go ahead! I'm not afraid! You don't scare me one bit, tubby!" said Ignis. "Admit it, you're nothing but a big bully who looks down on others just because he's lord of this castle or something!"

"That's it! YOU'RE FIRED!" Ector hollered, pointing his finger at Ignis. So, Ignis did the next thing she could think of.

Bite his finger.

To say Ector screamed like a girl was an understatement, but his howls of pain coursed throughout the entire castle as he pulled his finger away. Seeing Ignis stand up for both him and Merlin, Arthur started gaining the courage to stand up to his foster father.

"Y-Yeah! Ignis is right!" agreed Arthur. "Just because you can't understand something, it doesn't mean it's wrong! You make all the rules, and-and nobody can say anything!"

Enraged, Ector shouted, "You've said aplenty, boy! All that popping off just cooked your goose! Key, from now on, young Hobbs is your squire!" Facing his foster son with a snarling smile, Ector bragged, "Did you hear that, Wart? Hobbs is going to be Kay's squire!"

Shocked at this revelation, tears could only express Arthur's feelings. "Y-Y-Yes, sir..."

Smirking just before leaving, Kay told him, "Now that'll teach you to pop off, you pipsqueak."

Stunned by the horrible treatment Ignis witnessed from Ector, shock turned to anger before Ignis decided to take her anger out on Ector and Kay for their terrible behavior. She kicked Kay hard in the shin before turning to Ector and kneeling him right where the sun doesn't shine, earning loud squeals of pain from the father and son duo as they fell to the floor in agonizing pain.

"You're horrible people!" Ignis yelled at the two, spitting specifically at Ector before marching up to the head maid. "By the way, your stupid work uniform is both itchy and tacky!" She pulled out the itchy maid outfit and shoved it into her arms before taking Arthur out of the kitchens through the door where they came from.

When they reached outside, Ignis stopped and kneeled down in front of Arthur, placing her hands onto his shoulders. Seeing him sniffling and still crying, Ignis gently wiped his tears with her hand and gently rubbed his cheek with her other. "Hey, it's alright, okay? This isn't any of your fault," she told him gently.

Arthur shook his head. "N-No, it is...If I had just kept my big mouth shut, then I wouldn't have gotten punished like this. I'm...I'm sorry that you were fired because of me, Ignis."

"Aww, Artie..." Hugging him close, Ignis patted his back, trying to comfort the boy. "Like I said, none of this is your fault. Besides, I never did enjoy the maid job anyways. Never did ask for it, anyways. I should be the one saying that I'm sorry. You're a good kid, Artie. Never forget that."

Sniffling, Arthur couldn't help but smile. "It...means a lot that you said that, Ignis. But now, I should return back to work."

"What? Artie, you don't have to-"

"Ahem!" Archimedes flew down and landed next to the two. "Pardon me, but Merlin's asking for you, Ignis."

Arthur gently pried Ignis' hands off his and gave her a smile. "I'll be fine. Besides, if I don't, sir Ector will probably punish me further. Please? I just...need some time to think alone, okay?"

"...Well, if you say so...But get some rest, okay?" Ignis advised him before releasing him and following after Archimedes towards the unstable tower that Merlin was taking refuge in.

Upon arriving inside the tower, Ignis wasn't surprised to see tea being served and that Merlin was awaiting for her, having calmed down from the earlier confrontation with Ector.

"Ah, go ahead and take a seat, Ignis," told Merlin before Ignis obeyed him. "You look quite upset, Ignis."

"Of course I am!" snapped Ignis, slamming her hands on the table. "That fatass-!"

"Ah! Language, young lady!" scolded the elderly wizard. "If you wish to learn more from me, then you must maintain your short temper! Even if some of your...choice words are appropriate towards some certain people."

"...Sorry," sighed Ignis. "It's just...! He punished Arthur so unfairly! And he even called him, 'Wart!' How someone like him can be lord of this castle is beyond me!"

"That may be for this era, but in later times, women will be treated with more respect, and young men like Arthur will prosper for a brighter future," assured Merlin. "It's frustrating right now, but there's nothing we can do about it. I...certainly hope you didn't whip out your Keyblade against that old oaf."

"Nah, I bit his finger and kicked him right between the legs."

"Ooh! That's gotta hurt. Normally, I cannot allow such things, but because of the circumstances and his oafish behavior, I'm willing to let it slide."

"I also got fired."

Merlin let out a sigh before sipping his tea. "I had a feeling it would come down to that. Well, you're welcome to stay with me until I have that Unversed Cleanser ready!"

"Thanks, I guess," said Ignis.

"By the way, we do have to talk about your performance earlier today. Particularly with the Unversed," informed Merlin. "I saw the whole thing as Arthur was dealing with his little...squirrel problem."

Ignis chuckled. "I kinda do feel a bit bad for the girl squirrel, though. And, I didn't expect Artie to be so good with the ladies, even if it was unintentional."

Merlin also chuckled before clearing his throat. "Yes, well...Back to the subject. I observed your fighting style and how you dealt with the Unversed. It was quite good of how you used your creative talents and training to defeat the ones in the forest, but..."

"But...?"

"...Do you know that you mostly use magic in all your fights? And it's just from today, but earlier, when I first met you and Arthur and we were heading towards his home castle?"

"Yeah, so?" wondered Ignis. "What's wrong with me using magic in my fights? You're a wizard; you use magic all the time."

"Because, like I mentioned before, magic can't solve everything," explained Merlin. "Trust me, I have experience training Keyblade wielders, such as Yen Sid and even your own master, Eraqus."

"I didn't know you knew my master," said Ignis, expressing her surprise. "I don't think Master Eraqus ever mentioned anything about you, Merlin. And even if he did, it probably was from a long time ago."

"Well, whether or not he mentioned me or not isn't the issue right now. I suppose I could go for teaching another Keyblade apprentice some lessons again. Now, do you happen to have any ethers or potions with you?"

"...No," said Ignis.

"Ah, and that's problem #1 right there. When in battle, you must always be prepared. You were extremely lucky that you didn't face death with your lack of preparation."

"Hey, I couldn't find a Moogle Shop anywhere!"

"That's no excuse," stated Merlin firmly. "Another issue we need to address is your magic in battle. Yes, you are good with magic, but it appears you rely too much on magic, whether it's for offensive, defensive purposes, or simply a way to dodge an attack. Yes, you do have physical capabilities, but once again, you enhance yourself using magic. Magic, magic, magic, everywhere. You simply cannot rely on magic all the time!"

"I know this might sound complaining, but I'm kinda new at fighting the Unversed," pointed out Ignis.

Merlin nodded. "And that's understandable, but that doesn't change the fact that you continuously use magic often. You need to keep a balance at all times! Tell me this: Fire and water. Moon and sun. Light and darkness. What is it that these all have in common?"

"...They're polar opposites?"

"Yes, they are opposites, but they also balance each other out. Water can extinguish a flame, while at the same time, it dissipates once taking out a flame, almost as though fire is taking out water at the expense of its life. Moon comes out at nighttime, and the sun comes up at daytime. And light and darkness...neither are good nor evil."

"Wait, what?" asked Ignis, surprised. "No, there is a clear difference there. Master Eraqus told us that light is good and darkness is evil. That it must be purged."

Merlin shook his head. "I always knew your Master was obsessed with the light, but I didn't dare think he would place that sort of mindset into his pupils. No, your Master is incorrect, and this is coming from someone who helped trained him and other Keyblade wielders."

"I...I don't get it."

"Light and darkness are necessary to keep each other in control and in balance," informed Merlin. "That doesn't make the two elements evil, though. It's up to the user how they can be wielded. For example, fire and water. If fire was darkness, and water is light, what would most people choose?"

"Water, because, like you said, water is light."

"Yes, but does that make fire evil?" questioned Merlin. "Yes, fire is a destructive element, best known for its destructive and deadly properties, but at the same time, it provides light as well. There is always a pro and con for everything; an advantage and disadvantage for everything. Light and darkness are no exception. Both MUST exist."

"But...I...I mean, I kinda get what you're saying," said Ignis, confused. "But...I was told that light is good and always must be preserved, while darkness is evil and must be eliminated."

"I'm afraid I'll have words to speak to your Master should I meet him," sighed Merlin. "But...your Master is both right...and wrong. Tell me, when a villain uses darkness, does that make them evil? Yes. But what if they use the power of light to do nefarious deeds?"

"They can't do that! Light is pure!" protested Ignis.

"And so is darkness. And I'm not talking about pure evil. Both light and darkness have their own purity, as well as keeping each other balanced. Tell me, will you root for the hero who uses darkness to defeat the evil? Or will you root for an evil villain who uses the power of light to hurt innocents?"

"I...That's a difficult question."

Merlin sighed. "You are too young to understand this. Eraqus...I will have words with Yen Sid about this as well. Tell me, what sort of elemental spells do you know?"

"All sorts! ...Except for the darkness element. I...Me, and my friends are prohibited from learning the darkness elemental spells. Master Eraqus forbid us too."

"Yes, I should have figured," sighed Merlin. "Listen, when we do magic training, I will teach you more things, of course, and in return, you also have to teach me more of your magic, just like agreed. However, I will teach you more about balance, so next time, start using darkness spells."

"But-!"

"Ah! Like I said, _balance._ Don't worry so much about what your Master told you. You cannot bathe in the light. If you envelop too much into it, it will blind you. And the next time you fight those Unversed, remember what I said. You cannot rely so much on magic. Balance it out more with your own physical training! Seek other methods for victory without magic! Not everyone can cast magic like you or I can."

"Alright..." said Ignis. "This...is still all so new and confusing to me, I feel like I'm a new apprentice again."

"Considering that I'm temporarily teaching you, that's to be natural," answered Merlin. "Do you know how to open portals using your Keyblade?"

"Still have trouble with that."

"I see. We'll look into the issue, and I may be of assistance with your portal powers. Now, let us finish our tea, and we can get started on our training. Oh, and Ignis? Promise me one thing when you meet with Eraqus."

"Y-Yeah?" wondered Ignis.

"With what you've been taught, my concerns for Eraqus' teachings and mindset have been...growing. I knew the boy from a long time ago and how he always valued the light, but not to this extent. I'm worried, therefore, promise me that you will not allow him to be blinded by the light."

"I...I don't understand. Sorry, I really don't."

"I have a feeling you will understand what I mean later on. Just...promise me."

"...Okay. I promise."

* * *

 **Man! That was a long chapter! I hope this is a significant improvement from the other chapters, and we did get a bit of character development towards Ignis! That said, read and review!**


	9. Camelot (3): Wrath

**Wow! More and more people are starting to like this fanfic! Thank you all so much! Oh, and no KH3 spoilers! I may not have the game, but I'm going through NicoB's walkthrough of it because he's a fantastic and funny guy! Don't worry, I didn't get any spoilers, though the constant KH3 videos popping up everywhere is starting to get real annoying!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the song, "Ventus's Theme" by Lizz Robinet. (Link: watch?v=_81MEE6nfVs)**

* * *

"Dark!"

Casting the basic darkness elemental spell, Ignis watched as small streams of darkness swirled around a small patch of grass, destroying everything within its circle and leaving it barren. Normally, Ignis would be ecstatic upon learning and casting new spells, especially to try them out but instead, a look of concentration and fear filled her expression.

 _'Master Eraqus is gonna kill me if he finds out I'm using darkness magic!'_ thought Ignis fearfully. It wasn't just the fear of her master's findings that she was concerned with. She was afraid of falling into darkness, because even though Merlin had already given her the lecture about balance and how absolutely necessary it was, her mindset still had lingering thoughts about the evil within darkness. For around a decade, she's been taught that darkness was always evil, and while Merlin told her that was correct, it wasn't exactly the right way either, and that darkness must be around to maintain the balance along with light.

"That was good after the first few tries," praised Merlin, examining her work. "But...I do have a feeling you can do much more. Ignis, remember what I spoke to you about yesterday?"

"I know, I know!" said Ignis, slightly shaking. "But...I...I don't think I can get over that whole darkness concept in just a day. All my life, I've been told darkness is evil and that I was forbidden to use even darkness magic, but...now that I'm told that it's okay, I just-"

"Yes, yes, I understand," sighed Merlin, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It does take time, but remember that there must be a balance. Everything must be a balance or else the entire order becomes...chaotic."

"I...I want to try something," said Ignis, lightly shaking off Merlin's hand off her shoulder before backing away for space. There was still slight unease within her, but she shook off all signs of unease and fear, pretending that no harm could come from what she was about to perform. Concentrating on her magic by bringing her palms together, she focused and casted Fire; the flame bursting onto her palms. However, she wished to combine something with her fire, and since combination magic was within her specialty of creation magic, she decided to combine her fire magic with the dark element.

The results were instantaneous.

The red, orange, and yellow flames within the fire flashed dark for a split second. Then, smoke-like streams of darkness swirled around the flame, unfazed by the heat or fiery power within the flame before merging with it. As such, the flame turned completely dark and thus turned into black flames of darkness; a combination of both fire and darkness magic.

Instead of being excited about her new discovery, Ignis was frightful.

Letting out a scream, Ignis panicked and desperately started shaking her hands; her fearful demeanor causing her magic to rapidly get out of control as her fear further increased the power of her black flames, which grew larger and hotter and was flying around, spreading small fires all around the grass. The flames grew to the point where they engulfed the upper parts of her arms, and if she weren't wearing gauntlets, the flames would have seethed through her skin and cause massive burn marks. Because she was wearing fingerless gloves, only the skin on her fingers were badly being burned, causing her to further scream not just out of fear but pain now.

"ALAKAZAM!" bellowed Merlin, releasing his magic to cancel out her own. The flash of light emitted from his hands causing the black flames to fade away along with the small flames that were around the grass.

Shakily glancing at her palms, along with the burn marks on her fingers, Ignis shuddered as she started taking deep breaths. With each breath, like the flames that had eventually died down, she began to calm down. Once she did, Ignis collapsed to her knees and hugged herself, still shaking. Although, that didn't last long, as she had tried to squeeze herself for comfort only to hiss in pain from her burnt marks.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow...I...I'm sorry," apologized Ignis. "I-If I had better control, then I wouldn't be afraid! I'm just glad it didn't go out of control."

"Oh, no, my dear girl. You had perfect control there," assured Merlin, helping her stand up gently as he focused healing magic on her burn marks. "But the way you were panicking there, had you gone on in that state much longer, then the results would have been disastrous. The entire forest would be burning with dark flames. Of course, with both you and me, we could easily extinguish the fires with water magic, but-"

"Ugh! See? Master Eraqus was right! Darkness is evil! Thanks to my stupid curiosity, I almost burned down the forest! But more importantly, I would have harmed you and-"

"Now, stop right there!" interrupted Merlin, hitting her on the head. "Darkness wouldn't have caused the burning forest had it actually occurred. You would be at fault."

"Yeah, because I used a new-"

"No, listen. You cannot blame this on darkness. Your own fears and hesitation would have caused the forest to burn. Just now, your reaction shows that you are still afraid of the darkness. Now, I understand that this will take time to get it planted onto your head, but there must be balance! Darkness is not something to be feared! Well, yes, darkness can be scary, but if you allow your own fears to engulf you, you'll have already lost the battle."

"...So, one way to get over my fear of the darkness is to practice darkness magic constantly?" wondered Ignis.

"Well, I suppose that is one way, yes. Darkness can never be eliminated because everywhere, every single living being has some inside. The trick is not to get overwhelmed by it. But at the same time, you mustn't let light overwhelm you as well. There must be an equal balance. Luckily, most people have lived their lives with an equal balance of both light and darkness in their hearts. That's another reason why the existence of other worlds must be kept secret!"

"I don't get it," said Ignis.

Merlin explained, "When I said that most people have lived their lives with both light and darkness, I meant it. The other worlds are kept secret from most people for reasons such as not getting exposed to the darkness. Certain events can change someone, depending on who they are. For instance, let's say there were two countries in one world. They lived peacefully and were full of light. But then there existed a cavern of...magic crystals. Unfortunately, that cavern could only support one country, and because of greed, desire, and such, the two countries turned on each other and began to wage a war for the magic crystals."

"But, if that were the case, why couldn't they share them? Like trade a crystal for food or something?" wondered Ignis.

"Oh, there are various reasons. Some might think that's not enough. One of the countries would want the crystals all to themselves. The leaders might be too prideful to share them or even ask for assistance. Mostly just selfish reasons. And, because of war, many lives were lost, and the balance that was kept within their hearts reverted to darkness."

"...It's sad that two countries that were so peaceful towards each other, suddenly grew greedy over some crystals," Ignis commented.

Merlin nodded. "Yes, yes. I agree. Let me give you another demonstration of balance!" With a snap of his fingers, a balance scale popped out and landed on the ground. He picked up two rocks of the same size and placed one each on the pan scales, balancing them out in perfect symmetry. With another snap of his fingers, one rock changed into a black color, while the other rock was entirely white.

"This rock represents light?" wondered Ignis, pointing to the white rock. "And the other rock represents darkness? The black one?"

"Yes, you're getting the right idea! Now, watch this!" With one hand, Merlin created a small orb of light, and in the other, an orb of darkness. The sight of the orb of darkness caused Ignis to flinch, irritating Merlin. "Oh, would you quit that?! Darkness is not something you should fear! It must be controlled for you to overcome this fear! Now, watch this." Merlin placed both orbs together, and Ignis witnessed the merging between the two, constantly rotating over and over like a wheel, not one element overcoming the other. "See? Perfect balance? That's a symbol called a 'Yin and Yang!' In another world, that means day and night!"

"...Merlin? Can I ask something about the light?" wondered Ignis. "Yeah, I've heard all about how evil darkness can be and all, and I'm still struggling to get to the fact that darkness has to exist, no matter how evil it may be-"

"You're wrong right there," stated Merlin. "I told you this before. Yes, darkness and light must exist, but that doesn't make them good nor evil. If someone wields the power of light, it's their decision of how to use it. Same thing with someone with the power of darkness. Ignis, with your magic, would you use it to help others?"

"Of course! It's my duty after all!" assured Ignis cheerfully.

"And what if you had the power of darkness? You have no magic, no Keyblade, and the other power you can wield is darkness. A child is in danger and an Unversed is about to attack that child. What would you do?"

Ignis' face fell. "I...I would save the child."

"How? Would you use the darkness to do so?" questioned Merlin, only to receive no answer. "Ignis, it's not a sin to use power to save others. The complete opposite, really. You must get over this mindset that darkness is always evil. Now, I may sound like I am a wielder of darkness, and I do wield darkness magic, of course, through years of training in many sorts of magic, but it's alright to use darkness if it means helping others."

"But Master Eraqus-"

"Ignis," spoke Merlin sternly. "What do YOU want to do? Forget about your master's teachings for a moment. I do have to remind myself to talk to him anyways. Improve yourself."

"..."

"Ignis, do you know how art was originated?"

"I heard it was through cave drawings."

"Yes, and after cave drawings, it grew into sculptures, jewelry, murals, and more as time grew by. Why? Because people have learned through their mistakes and improved themselves. From using a basic fire spell to high leveled ones, you, too, have improved yourself as well. Learning new things through mistakes and experience is no different. It's like with your lessons with young Arthur."

"My lessons? What do they have to do with what you're telling me?" wondered Ignis.

"Simple. Arthur keeps going on the offensive, and you're teaching him that attacking isn't everything. By having him focus more on his other traits such as defense and speed, he'll improve to become a great fighter in the future. Remember, learning through mistakes and experience can aid someone in their time of need."

"Yeah, I guess I get it, now," said Ignis. "But, back to my question. Merlin, you said that anyone can be corrupted by darkness, but...can anyone be corrupted by light?"

"It...is rare, and I haven't seen many cases of such, but yes. One case was that I once met someone in my younger days. A self-confident young man who boasted of doing everything in the name of justice, yet his actions caused misery to many people."

Ignis snapped her fingers. "Oh! I know that type of person! Ugh, I count those people as one of my annoying lists and the type of people I would not date/marry! He's probably one of those justice complex people you just described! Ugh, I hate it when people say, 'In the name of justice!' Or something like that!"

Merlin coughed. "Yes, well, the main lesson here about balance is that you shouldn't focus so much on one side." He took the white rock off the scale, thus the scale lowered on the dark rock's side. "If you don't have any hope of light, then the darkness will envelop you. However..." Putting the white rock back to the scale, which balanced the scales once more, Merlin picked up a couple more rocks and placed them on the white rock's scale side, thus the scale grew heavy on the white rock's side. "If you involve yourself too much with the light, you will be blinded from the truth."

"Okay, I get bad things happen if you fall to darkness, like you become evil and corrupted and stuff, but what if you fall to light?" wondered Ignis. "Oh, god...Will I have some crazy justice complex too?"

"No, not necessarily," spoke Merlin. "I do not believe it will be anything like that, but...the consequences will be...dire. Most of the time, light is good, but like I said, there must be a balance between light and darkness. Embrace that balance, and it will be alright. It's alright if you have more than a little bit than the balance, like if you have more light than darkness, or more darkness than light."

"Wait, how would having more darkness than light be good?" wondered Ignis.

"Well, you gave me an example when you told me the stories about your friends. Like, that friend, Terra, for instance."

"...You got me there. Aaah! This whole balance thing is confusing!" groaned Ignis, scratching her head.

Merlin chuckled. "I've been told that actions speak louder than words. Perhaps it's better for you to experience things firsthand than simply through books and facts."

"Well, I'm still scared of darkness. That's not a bad thing, I know, but...I don't know when I'll ever use darkness magic again. My Master would kill me if he knew I even used it today! Oh...That...That's new."

'What is it? Come up with another new spell or something?" wondered Merlin.

Ignis shook her head and stared at her slightly shaking hands. "This...is the first time I'm actually _scared_ of magic. Before, I used to be all excited and I wanted to try out all sorts of magic, no matter how weak or useless it was. Now...Ugh!" She started banging her head against the grass, shocking Merlin.

"W-What are you doing, young lady?!" exclaimed Merlin.

Standing up with a forced smile on her face, along with a slightly red forehead, Ignis still felt scared, but was pumped up at the same time as well. "I shouldn't be miserable about this! N-No! Learning new sorts of magic is good! Yeah! Nothing to fear! Darkness magic is still a little scary, but I can pull through this! Yeah!"

"I...Why did you suddenly hit yourself on the head before?"

"Because I was acting like an idiot sandwich!"

"A-A what?"

"Come on, Merlin! I'm ready for more! Give me more magic challenges to complete! The more darkness magic I use, the more I'll get over my fear!" declared Ignis, pointing to a tree. "Alright, here I do! Dark!"

The slight explosive force from the darkness elemental spell she casted caused the tree to break apart and collapse to the ground. A little destructive, but since the spell worked, that was more than what Ignis hoped for.

"Yes! I did it! I'm one step closer to defeating the fear of darkness!" said Ignis.

"Er...pardon me, but your body's still shaking," commented Merlin.

"...Damnit!"

Merlin sighed and clasped a hand onto her shoulder. "I suppose that's enough magic training for today. Now, why don't we return back to the tower? You can even help me with Arthur's educational studies."

"Okay!"

* * *

 _Later..._

"Awwww! Can't I even hug you for like, a minute, Archimedes? You're so fluffy!" cooed Ignis.

"No! I refuse to get hugged! Don't you dare touch me!" scolded Archimedes, who opt to hide himself inside of his birdhouse.

Merlin was nowhere to be seen because he had gone to cheer up Arthur after his unfair punishment from yesterday, thus leaving Ignis and Archimedes alone. Because Ignis was fired from before, Merlin had offered her a place to stay in the tower until he had his Unversed invention prepared. It wasn't a very comfortable suite, but it was far better than the living quarters she had to put up with before when she was forced to become a maid.

Just before Ignis could urge Archimedes further, Merlin had teleported back into the tower while holding Arthur's hand. Arthur still appeared pale-faced and slight tear marks were still visible on his face, but he looked a little better than yesterday.

"Arthur? Are you okay now?" asked Ignis worriedly, walking towards him.

Arthur nodded, sniffling a bit. "I-I'm alright. Maybe...I need to get my mind off by studying with Merlin today. I'll be alright."

"Come, come! Lesson time!" announced Merlin, having prepared the room to look like a miniature classroom for Arthur, prompting the young boy to sit down at a table. Pulling out a map with the words, **"The World of Terra Firma,"** Merlin began his lesson. "Now, first of all, lad, we've got to get all these medieval ideas outta your head! Clear the way for new ideas!" He rolled up the map and tapped it with a globe of the world, continuing his lecture. "Knowledge of man's fabulous discoveries in the centuries ahead! Now, that'll be a great advantage, boy!"

Archimedes scoffed, popping out of his birdhouse to say something. "Advantage, indeed! If the boy goes around saying the world is round, they'll take him for a lunatic!"

"The world is round?" wondered Arthur curiously.

"Yes, yes! That's right!" said Merlin happily, spinning the world globe. "And it also goes around!"

Ignis knew that he was telling the truth because she knew from her studies as a Keyblade wielder that all worlds were round. Of course, she wasn't going to inform Arthur that there were so many other worlds out there besides the one they were currently residing in due to secrecy issues.

"You mean it'll be round someday?" Arthur asked.

"No, no, no! It's round now!" corrected Merlin. "Man will discover this in centuries to come! And he will also find that the world is merely a _tiny_ speck in the universe!"

"Universe?" wondered Arthur.

"Merlin, I think that's a little too advanced for him to know right now," suggested Ignis.

"Yes, I agree! You're only confusing the boy!" agreed Archimedes, berating Merlin. "Before you're through, he'll be so mixed up, he'll-he'll be wearing shoes on his head! Man has always learned from the past! After all, you can't learn history in reverse! It's-It's enough confusing, for heaven's sake!"

Merlin, who was trying to calm his temper through a smoking pipe, snapped. "ALL RIGHT! Alright, have it your way, Archimedes! You're in charge! You're the headmaster, now! So, from now on, he's _your_ pupil!" With that said, the grumpy old wizard sat down on his chair, still ticked off.

Clearing his throat, Archimedes turned to Arthur. So! From now on, boy, you do as I say!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I'll help out as much as I can, too!" offered Ignis. "If you don't mind!"

"I'd much appreciate it, thank you!" said Archimedes before beginning a new lesson. "Alright! Now, to start off, I want you to read these books!"

"All of them?" gasped Arthur as Ignis' jaw dropped.

"Dude. If you gave me that much assignment, I'd _die,"_ commented Ignis, staring at the mountain of piles of books stacked up that Arthur was required to read.

"That, is a mountain of knowledge!" argued Archimedes proudly. "Honestly, Ignis, you sound as though YOU are the student here! Unless you want to-"

"No, thank you!"

"But-But I can't read!" protested Arthur.

Shocked, Archimedes shouted, "What-what-WHAT?! Then, I don't suppose you know how to write?!"

"No, sir."

"What do you know?"

"Well, I-"

"Never mind! Never mind! We'll start at the bottom! The ABCs!"

"Ooh! Mind if I take over this one! This sounds like an easy topic!" said Ignis, raising her hand.

"Very well! As a human, you should have more knowledge than-Wait, you do know how to read and write, right?" questioned Archimedes.

"Of course! Merlin, can I borrow some paper or something?" Ignis called out.

"Even better! You can use the chalkboard if you like!" called back Merlin, having seemingly calmed down from his previous temper.

"Thanks!" Ignis found a piece of chalk and began to write down the ABCs as Arthur watched her. "Okay! There are 26 letters in the alphabet! A letter is basically like...a number! Like, A can be Number 1! And A is a single letter! Got me so far?"

Arthur nodded. "So...If A is 1, then the next letter is 2?"

"Yup! Okay, repeat after me if I point to a letter! This is A!" Ignis pointed with her piece of chalk the letter A she wrote on the chalkboard.

"This is A..." repeated Arthur.

"This is B..."

"This is B..."

The procedure continued for a few minutes until they reached the end of the alphabet. "Now, Arthur! Come over here! I want you to copy and write down the alphabet! If you don't know, then just look up the bunch of letters for reference! Here ya go!"

"Okay, Ignis!" Eager to learn, Arthur got up and took the chalk before carefully copying down the alphabet, one letter at the time. With each letter written down, Ignis had Arthur repeat the name of each letter until he reached the end.

Once finished, Ignis took a good look at his alphabet handwriting. For a first time in writing, he did well, but his handwriting was slightly messy and several letters were not formed correct. "Eh...We'll have to work on your handwriting."

"I...I'm sorry," apologized Arthur before receiving a head pat from Ignis.

"Aww! Nothing to worry! This is your first time, and I gotta say, you didn't do half-bad! Hey, I wanna show you something!" Taking the chalk from Arthur, Ignis quickly wrote down Arthur's name. "See? It's your name! Arthur!"

"Wow! So, this is what my name looks like in writing!"

"Yup! Now, your job is to try and write down your name to the best of your ability! Go forth, Arthur! You can do it! I'm cheering you on!"

Arthur nodded and started copying down Ignis' work, murmuring and trying to remember the names of each letter he wrote down. When he finished, he turned to Merlin and exclaimed, "Merlin, look! I can write!"

Merlin, who was busy searching for something, replied, "Oh, yes, yes. Very good, my boy. Um, Archimedes? Have you seen that flying machine model?"

"I have nothing to do with your futuristic fiddle-faddle, you know that!" said Archimedes, crossing his wings in a huff.

Noticing a strange, red airplane model above Merlin's head, Arthur pointed to it and asked, "What's that thing up there?"

"Hmm?" Looking up, Merlin's expression brightened up upon finding the object he was looking for. "Oh, yes! Of course! Here we are!"

"You mean man will fly in one of those someday?" wondered Arthur.

"If man were meant to fly, he'd have been born with wings!" scoffed Archimedes.

Spinning the thin blades of the front of the airplane model with his fingers, which also tangled up his beard in the process, Merlin responded, "I am about to prove otherwise, Archimedes, if you care to watch!" Breaking into a run, Merlin raised the airplane model and rushed towards the window. "HERE SHE GOES!"

After reaching the window, Merlin released the airplane model and allowed it to fly...and at the very last second did he realize that his own beard got tangled and messed up the blades of the airplane model, causing it to plummet to the water and get crushed by the rocks in the water.

Having witnessed the downfall of the airplane model along with both Ignis and Arthur, Archimedes couldn't help but hoot out a loud laughter. "Man'll fly all right! Just like a rock!"

"It would have worked if-if-if-if it weren't for this INFERNAL BEARD!" yelled Merlin, angry at Archimedes' laughter and the failure of his demonstration of futuristic flight.

As Archimedes continued laughing loudly, Merlin stomped back to his seat and attempted to calm himself by huffing out wisps of smoke from his smoking pipe. Walking up to Merlin, Ignis asked, "If your long beard gets in the way a lot, why don't you just cut it?"

"For your information, young lady, I just so happen to like my beard!" snapped Merlin, still angry over what happened a few minutes earlier. "Research dictates that having a beard proves that you are older and wiser! Besides, if I asked you to cut off that long hair of yours, would you do it?"

"What?! No! I could never cut off my hair! Do you have any idea how long it took for me to grow out my hair and make it as smooth as silk? A very, VERY long time!"

"Exactly!" Seeing as Archimedes was still laughing, Merlin shouted over his laughter, "Man WILL fly someday, I tell you! I have been there! I have seen it!"

Arthur, who was gazing out the open window to see the birds fly, smiled. "Oh, I do hope so! I've always dreamed about flying! That I was a bird, and that I could go sailing all over the sky high above everything!"

Ignis, watching Merlin stand up and sneaking towards Arthur as quietly as he could, raised an eyebrow. "Merlin...?"

Merlin heard Ignis and pressed a finger on his lips, motioning her to stay silent as he waved his cane over Arthur's head and performed his magic. _"Prestidigitonium!"_ whispered Merlin, chanting a spell that suddenly transformed Arthur into a bird without him knowing.

"It's my favorite dream! Oh, but then I suppose everyone dreams about flying." A second later, when Arthur discovered his arms were now wings, he took a good look at himself and realized he was now a bird thanks to Merlin's magic. "I'm a bird! I'm a bird! I'm a bird!" He grew so excited that he began flapping his wings, slowly hovering up and out of the window.

Chuckling at the young boy-bird's excitement, Merlin reached out and caught Arthur before he could go fly any farther. "Hold it, boy! Not so fast! Not so fast! First, I'd better explain the mechanics of a bird's wing." Reaching out and lifting one of Archimedes' wings, Merlin started to explain. "Now, these large feathers are called the primaries! And, uh..."

Pulling his feathered wing back, Archimedes challenged, "And, since when do _you_ know all about birds' wings?"

"I have made an extensive study of birds in flight! And I-!"

"And, if you don't mind, _I_ happen to be a bird!"

Fed up, Merlin handed Arthur the bird boy over to Archimedes. "Alright, Mr. Know-It-All! He's your pupil!"

With both birds flat on their feet on the platform of the window, Archimedes was ready to teach the young boy bird how to fly. "Now, boy! Flying is not merely some crude mechanical process! It is a delicate art! Purely aesthetic! Poetry of motion! And the best way to learn it is to do it! Now, since we're pretty far up, we'll start with a glide! Spread your wings way out! Way out!"

Copying Archimedes' movements, Arthur waggled and waved his wings, spreading them as wide as he could. This caused him to flutter upwards a bit before landing back on the platform.

"That's it! That's it! Now, fan your tail! Tippity-toe! Tippity-toe! And off, we go!"

Archimedes took flight first with his bird pupil following after him as Ignis watched the two fly off. "Uh...shouldn't we go after them? You know, check up on them?" wondered Ignis.

"Eh, they'll be alright. Archimedes is teaching the young lady anyways. If anyone knows how to fly like a bird, well, he's the right bird to do so!" said Merlin.

"I would have taught Arthur to fly, but...well, he can't use magic, so that's a real shame," said Ignis.

"Oh? And you can use flight magic?"

"Yes! I use wind magic to fly me around! But the longer I use it, the more exhausted I get from using too much magic power."

Merlin shook his head. "That's not flight magic. It's simply using large amounts of wind to lift your body up in the air and glide you. Honestly, that sort of wind magic is a big waste of magic power compared to actual flight magic."

"Ooh! Are you going to teach me-"

"No."

"But why?"

"Because, I know you'll take full advantage of it besides in battle. Mostly likely, you will travel to places easier with flight magic," scolded Merlin. "Remember one of my previous lessons? Don't use magic so much. What if you're in a battle and you use up all your magic, yet you have no ethers or any other magic power recovery items? What then? Now, you're just tired and out of magic to cast!"

"Hmm...You've got a point..." pouted Ignis. "Damnit! Moogle Shops in this world are hard to find!"

"Speaking of their shops, do you know the spell to convert your Munny into the sort of money that each World uses?" questioned Merlin.

"Of course! It's one of the basic spells I've learned since I was young! It's a need-to-know spell if we Keyblade wielders go out into other Worlds!"

Merlin nodded. "Good. Transferring Munny into different Worlds' source of income is very vital."

"Hey, have you finished that Unversed invention yet?"

"Not quite, but I'm making progress. It seems I'll need some more info on the Unversed, so we should later encounter some more battles with them so I can gather information and-"

"Merlin! Merlin! Merlin!" cried out Archimedes, flying back into the tower as fast as he could, crashing into Merlin's lap. "It's terrible! Oh, it's oh, so terrible!"

"What's wrong, Archimedes? Where's Artie?" asked Ignis.

"He-He-He's been caught! Captured! By Madam Mim! She's probably cooked him like a goose right about now!"

"What?!" exclaimed Merlin, straightening up with a fierce expression. "Ooh! That woman shows no bounds of restraining herself when it comes to-!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Who's this woman?" wondered Ignis, increasingly growing worried for Arthur.

"Madam Mim is a very terrible witch who uses her magic for evil purposes! You could say she and I are rivals, but we're not on friendly terms," explained Merlin, extending his hand out to Ignis. "Come, quickly! We must hurry to where Mim and Arthur are!"

Ignis nodded and grabbed onto his hand. With a flicker of his cane, Merlin quickly casted a tornado-like teleportation spell, sending both himself and Ignis towards Mim's location.

Within seconds, they arrived and broke through Mim's door, trespassing onto her property in the process.

"Mim! MIM!" yelled Merlin as Ignis staggered from the dizzy teleportation spell trip. "W-W-What are you up to?"

Mim, who was sitting down and holding the bird form of Arthur in her hand, started rubbing Arthur on the head. "Oh! Uh-Merlin! You're just in time! W-We were playing a little game!"

Shaking Mim's hand on his head to his best efforts, Arthur cried out, "She was going to destroy me!"

Having shaken the dizziness off, Ignis then heard Arthur's proclamation and reacted quickly to save him. "Fire!" A small flame burst onto Mim's free hand, causing her to shriek as she tried to shake the fire off. While she was distracted with putting out the fire in her hand, her grip had loosen on Arthur, causing him to break free and fly towards Ignis' shoulder.

"Are you okay, Artie?" Ignis asked gently, plucking him from her shoulder and gently holding him in her hand.

"Oh, yes, I am! Thank you, Ignis!" chirped Arthur.

After the fire spell was gone, thus leaving a burn mark on Mim's hand, Mim started stomping towards Ignis. "You insolent little girl! How dare you-?!" Quickly, Ignis held Arthur close to her chest to protect him while summoning Phoenix Fairy, pointing the tip of her Keyblade at Mim's face, which caused her to stop.

"Don't you dare get close to us!" threatened Ignis. "How dare you even think of trying to destroy Artie?!"

"I agree! Mim, don't you even think of hurting him!" agreed Merlin, who was just as agitated as Ignis.

Focusing her attention on Merlin, Mim angrily questioned, "And just what are you going to do about it?! Want to fight?! Want to have a Wizard's Duel?!" Having said that, she began slapping him silly until Merlin gained control of the situation and stopped her from continuing.

Calmly, Merlin answered, "As you wish, madam."

"Well, come on! Step outside!"

"After you, madam." Despite his initial dislike towards Mim, Merlin was at least acting like a gentleman towards her, allowing her to walk outside her before following after her.

Releasing Arthur, Ignis told him, "Stay close to me, alright?" Receiving a nod from the polite bird boy, Ignis headed out of the cottage and together with Arthur, decided to watch from a fair distance near the trees.

Archimedes, who swoop down on the tree branch Arthur was sitting on, wondered, "What-What-What-What's up, boy? What's going on?"

"They're having a Wizard's Duel! What's that mean?" wondered Arthur.

"Oh, it's a battle of wits! The players change themselves into different things and attempt to-to destroy one another!"

"D-D-Destroy?!" exclaimed Arthur. He may not like Madam Mim, but he didn't want her destroyed! And not Merlin, either!

"Well, just watch, and you'll get the idea!"

"Wait, change? Destroy? Well, at least we'll get to see an actual fight between wizards!" said Ignis, leaning against the tree. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to see what kind of magic is going to be used!

After the two wizards faced each other and got into position, Mim spoke up. "Now, first of all, if you don't mind, I'll make the rules!"

"Rules, indeed!" scoffed Archimedes. "Why, she only wants rules so she can break them!"

"Yeah, that's not fair! Booo!" called out Ignis. "Don't make up the rules! I bet you're gonna cheat, anyways!"

"I'll deal with you later, girly! And your ugly little featherbrain there, too!" threatened Mim. "Now, Rule 1! No mineral or vegetable! Only animals! Rule 2! No make-believe things like, um...Pink dragons and stuff! Rule 3! No disappearing!"

"Fine! Rule 4! No cheating!" added Merlin, knowing full well Mim's mindset.

"Yeah! Show her, Merlin!" cheered Ignis.

"Alright, alright!" said Mim, now back-to-back against Merlin. "Now, pace off ten! 1...2...3...4...!"

While Merlin started taking his first ten steps, Mim stayed exactly where she was and suddenly disappeared through the use of her magic.

"Merlin! She disappeared!" cried out Arthur.

Ignis was pissed off, now jumping up and down and pointing accusedly. "Oh! Oh! Cheater! Cheater! Disqualified! You old hag! You cheated!"

Having heard both Arthur and Ignis' protests, Merlin turned around; his shock changing to frustration as he looked for Mim. "Huh? Mim! Now, you made the rules!"

Mim, now in the form of a red crocodile, reappeared behind Merlin and opened her jaws, ready to devour and swallow down her old nemesis. Spotting Mim, Ignis gasped and pointed out, "Merlin, look behind you!"

Heeding her warning, Merlin glanced behind him and swiftly used his magic to convert himself within his wizard's hat. Whatever he did, he had shrunken his body fit enough to sneak inside of his hat. Mim, thinking she had the advantage, snatched the wizard's hat and snuck her hand into, hoping to grab Merlin only to yelp in pain and pull her hand back.

Biting her finger in retaliation was Merlin in a blue turtle form. Shaking her hand back and forth, Mim successfully managed to free her hand from Merlin's grasp as he tumbled around the ground; his shell protecting him from the fall. Licking her lips in hunger, Mim started crawling hurriedly towards Merlin, who tried to run away. Unfortunately, at the moment, he forgot that turtles are known for being very slow creatures.

"Change into something else, Merlin!" suggested Arthur.

"Ah! Yes, yes, yes! Give me time to think!" called back Merlin, who was trying to think and get away all at the same time.

"Dude, she cheated first by disappearing! You cheat too to get even!" shouted Ignis.

"No! I refuse to stoop to her level! I'll find a way!" assured Merlin. Fumbling around, Merlin finally found a solution and transformed himself into a rabbit, hopping away and barely escaping with his body intact. Unfortunately, Mim did succeed in biting off his tail, which was quite painful for Merlin.

"Madam! Just a minute!" said Merlin, stomping over to get his tail back from her jaws. "This is not the-the-the-!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Mim had transformed herself a fox; a rabbit's primary predator. The animalistic instincts within Merlin caused fear to course through his body, and as a result, he fled with Mim, his predator, chasing after him. Merlin, being faster due to transforming into a rabbit, had the slight advantage, but Mim was slowly catching up to him the more the chase continued.

Meanwhile, Archimedes, Arthur, and Ignis were cheering on their elderly wizard rabbit friend. "Come on! Something bigger!" said Archimedes.

"Something smaller!" encouraged Arthur.

"Turn into a rock or something!" said Ignis.

"Fool! Did you forget? One of the rules states-"

"Who cares, Archimedes?! That old hag cheated first, remember?!"

"Mim! Mim! Mim! Mim!" Merlin continuously called out as he continued being chased until he was forced to retreat inside of a log with no other backway exit.

Mim crackled with laughter once she entered inside of the log, thinking she had her old rival cornered until she found no trace of him. "Merlin, no disappearing!" she sang as Merlin, who had transformed into a small, blue caterpillar, crawled out through one of the holes in the log.

Glancing out through the very same hole, Mim spotted Merlin in his caterpillar form; the mystery of his disappearance being unraveled before her very eye. As Merlin tried to escape yet again, Mim ran out of the log in a hen form before leaping up to snag Merlin as he was crawling up a sturdy tree branch. Due to her heavy weight as a hen, Mim's grip on Merlin slipped, and Merlin was sent flying high in the air, screaming. Mim scrambled around the field, trying to catch Merlin as he was descending downwards before he transformed into a walrus and utterly crushed her under his weight.

"Yay! He did it! He won!" cheered Ignis.

Looking around curiously, Merlin wondered loudly, "Mim? Mim? Are-Are you-YAAAAAH! What's going on here?!" Merlin started ascending in a painful manner when Mim, who was revealed not to be crushed and defeated, began growing in size as she transformed into an elephant.

"You-You-You big blimp!" yelled Mim, snatching Merlin off her head with her trunk. Taking advantage of an elephant's natural fear, Merlin turned into a mouse, causing Mim to shriek loudly and release him before making a run for it. Just like she had chased him like a fox hunting down a rabbit, the predator had become the prey in this scenario.

Unfortunately, the switcharoo scenario didn't last long for Merlin as he was forced to retreat upon Mim the tiger chasing after him. "Ehehehe!" she crackled confidently. "Squash me, will you?!"

Merlin was thankful that mice were small, because he spotted a small hole in the ground and leapt inside, narrowly dodging Mim's assault as she blocked the hole with her body. Escaping out of the secondary hole on the ground, Merlin took hold of Mim's tail and was about to bite down when he turned and was stunned to see Mim transform rapidly from a tiger to a snake.

"Ah, ah, ah! Merlin!"

Instead of taking the chance to bit down on her tail anyways, Merlin decided to go for a secondary, better plan. As Mim was about to swallow Merlin, he threw her tail at her snake jaws, causing her to cry out in pain as he made his escape.

"Bravo!" praised Archimedes as Merlin jumped down to another hole to escape. Unfortunately, because of her slim and smaller snake body, Mim was able to follow Merlin down the hole, whereas she couldn't before.

"Oh, just you wait!" warned Mim as Merlin jumped out of another hole with a rock nearby. "Just you wait! You're gonna pay!"

With little time remaining, Merlin shoved the rock to block the hole with all of the strength a mouse like him could offer. Mim crashed into the rock and suffered a deadly headache because of her recklessness, falling back inside of the hole. Knowing that wasn't enough to bring down Mim, Merlin reverted into a crab and readied his pinchers to snatch Mim by her neck, but each time he attempted to do so, her agility as a snake caused him to miss each time until he did snag something hard.

As it turns out, that hardness was actually her horn as she erupted from the ground in the form of a rhino.

"So, you want to play rough, do ya?" spoke Mim smugly in a rough tone as Merlin the crab held onto Mim's horn firmly. Spotting a tree, she began to rush towards it to ram Merlin through. "All right, Merlin! I'll smash you good, you old crab!"

At the right timing, Merlin jumped off and watched as Mim rammed herself too hard against the tree. Instead of knocking the tree down with her rhino-like strength, she actually ran through it and was now stuck in between the tree as a result.

"Here I come, Mim!" announced Merlin, backing away and readying himself to transform something that'll ensure Mim's defeat as she struggled being trapped in the tree. "Ready or not!" He transformed into a goat and started gaining speed as he charged forward with his head held down.

Growing frantic, Mim struggled further in an attempt to escape. "Merlin! You wouldn't dare-!" Unfortunately, she was too late as Merlin rammed her so hard, her weight while trapped in the tree caused the tree to plummet into the water beneath the cliff.

Just when it seemed that Merlin was the victor, a large, purple dragon emerged from the seething waters, grinning maliciously down at Merlin.

"Now, now, Mim! Mim! No dragons, remember?!" reminded Merlin, shocked.

"Did I say no purple dragons?! Did I?!" snapped Mim before shooting out fireballs from her jaws, trying to roast Merlin as he attempted to get away.

"Okay, that's it! I'm interfering!" declared Ignis, summoning Phoenix Fairy to her side as she hurried onto the field.

"No! No! Stay back! Stay back!" called Merlin before transforming into a mouse as he had spotted one of the small holes up ahead to escape.

"But-!"

His mouse hole planned worked...Until Mim shot a stream of fire down the hole and cascaded Merlin out of the other hole before capturing him within her dragon palms. "I win! I win!" crackled Mim, bragging her victory towards Arthur and the others.

Angry, Arthur shouted, "Oh, that horrible old witch! I'll-I'll peck her eyes out!"

Before Arthur could do anything, Archimedes held him back. "No, no, no, no, no! Don't!"

"Yeah, don't do anything, Artie!" said Ignis, raising her Keyblade towards Mim. "I'll take care of her!"

Mim laughed mockingly at Ignis. "Oh? And just what are you going to do about it, girly? I'm a dragon, and you're just a weak little princess playing knight! Merlin couldn't defeat me, so what makes you think that-" As she opened her palms, she was shocked to see Merlin wasn't within her palms. "He's vanished!"

 **"Madam, I have not vanished!"** spoke Merlin through an unknown source. **"I am very tiny! I'm a germ; a rare disease! I'm called 'malagolintomonotorosis,' and you caught me, Mim!"**

"What?!"

"Wait, I'm confused," said Ignis, scratching her head as Archimedes hooted a laughter.

 **"First, you break out into spots,"** explained Merlin as Mim's purple dragon body turned green in color and pinkish spots appeared all over her body. **"Followed by hot and cold flashes."** Her body reverted from high, hot temperatures, to cold, negative temperatures. **"Then, violent sneezing!"** Mim huffed and puffed until she released a violent sneeze in the form of a fire breath, which sent her flying towards a tree.

Seeing the fire breath approaching in Archimedes and Arthur's direction, Ignis quickly raised her Keyblade and casted a barrier spell. "Look out! Barrier!" The barrier spell shielded both birds, protecting them from harm.

"Whew! Thank you, Ignis!" thanked Arthur, receiving a thumbs-up from the red-haired Keyblade wielder.

"OH! YOU-YOU-YOU SNEAKY SCOUNDREL!" roared Mim, throwing a tantrum before it quickly died down due to her sick and weakened body. With Mim unable to continue, this declared Merlin the winner, although because Mim had technically cheated first, Merlin was already the winner by default.

Merlin, having returned to human form, asked the sick Mim, "Now, do you surrender, Mim?"

"A-ACHOO! ACHOO! AAH...ACHOO!" sneezed Mim, too sick to continue. "F-Fine! Fine! I give up! You win!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Merlin won!" cheered Arthur. Unfortunately, the victory didn't last long as it was postponed by the appearance of Unversed, and in large numbers this time.

"Oh, no! I should have known!" cried out Merlin. "Mim uses dark, evil magic, and her constantly using spells on malice generated lots of negativity! Thus-"

"Summoning a bunch of Unversed, right?" finished Ignis, getting into position. "Don't worry! I'll take care of them! Merlin, you and the others escape to a safer location!"

Merlin nodded, waving his cane to levitate Mim into the air safely, who had reverted back into her human self, before escaping into Mim's cottage along with Archimedes and Arthur before the door was sealed tightly shut through magic. With their safety secure, Ignis could now focus on eliminating the Unversed.

 _'Okay! Time for a classical fire fest!'_ thought Ignis, ready to unleash one of her fire spells. _'...No wait, I did decide that I wanted to save up my magic power. Damnit! Well, I do need to work more on my physical skills, so let's have it! Okay, I need to study their movements, avoid any direct hits, and then take hem down!'_

She charged forward and spun around in a tornado-like fashion, slicing apart two Unversed in her path before landing safely on her feet, thus having her face more Unversed. Seeing something overshadow her, Ignis glanced up to see a large, tubby Unversed sprung up in the air, ready to jump onto her. From behind her, some smaller, swift Unversed were catching up to her, so, she naturally decided to try one of her favorite tactics.

The Two Birds With One Stone tactic.

At the right timing, she leapt upwards, narrowly dodging the tubby Unversed as it crashed and crushed the swift Unversed under its weight, destroying them in the process. While descending downwards, Ignis unleashed a barrage of swift slashes from Phoenix Fairy, finishing off the Unversed before coming to face more. Feeling the adrenaline from facing the Unversed head on, Ignis started performing more sword techniques with her Keyblade without the use of her magic.

Standing her ground, Ignis blocked a heavy punch from one of the bigger Unversed using Phoenix Fairy before knocking it back, taking advantage of its lowered guard to slash from the chest up to the face. After finishing off a couple more Unversed, she bypassed some more, taking them down with a slashing finisher move.

The more time passed, the less Unversed there were, but the attacks suddenly began growing aggressive and out of control. Though Ignis could block and dodge, there was only so much she could do, and the increasing strength from the lesser Unversed actually made them more difficult to defeat. Ignis found herself surrounded by even tough Unversed, but still stood her ground, not willing to be taken down.

 _'W-What's wrong?! I can feel a sudden shift in the air! Yeah, I don't think it's such a good idea to continue! I need to finish this here and now!'_ she thought, charging herself up with magic. Though she hasn't had much practice with darkness magic, she thought it best to finish off the remaining Unversed while combined with her favorite type of magic.

"Darkra! Fira!" she yelled. The difficulties of two combined types of magic, especially with the dark element, along with very little practice of it, caused a sudden magic burst of unstable fire and dark elemental magic to explode. While it successfully took out the remaining Unversed, the magic burst also badly damaged Ignis, leaving her to lay on the ground.

"Ignis!"

Hearing her name being called, Ignis painfully glanced up to see Merlin, Archimedes, and Arthur rushing to her aid. She felt the pain and all her wounds vanish in a heartbeat and suspected Merlin must have healed her with his magic. "T-Thank-"

"You idiotic, moronic girl!" yelled Merlin, whacking her hard in the head with his cane.

"Yes! How could you be so foolish?!" For once, Archimedes was in agreement with Ignis as he started swarming around her, pecking at her head.

"Ow, ow, ow! Hey!" complained Ignis. "What was that for? I took out the Unversed!"

"Yes! Still unstable, untrained magic!" yelled Merlin. "Don't you know that untrained magic can result in magic bursts?!"

"What are magic bursts, Merlin?" wondered Arthur.

"There are two types for magic bursts," Merlin explained. "One type consists of what our dear friend tried to do. She tried to use higher-leveled magic that she didn't properly train for! You're very lucky, young lady, or else your body would have exploded! Just be glad that you only suffered injuries for your mistake!"

"E-EXPLODE?!" exclaimed Arthur. "Oh, Ignis! Please, do be more careful!"

"Sorry," apologized Ignis, raising a finger before laying her arm back to the ground.

"Secondly, the second type is...well, magic payment. For example, say that I have 2 coins, but I must pay an item that costs 3 coins. I can pay the 2 coins, but I also must suffer wounds in exchange for the nonexistent 3rd coin! If you don't have enough magic power, and try and force the magic spell to appear, well, the results are always bad."

"Eh...I may have suffered those two types of magic bursts when I was younger," admitted Ignis.

"What?! Just how many times?!"

"...You don't wanna know. Look, I was a kid, I was curious, I wanted to experiment, and-"

"My, goodness! How are you not dead yet?!"

"Eh...Luck and stupidity?"

Merlin sighed. "What's in the past stays in the past, I suppose."

"By the way, what happened to that old witch?" wondered Ignis, standing up.

"Well, she will remain sick for a while. I put her to bed, and then we went out of her cottage. By the time we arrived, we witnessed you performing that dangerous magic burst!"

"Sorry again."

"I do need some tea. I'm getting quite the headache! Come along, let's return back to the castle!"

* * *

 _The next night..._

"Okay, I think I've got the hang of it!" said Ignis, who was in the middle of yet another magic session with Merlin. Pointing her Keyblade at the ground, Ignis concentrated and chanted, "Darkra!"

An dark energy burst out in a small wave and sliced a brick in half. Although it was still an incomplete second-tier darkness spell, for someone who's now learning the dark arts, it was still a pretty good effort.

"Awesome! I can't wait to test out more darkness magic!"

"Well, I see that you're starting to grow out your fear of the darkness magic," praised Merlin, trying to start a fire in an oven the form of a knight's suit of armor. "Good, good! That's good! Keep up the good work and soon, you'll be quite skilled in darkness magic! Remember, don't be obsessed or overwhelmed by it!"

"I have to keep a balance, I know," said Ignis. "I'm still confused about this whole balance thing, and truth be told, I am kinda still scared of using this darkness magic stuff."

"I believe you're only frightened because you fear your master will discover your use of darkness magic."

'Well...Yeah, that too. Hey, need some help with that fire?" offered Ignis, walking towards Merlin. "Fire!" A burst of flames erupted inside of the oven, instantly filling the room with warmth from the heat.

"Yes, thank you for that, but remember! Magic isn't everything! You can't use it to solve all your problems!" reminded Merlin.

"Just admit it, you were going to use fire magic too, right?" teased Ignis.

"...Next time. Next time a problem like this occurs, you cannot use magic to solve the problem!"

Then, Arthur rushed into the tower, seemingly in excitement and wearing red robe-like clothing, which is part of being a squire's clothing. "Merlin! Archimedes! Ignis! Look! I'm a squire!"

Ignis, happy for Arthur, clapped her hands. "Oh, goodie! Good for you, Arthur! I told you all that hard work would pay off!"

"You sure did, Ignis!"

Instead of being happy for Arthur's accomplishment, Merlin turned his attention to the fire stove suit of armor with an angry, frustrated expression on his face. Meanwhile, Archimedes and Ignis were congratulating Arthur for becoming a squire.

"Oh, very nice, boy!" praised Archimedes.

"Yes, indeed!" spat Merlin sarcastically. "A fine monkey suit for polishing boots!"

Frowning, Ignis turned to Merlin with a confused look. "...Merlin?"

Feeling insulted, Arthur looked downed and tried to speak enthusiastically. "It's...It's what all squires wear."

"And I thought you were going to amount to something! I thought you had a few brains! Great future, hah!" yelled Merlin, allowing his temper to overtake him as he kicked a small table out of the way. "A stooge for that big lunk Kay! Congratulations, boy!"

"Hey! What's wrong?! You're making it sound like him being a squire is bad!" shouted Ignis, defending Arthur. "I don't see what the problem is!"

Hurt by Merlin's insults and his unappreciation, tears whelmed up at Arthur's eyes. "What do you-What do you want me to be? I'm nobody! You-You don't know a thing about what's going on today! I-I-I'm lucky to be Kay's squire!"

Sputtering in anger, Merlin then screamed out of frustration, "BLOW ME TO BERMUDA!" Pose shaped like a rocket, Merlin used his magic to fly out of his tower and towards the night sky, where he was but a star far away as he abruptly left.

"W-Where did he go?" wondered Merlin.

"To Bermuda, I suppose," answered Archimedes.

"Where's that?"

"Oh, an island way off somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet."

"Will he...ever come back?"

"Who knows? Who knows anything?"

Frustrated at Merlin, and upset for Arthur, Ignis tapped her foot against the ground and crossed her arms. "I don't get it! Why was Merlin so upset? Arthur finally got to be a squire! I don't get why he's so mad!"

"Yes, well, Merlin was quite confusing here, dear, but I think I should explain things why," started Archimedes as he now had both Arthur and Ignis' undivided attention. "Merlin wanted Arthur to be more than a squire, he wanted the young boy to be in a position of high education, with all he's taught Arthur thus far. From what I've observed, I believe that Merlin believes that Arthur here has a lot of potential to be something more than a squire."

"I still don't get it," said Ignis. "I mean, he can still be a smart squire! Nothing's changed! Even as a squire, Arthur can still learn education! Right?"

"Y-Yeah!" agreed Arthur. "I'm proud to be a squire! I-It's like the beginning of my own dreams!"

Archimedes shook his head. "Alas, Merlin doesn't it see it that way. He sees most knights and squires as brainless warriors who serve only their kingdom and don't have an education. Perhaps he fears that should you become a squire, you will also lose all the knowledge you received from your education and become a braindead imbecile like-like that foster father and brother you have."

"I...Even so...He didn't have to say all those hurtful things," muttered Arthur, tears dripping from his face.

"Awww...Artie...Come here." Walking towards him, Ignis embraced him and allowed him to sob onto her armor as she stroked the back of his head. "Shh, shh, shh...It's okay. Don't mind what Merlin says. Seriously, though, I am going to have a talk with him when he returns. But, hey! You became a squire! That's good!"

Sniffling, Arthur blinked out more tears before wiping his eyes free from anymore tears with his hands, careful not to let any reach the sleeves of his new squire uniform. "T-Thank you, Ignis...Um...Can I ask you something? It's more of a request, really."

Ignis nodded. "Of course. Anything."

"You see, because Kay's been knighted, in a few days, I'll be going with him to London for a jousting tournament to decide who would be the new king of England. I-I was hoping you could come with me."

"Artie, of course I'd love to come," said Ignis. "Now, since you're officially a squire, that means that you're going to be facing more difficult obstacles from now on. Don't worry! I'll help you train to become a skilled knight, strong and smart!"

"Y-You really mean it?" asked Arthur happily.

Ignis nodded. "Of course! I'll try my best, though. Back where I'm from, I'm still an apprentice, too, but I've got 10 years of training, so I'll try and teach you all I can! But, not today. It's too late right now, so tomorrow, we'll review your lessons, okay?"

"Yes!" spoke Arthur excitedly before yawning, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, boy...All this excitement is making me tired...But I have to return back to my room and..."

"You're so tired that you can't even reach your room, right?" said Ignis. "No problem! You can sleep here!"

"B-But I can't! That would be intrusion! I-I mean, isn't this Merlin's room?"

"Okay, first off, this is a room he borrowed! And second, he's not even here! He's off to some island or whatever and probably won't be back tonight. I'm sure he won't notice you sleeping in his bed. Er...Merlin does have a bed, right, Archimedes?"

The wise owl nodded, addressing with his feathered wing a bed to the far left of the tower room. After putting out the fire in the suit of armor-like oven as well as fixing up the wall with her magic, Ignis helped walked the sleepy Arthur towards his temporary bed, tucking him in.

"Ignis? Can...Can I ask for another request? I'm sorry, I know I'm being selfish, but I-"

"Say no more, Artie. What is it?"

"I-it's a little embarrassing, but...I've never really had a mother. All I had close to a family were Sir Ector and Kay, but...these past few days, you...you're like a big sister to me, and I was wondering if...if it was alright if...you could sing me a lullaby to sleep," spoke Arthur shyly, hiding his red face under the bed covers. "I'm sorry! I know I'm supposed to be more mature and I'm a growing boy becoming a man, and men don't ask others to sing for them and-!"

"Artie," said Ignis, removing the bedsheets from his face before giving him a smile. "I'd love to. Thanks, though, for telling me how you feel. It's really touching!"

"Y-You're not mad?"

"Far from it! I'm really happy you feel that way! It makes me feel special, so don't worry! Uh...Well, I am pretty good at singing! I love singing! I still think my friend, Aqua, is much better at it than me, though. But, I'll still sing you a song! It's just...uh...Well, one time, Aqua was tucking my other friend, Ven, to sleep, and she sang this lullaby to him. I had her teach me the song but...well, I'll do my best with you, okay?"

Arthur nodded, smiling tiredly as he awaited for her to sing. He didn't care if she was the worst singer in the world, for she had accepted his selfish request without dismay or disgust, but with such a caring expression.

Clearing her throat and taking a deep breath, Ignis gently clasped Arthur's hand. Recalling the lyrics and hymn of the song, she began to sing.

 **Ventus Theme**

 **Sung by: Lizz Robinett**

 _"Sleep soundly safe in his heart._

 _You no longer have to face the evil in the dark._

 _Just rest your mind,_ _and leave your pain behind._

 _Remember softly, of a time when the world was so bright._

 _You've fought so bravely, my dear._

 _And so you can rest, for now there's nothing left to fear._

 _Fighting onward, you dreamed unreachable things._

 _But now, your dreams carry you to a place where these things come true._

 _I'll hold your hand while you sleep._

 _So don't be afraid, I won't let shadows touch your dreams._

 _Maybe in time, we'll leave this all behind._

 _We'll look skyward, and the stars, they will shine in your eyes._

 _Promise, you'll wake up in time._

 _When you awaken, I will be there by your side._

 _There's a person, he'll fix the broken mistakes._

 _I'll find him and journey on, I will save you, whatever it takes."_

At the end of the song, Ignis found that Arthur was sound asleep with a peaceful smile on his face with faint tear marks on his cheeks. Wiping them away gently with her fingers, Ignis stood up and began walking towards Archimedes.

"That-That was quite the performance!" whispered Archimedes, so not to wake up Arthur.

Ignis giggled and twirled around, bowing while holding onto the hems of her skirt. "Thanks very much! Although, Aqua could do a much better job if she was here!"

"Still, I'd say you did a splendid job! Poor boy's been through much."

Glancing back at the sleeping Arthur, Ignis nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Archimedes, listen...I...I can't stay here for too much longer. I've been here long enough. Eventually, I have to go back home, but if I do so now, he'll be heartbroken. But...I can't keep staying here. Archimedes, when the time comes, and I actually have to go, you have to take care of Arthur."

"But-But-But-But, why me? What about Merlin?" questioned Archimedes.

"Merlin isn't here and I don't know when he might come back! Ugh, look, I'll at least stay until after the tournament is over, but then...well, I hope a miracle happens. I don't want to see Arthur upset anymore..."

* * *

 _A few days later..._

During the next few days until the time to leave for London came, Ignis trained and educated Arthur to the best of her abilities, with assistance from Archimedes, of course. Kay and Ector weren't too keen on having Ignis tag along for the tournament, but after countless attempts of begging and agreements to longer hours of chores, she was allowed to come along.

While the jousting tournament was commencing, crowds of people all around London gathered and watched competitors face off against each other in a series of trials. After the jousting session was over, the tournament moved onto the swords session.

"Oh, Kay! Now, it's up to the swords!" cheered Ector.

"Swords?! Swords?! Oh no!" cried out Arthur, tugging on his foster brother's arm. "Kay! Kay! I-I-I forgot your sword!"

Shocked, Kay angrily glared at Arthur. "Forgot my sword?!"

"I-I-I left it back at the inn..."

"Why, you bungling little fool!" yelled Kay, swinging a long stick at Arthur, who ducked and ran off. Kay attempted to chase after him, but Ignis stuck her foot out at the last second, causing Kay to trip and fall into the snow. Not wanting to stick around, Ignis followed after Arthur, trying to catch up to him. "You better get it! Or don't you dare come back!"

"Man, what a jerk!" muttered Ignis, soon finding herself in front of the inn, where she spotted Arthur banging on the inn's front door and trying to get inside.

Archimedes, having followed the two, glanced through the window and informed Arthur, "It's no use, boy! They've all gone to the tournament!"

"Oh, what'll I do? Kay's got to have a sword!"

"Arthur, step back," ordered Ignis, summoning her Keyblade and pointing the tip towards the door. Arthur nodded and stepped back, watching a beam shoot out from her Keyblade before the inn's door swung open.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?" wondered Arthur, amazed.

"No time, my boy! Go! Go, get the sword!" commanded Archimedes.

"Yeah, hurry up! Go!" urged Ignis. Arthur nodded and rushed inside towards the inn room he and his family had been staying in.

Unknown to the trio, a raven was spying on them, and having enough surveillance, spread its wings and flew off towards its mistress; a certain old and evil witch.

Arthur returned, completely out of breath, as he held Kay's sword in his palms. "I got it! I got Kay's sword!"

"Great! Let's hurry back!" suggested Ignis.

"YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!" bellowed a large, familiar voice. Feeling the snowy ground rumble, Ignis, Archimedes, and Arthur turned around and saw Madam Mim in her dragon form, oozing with anger and hatred all around.

"I-It's Madam Mim!" cried out Archimedes.

"B-But I thought you were too sick!" said Arthur.

"Duh, she obviously used magic to cure herself," said Ignis. "What are you doing here? We don't want anything to do with you!"

"You may not want anything to do with me, but I have an overwhelming GRUDGE against you all!" yelled Mim with a crazed expression. "Merlin's around here somewhere, isn't he?! And even if he isn't, I'll exact my revenge of my humiliation on you three first!"

"That was your own fault, and you know it!" shouted Ignis. "You cheated first and made up all those ridiculous rules that you broke! Don't blame us for something YOU did!"

"ENOUGH!" shrieked Mim; her negativity increasing to the point where a huge shadowy Unversed was creeping up behind her. "You're all DEAD! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! I'll get rid of you just like I got rid of the king years ago!"

"What are you talking about?" wondered Arthur. "The previous king, Uther Pendragon, died from sickness!"

Mim chuckled before bursting into crackles of laughter. "Dear, I just happen to make it look like that! I secretly poisoned his food, little by little, everyday until he was nothing more than a corpse! All this to usurp the throne from him! But, certain complications later made me unfit to rule, much to my own FRUSTRATION! Come to think of it, you do bear resemblance to the late king, so it wouldn't even surprise me if you were his son!"

"What? I...I could be..."Arthur looked shocked before anger twisted into his face. "Then, if it's true, and I really am the late king's son...then you killed him! You killed my father! I-I could have been living with a loving family! I could stayed with my own father, but you killed him! I'll never forgive you for that!"

"Hang on, Artie!" called out Ignis. "We don't even know for sure that he's your Dad! This is all speculation!"

"Enough talk!" yelled Mim. "Now, I'm gonna roast you two alive, and then I'll drive your burnt corpses over to-AAIYYEEEE!" The shadowy Unversed swallowed Mim whole, taking obvious delight in her malice and negativity before taking possession of her and even her dragon form, thus becoming a dragon Unversed.

"Shit!" cursed Ignis, readying herself. "Archimedes, take Arthur and go! You've got the sword! Now, leave everything to-"

"NO!" yelled Arthur, holding up the sword with wobbly arms. "I'm staying to fight! You can't do this alone! Besides, I have to avenge my father!"

"Artie-LOOK OUT!" Ignis tackled Arthur to the ground to avoid a fire blast coming from the dragon Unversed's mouth. Seeing as there was no time between arguing and fighting, Ignis sighed. "Fine! If you're going to help, at least stay close to me!" With that said, Ignis slapped the pauldron on her shoulder, transforming into her Keyblade Armor.

If Arthur was surprised by her sudden, new appearance clad in armor, he didn't comment on it as he was too angry and focused towards the dragon Unversed. Another wave of fire initiated the start of the battle as the combatants moved.

It would have been way easier for Ignis if she dealt with the dragon Unversed on her own, but unfortunately, Arthur kept being reckless with his attacks, which were doing little to no damage towards the Unversed. Most of the time, Ignis had to protect Arthur by using shield spells and enhancement spells to protect and boost him provided some assistance by flying around as a distraction, but as the battle grew, so did the dragon Unversed's rage. Archimedes had to retire from the battle and retreat when a large fire breath nearly scorched him, something Ignis wouldn't blame him for.

While the battle became more dangerous, it also became more predictable for Ignis because now, all the dragon Unversed was doing was attacking out of anger. It seemed to have a limit on its fire breath too, as it couldn't use it continuously and had to rest and store it up before another usage took place. During that time, the dragon Unversed tried to smash things around with its claws, and its movements were slow due to its enlarged and heavy draconic body.

From the beginning, the battle was tough on Ignis, especially with the additional task of protecting Arthur in battle. She initially planned to focus on her own skills instead of magic for a while, but with the circumstances of the battle, she had to resort to continuously using spells not just for offense, but to protect Arthur over and over. Her armor provided extra support for her, because without it, she would have been torn to shreds by the dragon Unversed's claws long ago.

After a while, the exhausted and injured dragon Unversed collapsed, almost as if one final attack would finish it.

"This one's mine!' declared Arthur, rushing forward while lifting the heavy sword above his head with all the strength he could muster.

"No, don't!" cried out Ignis, running to catch Arthur. Unfortunately, her hunch was correct as it was a trap when the dragon Unversed tried to slash at Arthur. Thankfully, because of the icy grounds, Arthur slipped and his sword flew out of his hands and landed into the palm of the claw, causing the dragon Unversed to roar painfully. Enraged, the dragon Unversed opened its jaws as the fiery depths within began to charge up one final fire blast to burn down its opponents.

 _'Gotta end this now! One final attack! I've been working hard at this spell, so am I rea-No, I HAVE to succeed!'_ thought Ignis, standing in front of Arthur and pointing her Keyblade in front of the path of the opened jawed dragon Unversed.

Anger seethed through her veins; anger towards Mim for her selfish and cruel ways, anger towards Arthur for being so openly reckless and nearly getting himself killed, anger at Ector and Kay for treating Arthur badly, anger towards Merlin for leaving for a stupid, unexplained reason until Archimedes had to explain it for her, but more importantly, anger towards herself for not being strong enough, because had she been stronger, Arthur wouldn't be hurt right now.

All that anger remained, but Ignis focused and channeled that anger into the magic she was gathering. Pouring the remainder of her magic power into the two elemental types, one of darkness and the other, her natural element, fire, a swirling orb of both elements emerged at the tip of her Keyblade, increasing in size and power as more magic power was placed inside.

"Take this...DARK FIRAGA!"

Upon shooting out the combined elements of fire and darkness, the orb exploded into multiple, large dark fireballs that honed in on the dragon Unversed, not only stopping it from launching its fire blast attack, but also defeating it in the process. Letting out one final roar, the dragon Unversed faded away into nothingness, leaving behind the husk it possessed; Madam Mim, who had lost consciousness.

Tired, Arthur walked past Ignis, whose armor was removed magically after the battle, and picked up Kay's sword that was dropped to the ground once the dragon Unversed vanished, raising it up to finish off Mim with hatred in his eyes.

Suddenly, the sword was knocked out of his hands and had been split into two; no longer usable. A stinging pain exploded onto his head as his head was thrown to the side by Ignis, who slapped him after destroying his sword with her Keyblade.

"Arthur...don't," pleaded Ignis tiredly. "Don't do this."

"I-Ignis...She...Madam Mim-"

"Look, I don't know if she was lying or not about the late king, but that doesn't matter. Revenge won't solve anything. My master told me that the thing about revenge, is that nothing good ever comes out of it. Just...stop. She's not worth it. I...I am so...so tired..."

Along with Ignis, Arthur collapsed to his knees as his anger dissipated...in the form of darkness leaving his body. What was he doing? Anger had suddenly overtaken him the moment Mim had revealed the truth death of the king and the possible blood ties he might have with his actual father. Arthur was a sweet, gentle soul, and he would never dream of hurting anyone, so why did the thought of revenge excite him that very moment? But thanks to his anger disappearing, he no longer had any need for revenge, even if his supposed father's killer did deserve it.

"Ignis, I..." Looking up, Arthur opened his mouth for an apology when he saw Mim creep up behind Ignis, as though ready to either use her magic, or to strangle the girl from behind. "LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!"

It all happened too fast. Out of the instinct to survive, Ignis gripped her Keyblade, twisted her body around, and stabbed Mim in the heart.

Keyblades may appear blunt and have little to no sword edges, but they definitely function as swords and are even as sharp as one. Thus, it was little to no problem for Ignis to stab Mim right through the heart, though it was out of self-defense and never intentional.

"W-What?!" Even Ignis was shocked along with Mim, who never anticipated she would be stabbed. Shakily pulling her now bloody Keyblade out of the old witch's body, Ignis watched as Mim staggered forward with a stunned expression, reaching all the way to the nearest well before her body fell over towards the bottom of the well.

Falling to her knees once more, Ignis dropped her Keyblade in fear and shock. Granted, she was taught by Eraqus that it was alright to eliminate darkness, and while it was an accident and self-defense, Mim was filled completely with negativity and darkness. Still, that didn't stop the shaky feeling of her killing an actual person for the first time.

"Ignis! Ignis!" Rushing to her side, Arthur hugged her as Archimedes swoop down. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! It's all my fault! Because of me, you had to do that...that terrible thing and now-I...I..."

"A-Arthur..." muttered Ignis, trying to get a grip of herself. "I..." She swallowed and forced herself to smile. "I'm alright. I was just startled, so-so don't worry...I'm fine. I just need to catch my breath."

"But..."

"Come on...We need to hurry and get your brother that sword, right? I...Come on."

"Unfortunately, we can't use that sword," said Archimedes, addressing to Kay's sword which Ignis destroyed. "But perhaps we can use the sword in the churchyard!"

Looking at the churchyard, Arthur saw a sword with a golden handle, trapped in stone. Wasting no time at all, he grabbed it by the handle and tugged as hard as he could, successfully pulling it out.

"Now, come on! Quick! Let's get out of here!" urged Archimedes.

"R-Right!" Deciding the only way to focus her mind out of the...previous event and into the jousting tournament, Ignis followed after Arthur and Archimedes back to the tournament.

Soon, Kay's turn was about to begin for his part in the tournament. "You're up next, son. Better get ready," warned Ector to Kay.

"Kay! Kay! Here's a sword!" called out Arthur, running up to his foster brother and handing him the sword he pulled out from the stone.

Grabbing the sword from Arthur, Kay glanced at it before glaring at Arthur. "This is not my sword!"

"Hold on, Kay!" said Ector, shocked as he read the small engraving within the blade of the sword. "'Whoso pulleth out this sword..' It's the sword in the stone!"

Another one of the competitors grabbed the sword in disbelief. "The sword in the stone?! It can't be!"

"But look! It is!"

"It's the marvelous sword!"

"Hold everything!"

"Someone's pulled the sword from the stone!"

"Where did you get it, Wart?" Ector demanded Arthur.

"I-I pulled it out of an anvil that was out on a stone in the churchyard..."

Upon hearing his answer, coming from a scrawny and weak-looking boy, the rest of the muscular and strong knights hollered with laughter as they couldn't believe the words uttering from Arthur's mouth.

Growling, Ector told him, "You're making a fool out of us, boy! Now tell the truth!"

"But I did, sir!"

"Then, come on! Prove it!" Grabbed Arthur, Ector took him away while the rest of the crowd followed to witness the spectacle before their very eyes.

"Ignis! Ignis! Come! They're leaving for the stone!" urged Archimedes, lightly pecking Ignis on the side of her head.

"H-Huh? Okay..."

Once everyone gathered around the churchyard where the stone that held the sacred sword was located, Ector placed the sword back into the stone anvil. "Alright, boy! Let's have the miracle!"

Just before Arthur could grasp the handle, Kay stopped him, grabbing his scrawny arm and shoving him back. "Now, wait a minute! Anyone can pull it once it's been pulled!"

No matter how many times he pulled, Kay couldn't get the sword freed like Arthur had. Encouraging his son to pull the sword, Ector reached out and attempted to support his son by assisting him in pulling out the sword. Thinking of such an act as cheating, other knights yelled in protest and attempted to pull the sword out themselves.

"Hold on, that's not fair!" shouted one of the more mature knights.

"I say, we let the boy try it!" suggested another knight.

"That's what I said! Give the boy a chance!"

"Go ahead, son."

Glancing around the crowd nervously, Arthur felt unsure of himself. He then spotted Ignis amongst the crowd and saw that despite the situation she had placed herself in in his place before, she was still cheering him on. With a determined look, and not willing to fail those he cared about, who helped him up to this point, he marched over to the stone. Hearing heavenly voices chanting out a song while light shined from above, as though from the heavens, Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone with all his might, landing on the snow.

"It's a miracle ordained by the heaven!"

"This boy is our king!"

"What's the man's name?"

Ector, still shocked over the reality before his eyes, answered hesitantly, "Wart. Oh, I mean, Arthur."

The crowds all around began chanting and cheering for their newfound, chosen ruler of England. "Hail, King Arthur! Long live the king!"

Archimedes and Ignis also cheered happily for Arthur as well, happy that he not only accomplished being a squire, but had moved up significantly to being a king upon taking out the sword in the stone.

Falling to his knees in front of his foster son, Ector took Arthur's hand gently and begged, "Oh, forgive me, son. Forgive me."

Having no hard feelings towards Ector, despite the harsh treatment he faced while being with him, Arthur replied softly, "Oh, please don't, sir!"

Turning his head towards his son, Ector ordered harshly, "Kay! Bow down to your king!"

At first, Kay seemed reluctant to bow to his supposed worthless foster brother, but seeing the reality of him actually pulling the sword as proof of his kinship, Kay obeyed and got on one knee to bow down to Arthur.

* * *

 _After some time passed..._

It didn't take long for the entirety of England to bear news about their new ruler; a 12-year old boy named Arthur Pendragon, who was now sitting in the throne room with his sacred sword now in a scabbard designated only for the sword. England celebrated and rejoiced for their new king, whom they believed would come to accomplish many great things.

Archimedes and Ignis remained with Arthur to act as support pillars for him. Although Ignis was still shaken up by what happened to Mim, she found it easier to assist Arthur rather than think about her. An additional side note was that there were no more Unversed sightings anywhere, so that meant that the Unversed no longer resided anywhere in this world.

Arthur still felt uneased about being a king. "I can't be a king! I don't know anything about ruling a country! Oh, I wish Merlin was here!"

As if on cue, Merlin, in some Hawaiian-like summer clothing, burst through the windows using a form of magic and landed in the throne room. "...Okay, how and where?" was the first thing that popped out of Ignis' mouth.

"Merlin!" cried out Arthur happily. "You're back from Ber-Ber-Ber-"

"Bermuda?" corrected Merlin. "Yes, back from Bermuda, and the 20th century! And believe me, you can have it! One big modern mess! Alakazam!" Tapping himself once with his cane, Merlin reverted back to his blue wizard robes.

"I'm in an awful pickle!" said Arthur. "I'm king!"

"Hoo! He pulled the sword out of the stone!" said Archimedes.

Merlin threw his head back in laughter, but it wasn't the mocking sort of laughter, more like a happy sort. "Aha! Of course! King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table!"

"Round table?" wondered Arthur as Merlin walked up to him.

"Oh, uh...Would you prefer a square one?"

"Oh, no. Round would be fine."

Chuckling, Merlin smiled. "Boy, boy, boy! You'll become a great legend! They'll be writing books about you for centuries to come! Now, we've got some work! But first, I must talk to Ignis! Ignis, this is about the Unversed device I wanted to talk to you about! It's complete, and I do must really talk to you in private."

Realizing that her work in the world she was in was complete and that she could leave the rest to both Archimedes and Merlin, Ignis nodded and walked up to Arthur. "Arthur...I'm sorry, but, this is where we say goodbye. I have to leave."

"W-What? I..."

Arthur knew. He's been told by Ignis many times that there will be a time when she has to leave for an important task. As such, he cherished their time together and especially enjoyed the night when he sang to her that lovely lullaby. Even if he was told to prepare for her departure, he still didn't want to say goodbye.

Before he knew it, tears whelmed up at his eyes, and he embraced her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Please don't go! I'll miss you! I...I need you!"

"Artie..." It hurt seeing Arthur like this. Ignis knew she would have to leave, but she didn't want to do so while hurting Arthur. "I have to. But...this doesn't mean it's goodbye forever! I'll come and visit you! Visits are okay, right?"

Nodding, Arthur wiped his tears and looked up at her. "Y-Yeah! I-Ignis, I promise, the next time you come and visit, I'll be a lot stronger and smarter than I am now! You'll see!"

"And I'll be looking forward to it," said Ignis, ruffling his hair. "I have to go now. I'll see you soon, Artie." She turned to Merlin and nodded. "Come on. Let's go."

Merlin nodded and gently touched her hand, waving his cane to activate his teleportation magic. The last thing Ignis saw of Arthur was him crying like the young boy he is and Archimedes flying over to comfort him.

Arriving at a far location, away from the castle, Merlin sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing the right thing. As painful as it may be, Keyblade bearers cannot interfere too much in worlds."

"I can kinda see why," said Ignis, gripping the area where her heart was. "Seeing Artie cry...was like my own heart being torn to pieces. I've...grown too much of an attachment to this world. No, to Artie. I...I need to stay away for a while."

"That's probably wise. Now, here it is! The Unversed Cleanser!" announced Merlin, handing her a small device. "This device will help you indicate how many Unversed there are in a world once you've entered into it! All you have to do is press this button, and that'll do it!"

Ignis decided to try it out and pressed the button, seeing the number of Unversed as...0. "There's...no Unversed."

"Excellent! That's good news, then! Now, I suppose you'll be on your way and trying to find a way back home?"

Ignis nodded. "Yeah. I gotta get back home. The others must be seriously worried, and I'm definitely gonna get grounded when I get back. Ugh. But, thanks for the device, Merlin! I'll be sure to keep it safe!"

"Yes, please keep it safe! It was hard enough to create one, and it'll certainly be hard creating a secondary one! And remember, balance is key!"

As Ignis turned to leave, she stopped and said, "Merlin?"

"Hmm?"

"...You asked me this question before when I wondered about light and darkness. I...I don't know the answer the your question. Whether I should root for the hero who uses darkness to defeat evil, or whether I should root for the villain who uses light to hurt others. I can't give you an answer until I understand more about the darkness, and a little bit less of the light."

"I see. Then, I suppose you have your own way of finding balance in your own chosen path?"

Ignis nodded. "I do." She left without another word, exiting the world to head towards another one.

* * *

 **Whew! Longest chapter, but well-worth it before my vacation for the next few days come at hand!**

 **Okay, first off, the scene with Madam Mim at the end? Yeah, I did some research for the Sword in the Stone movie, and apparently, there was an alternate opening where she had a raven as surveillance and she was going to kill Arthur before he reached the stone, but for some reason, this was changed. So, I took inspiration from that and made her a boss. Kinda.**

 **Secondly, that dragon Unversed? Yeah, I decided on a brand new idea to put into this story! The seven deadly sins! As you can see, wrath, one of the deadly sins, was included here for the world of Camelot. The reason why I chose wrath for this world was because wrath is the sin displaying anger and rage, thus twisting into revenge. I'm surprised Arthur hasn't shown more anger, considering the way he's been treated as a servant and such. Merlin, Ector, Madam Mim, and other characters displayed wrath, and since negativity breds new Unversed, I decided to include the seven deadly sins for Ignis' story!**

 **Plus, I did some reason, and the animal symbol for wrath is a dragon because dragons are known for their wrath. So, the seven deadly sins are going to be a thing now, with their personification being in the form of Unversed bosses. Why Arthur acted out of revenge was because of wrath taking over him. The presence of the dragon Unversed, which is the embodiment of the sin, Wrath, took control of his negative emotions. It was the same for increasing the strengths of the Unversed Ignis fought, as part of their "wrath" towards Ignis.**

 **Okay! So, next chapter won't be for a while! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the end of the first world! Read and review!**


	10. New Orleans (1)

**Wow! It seems to me that some people enjoy the prospect of the whole Seven Deadly Sins theme that's gonna happen in this fanfic! Of course, it's only exclusive in Ignis' story, so, you know. I know Darksiders 3 had that theme going on for their own bosses, which is where I got the idea from. Plus, Kingdom Hearts had that theme as well in the form of the Foretellers, so yeah.**

 **I cannot wait to divulge into this new world! I've been awaiting to use it for a while now! And now you all get to see it! Luckily, it's not within the official worlds within Kingdom Hearts, so I can exploit it to the best of my ability!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own any Disney songs!**

* * *

 _'Wow, I arrived at a lively world,'_ thought Ignis, skipping about and humming to the various types of jazz music being played on the streets of New Orleans.

After leaving the world of Camelot, Ignis realized that she truly didn't know how exactly to get home. In her defense, she was kidnapped, tossed into a different, unknown world for a short while, escaped said world, and then tossed into another unknown world before she lost consciousness due to her injuries. Then she spent several days in that world before leaving, only to come to the conclusion that she had been utterly _lost._

She had no idea how far away she was from home because of the circumstances she had to face, and to learn about the existence of the Unversed, monsters that fed on negativity, was a new discovery! Something she would have to inform Eraqus about when she got back home...which she didn't know how long that would take.

During her trip to finding home, she was starting to grow both exhausted and hungry after hours of roaming around in space. Luckily for her, she spotted a world and decided to take a short detour and some rest before leaving. So far, she liked the new world she was exploring, though she did get a few glances at her way due to her odd armored clothing, but then again, from what she saw, there were a lot of foreigners and odd-looking people around, so she figured that was pretty common. There were street dancers and singers everywhere in the busy streets of the city, New Orleans.

Ignis knew she had money to buy a decent breakfast due to her Munny being converted to the world's Munny through magic, so she asked around for any cafes nearby, and some folks were kind enough to point her to a good café that sold a popular breakfast dish called beignets; Duke's Café.

Upon entering, the bell chime attached to the front door signaled her arrival for the first time inside the café. Several of the tables were full, and a young woman who had just finished serving food to one of the tables spotted Ignis and walked towards her.

"Welcome to Duke's Café! I'll be your waitress, Tiana!~ Please follow me and I'll get you seated! How many people are in your party? Or is it just you?" asked the waitress named Tiana.

"Just me, please!"

"Alright, right this way!" Tiana escorted Ignis to a free table and handed her a menu. "Would you like me to give you some time to order both your food and drink or would you like to order now?"

"I definitely want milk for my drink!" said Ignis. "Um...I'd like some eggs, and what are these uh...I heard that there was some sort of infamous breakfast food here...?"

"Oh, you mean this cafe's special beignets? Yeah, they're a real popular dish, sweetie! I guarantee they'll make your day!"

"Ooh! Then, I want milk, some eggs, and some of those beignets!~"

Tiana wrote it all down on her sketchpad in a flash. "Scrambled or fried eggs?"

"Fried, please!"

"Is that all? Do you need anything else?"

"No thank you! That's it for me!"

"Your order will be coming up shortly! Please wait patiently, sweetie!~"

"Okay!"

The tasty smells coming from the café kitchen caused Ignis' stomach to grumble hungrily. She hadn't had much rest after leaving Camelot, and she knew that her friends must be awfully worried about her, but at the very least, she had a pretty good excuse for leaving, and this was a good opportunity to explore the different worlds. Overall, her kidnapping did have some side benefits, even if the intention was pretty bad at first.

"Order up!" said Tiana, arriving a few minutes later as she laid Ignis' breakfast order down on her table.

"Ahh! It looks so good!~" said Ignis, deciding to dig in the sugary treat that she figured to be beignets. "Mmm!~ So tasty!~"

"I'm glad you like it! Enjoy!"

After finishing her breakfast, Ignis decided to take a few beignets to go before leaving with a satisfied look on her face. Maybe, when she becomes Keyblade Master, she might visit the world again to try out the beignets.

Deciding to stick around New Orleans for a little bit more before leaving, Ignis began to explore the musical city, sightseeing everywhere she went. She spent the entire morning, singing alongside some street performers, exploring around, and taking her time to enjoy the views while happily eating her beignets.

Entering into a dark, shady alleyway, Ignis decided that she had enough fun and that it was time to leave the world of New Orleans. Just before she could activate her Keyblade Armor, she spotted a bunch of Unversed popping up in front of her, causing her to summon her Keyblade.

 _'Oh, shoot! I was so into the city that I forgot about the Unversed! Hmm...I'll have to see how many are in this world later with that special invention,'_ thought Ignis, preparing for battle. "Enfire!" she shouted, coating her Keyblade with fire magic, thus increasing any fire-elemental damage she would give to her enemies, as well as slightly illuminating the alleyway.

She charged forward and slashed at one of the bigger Unversed, taking it out within a few slashes as its body burst with fire as it dissipated. Some of the quicker Unversed leapt at her, prompting her to jump back, only to hit the wall in a painful manner.

"Gah!" she cried out in pain, rubbing her back before ducking in time; the wall behind her receiving a slash mark. "Man! These guys are actually a little tougher! Thundara!" Having generated an orb of lightning above the palm of her hand as she raised it up, Ignis built up thunder magic within the orb before firing jolts of lightning towards all Unversed she could see. Several remained while the others disappeared in defeat.

"Tch! Still more? Then, this'll finish you off! Darka!" Manipulating and taking advantage of the dark environment that was within the dark alleyway, Ignis stabbed through the remaining Unversed through sharp spikes of darkness from the ground, defeating them all. "Huh...I'm getting a little bit better at controlling darkness magic. Much more than I thought..."

Hearing slow clapping, Ignis looked around and saw a slender man with a hat and a skull-theme cane emerging from the shadows and into the light. "Bravo! What a magnificent performance you've shown me, little lady! Here, from me to you!" Swiftly whipping out his business card from his hat, the slender man handed it to a curious and unsuspecting Ignis.

"'Tarot readings, charms, potions. Dreams made real,'' read Ignis. "Doctor Facilier.'"

"Tell me something, little lady!" said Dr. Facilier. "Those spells you just cast...I'd wager that...you're a fantastic magician in the arts of both black and white magic, correct?"

"Yup!" chirped Ignis. "I'm still learning magic, but I'd say I'm pretty good at it! Eh...But there is a friend that's way better than me. Too bad, she's kinda far, far away."

"I see! Well, little lady, I can see you're a curious little button! I can tell you're not from around here, so you spent your time roaming around the sweet city of New Orleans, yes?"

"Yup! It's so much lively here!"

"Then, I'm afraid you haven't seen all the good parts of this city," replied Dr. Facilier. "You see, I'm a...man of all trades. I can do my own sort of magic that helps people, sort of like a witch doctor, and if you haven't experienced my fortune telling business, then I'm afraid you haven't experienced all the good parts, then. So, what do you say? Wanna give my business a try?"

"Uh...Well, I dunno," said Ignis. "I just met you, and while I don't mind spending a little bit more time in this city, I really should go..."

 _"Don't you worry a thing, little ladyyy!"_ sang Dr. Facilier. _"You'll be amazed and surprised! You're in my world now, not your world! And I've got Friends on the Other Side!~"_

 ** _"He's got Friends on the Other Side!"_** An unknown unison of voices came out of nowhere, surprising Ignis as Dr. Facilier led her to the inside of his special business workshop; Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium.

"What was that?" wondered Ignis.

"That's an echo, little lady," assured Dr. Facilier, allowing her access inside to show how much of a gentleman he was. "Nothing but a little parlor trick in Louisiana, don't worry."

Snapping his fingers, a light shine in the middle of the workship, revealing a table with a set of chairs all around.

 **Friends on the Other Side**

 **Composed by: Randy Newman**

 **Sung by: Dr. Facilier (Keith David)**

 _"Sit down at my table!_

 _Put your mind at ease!_

 _If you relax, it'll enable me to do_

 _Anything I please!"_

As Ignis walked closer towards the table, she was about to walk up the short steps when a shadow-like man figure offered a hand towards her from the shadows. Though a bit hesitant, Ignis did relax she the shadow man's hands clasp gently on her fingers and escorted her up to the stairs, even assisting her to her seat and pushing it forward to make her comfortable.

Little did the young red-haired girl know, the shadow man's gentleman-like movements were just a hoax to get her to slowly grow more comfortable and trusting towards both him and Dr. Facilier.

 _"I can read your future!_

 _I can change it 'round some, too!_

 _I'll look deep into your heart and soul!_

 _(And dare I say, you've got an interesting one, little lady!)_

 _Make your wildest dreams come true!"_

To impress and amaze his one-of-a-kind, rare customer, Dr. Facilier showed various items from his witch doctor's collection, from voodoo dolls, magical-like items, and even a small box that seemed as though it came from the underworld.

 _"I got voodoo, I got hoodoo,_

 _I got things I've ain't even tried!_

 _And I got Friends on the Other Side!"_

Unknown to her, totem-like masks that stuck to near the ceiling of the emporium echoed out, **_"He's got Friends on the Other Side!"_**

Taking a seat in front of her, Dr. Facilier hypnotized Ignis' curiosity through performance of his skillful hand tricks with his cards.

 _"The cards, the cards, the cards will tell!_

 _The past, the present, and the future as well!_

 _The cards, the cards, your Fate I see!_

 _Take a little trip into your future with me!"_

Curiously, Ignis watched as Dr. Facilier began shuffling and then placing several different cards onto the table. Why was she given the opportunity of so many cards instead of one?

 _"Now you, young lady, are from a world far away!_

 _You battle monsters and demons day after day!_

 _(You're starting to make an impressive track record, aren't ya?)_

 _With your skill in the arts, you'd make a fantastic Magician!_

 _But you're stuck as Fate declared you as a Fool!_

"It may sound harsh, but don't feel bad! The Fool is actually a tricky character, as anyone who's declared as the Fool may be a novice, but it just goes to show the unlimited, unexpected potential they have that'll surely help them out in their journey later on!" answered Dr. Facilier.

"Whoa, that definitely sounds way better than the Magician!" said Ignis excitedly. "I mean, I wouldn't mind being the Magician, but I think someone else deserves that position!"

"Ah, that blue-haired friend of yours, Aqua, was it? Yes, yes, because you're quite proud to admit she's better at magic than you," said Dr. Facilier.

"Uh...how do you-"

"I told you, my own fortune-telling skills never fail me, my dear! I can see into your past, all part of my charm! Now let's see...Seems like you'll be quite the busy bee in your future!"

 _"It's the obstacles and disasters_

 _A Fool like you'll face!_

 _And when I look into your future,_

 _It's your fate that I've seen!"_

"Because you've been such a kind and polite customer to me so far, I'm willing to send some spoilers into your future!" Dr. Facilier offered.

"Ooh! I love spoilers!" said Ignis. "I'm the type of person who goes to the last pages of a boring book just to see the ending!"

"Excellent, excellent! Now, let's see..." Dr. Facilier flipped through one of the cards and explained, "This card's quite special, as it's called the Seven of Cups! Thus, that means you'll face 7 main obstacles on your journey back home! Luckily for you, you've already accomplished one of them! Congratulations!"

 _'I think he's referring to my time back in the Camelot world,'_ thought Ignis. _'But which obstacle did I face that I already accomplished?'_

"If you're wondering, let the cards explain everything," assured Dr. Facilier, flipping over one of them. "In your first journey, you've met with someone who represents the Hierophant, who's almost like the Hermit. The Hierophant acts like a mentor, a trusted one, guiding you and encouraging you away from a corrupted path of enlightenment."

 _'The Hierophant, huh? That might be Merlin,'_ thought Ignis. _'Corrupted path of enlightenment...that reminds me of when Merlin said something about an equal balance and not to rely too much on the darkness or light. From the way Dr. Facilier was saying, it was almost as if light is evil or something.'_

"Now you've come across another obstacle within your main obstacle that you've been forced to face," said Dr. Facilier, flipping over the reversed card of The Devil. "This...is the Devil card. Reversed, of course."

"...Yikes."

"Now, now! This may spell misfortune, but sometimes, misfortune leads you to fortune. Did you know that all tarot cards have meanings within their upright and reversed positions? Well, you now see the Devil card in reverse, which holds a sacred meaning. This means that your last obstacle has been forcing you to confront your inner fears and free yourself from any restrictions to grow stronger!"

 _'Ah...maybe he's talking about when Merlin tried to continuously get me to see that both light and dark aren't bad, and that I'm constantly still scared of the darkness,'_ thought Ignis. _'I mean, I kinda still am, but...not as much. I'm...actually growing a little comfortable. No negative effects, no evil spirit possession thingy, nothing.'_

"Which brings us to your first main obstacle of your journey, my young Fool!" said Dr. Facilier, flipping another card. "The Suit of Swords! It deals with anger and strength, and quite the... _wrathful_ tarot card at that! It mostly focuses on anger and can be a double-edged sword. If one is too blinded with rage, they may find themselves the other end of the sword. Right at their heart. Specifically at their heart!"

Ignis winched upon those words. _'Yeah...I think I get it. My first real obstacle was dealing with that huge dragon Unversed right before I left. It did host some...anger negativity, and Madam Mim really was pissed when she found me and Arthur. I mean, I didn't want to kill her, it was just out of self-defense! Still, that doesn't excuse the fact that I did kill someone.'_

"Your second obstacle is just right around the corner, yet so far, far away!" said Dr. Facilier. "The Knight of Cups is what represents this obstacle, because the reversed version of it is moody and frustrated at a lot of things, like not being given the chance to do something and allowing their own emotions to get in the way."

"...Kinda sounds like someone with anger issues," said Ignis.

"Perhaps so, but only time will tell," replied Dr. Facilier. "The third obstacle revolves around the Empress, a card that's quite popular with the ladies. Elegance, femininity, and so on, represents the Empress, someone that you will meet. But the third obstacle will be represented by the reversal card; the Hanged Man. This is quite the confusing opposite card, as normally, the reversed Hanged Man means for you to slow down when you become hasty, and if you surpass your limits, you may end up crashing in a very, VERY deep position."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Unfortunately, this is the best I can grant you at the moment, but let's move on the fourth obstacles. Or rather, what becomes after the third, but before the fourth! You'll meet someone with a hidden fire within them, represented by the Magician. Perhaps that someone will impress you enough to consider giving up something of value later on?"

"Something of value?" wondered Ignis.

"Moving on!" said Dr. Facilier. "Alas, once again, you come with a variety of cards that's already been decided for you! The Judgement, the High Priestess, the Emperor, and the Tower. Oh? What's this? TWO Magician cards; one reversed, and one upright!"

"Wait, I thought you said I would already meet the Magician before?"

"One card can represent so many more people instead of just one single being," explained Dr. Facilier. "You'll be reunited by your three friends who represent different tarots; the Emperor, High Priestess, and lastly the upright Magician!"

 _'Okay I can definitely see Terra being the Emperor, but Aqua...she has to be the Magician, right? But, then that would Ven the High Priestess! Yeah, I-I don't see that happening. I think Aqua might be the High Priestess, but that would make Ven the Magician?'_ wondered Ignis. "Wait, you didn't mention the reverse Magician. You said there was two. What's the reversed magician?"

"You'll see..." whispered Dr. Facilier sinisterly. "But, I'll give you a hint. The reversed Magician...represents someone of manipulation and trickery. Whether or not you view that person as friend or foe is entirely up to you, and will decide your fate. But before you met this destined person, you shall be judged for your actions under the Judgement tarot, viewed by your three friends."

 _'Judged for what?'_ thought Ignis.

"I suspect you might be quite tired of your long reading, so I'll wrap things up real quick! Your next four obstacles come in order of these cards: Temperance, Wheel of Fortune, Lovers, and finally, Chariot! With these 7 tasks completed, you'd finally be able to go home! Congratulations! You've won! But..."

"But what?" wondered Ignis.

"All of these obstacles have been prepping you for something of vital importance. Something will utterly change your life; an event involving the Moon, Star, and Strength cards. Afterwards, it comes down to...Death and The World."

"I'm gonna die?!"

"No, no, no! I would never tell my customers any death at the end of their fate," said Dr. Facilier. "In fact, you're quite the lucky lady! Death is actually a positive card. It means to let go, an acceptance over the new and improved you. But that's really confusing to even me...are The World cards that appear after the Death. Never in my career have I encountered someone whose fate ends in both the reversed and upright cards of The World."

"What does The World cards mean?" wondered Ignis.

"The Upright World card represents the completion of a journey, causing you to reflect on your actions and the person you've become at the end of all this," explained Dr. Facilier. "But, the reverse card...suggests that you are unsatisfied. Not finished. You cannot find closure. Completion and non-completion at the end of your road...You are quite the rare specimen, aren't you, little lady?"

"Eh, I'm told I'm quite unpredictable," Ignis giggled. "Uh...So, how much do I have to pay for your services?"

"Oh, this time, I'm not asking for money payment," said Dr. Facilier, extending his arm out. "All I want from you...is a handshake. _Come on, won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?~"_

Confused, Ignis decided she couldn't pass down a simple discount like that and decided to shake his hand.

 _"Yes..."_ Dr. Facilier slid across the room as the totem-like masks enlarged themselves and started floating around. Dr. Facilier threw down magic in the form of pink-like smoke, thus making a large horned mask appear in the center. _"Are you ready?"_

 ** _"Are you ready?"_** chanted the totem-like masks as snakes appeared and restricted Ignis to her seat, causing her to panic and try to break away. She watched as Dr. Facilier was waving and moving his arms around in a sort of ritual manner.

 _"Are you ready?_

 _Transformation Central!_

 ** _(Transformation Central!)_**

 _Reformation Central!_

 ** _(Reformation Central!)_**

 _Transmogrification Central!"_

Ignis was in the process of casting magic, ready to use a spell to escape when she started to feel all her magic draining away from her body. Her consciousness was growing dimmer and dimmer as the magic draining process was filling up Dr. Facilier's body, enhancing his magic. Not only did she feel her magic being drained, but she felt her body growing smaller and smaller, if that was even possible in her own opinion.

 _"You're changing, you're changing!_

 _You're changing all right!_

 _I hope you're satisfied!_

 _But if you ain't, don't blame me!_

 _You can blame my Friends on the Other Side!"_

 ** _(You got what you wanted!)_**

 ** _(But you lost what you had!)_**

The last thing Ignis saw before she lost consciousness was her hand, which was rapidly transforming into something else...

* * *

 **Hey, guys! So, how was the chapter?**

 **So yeah, the tarot fortune telling cards foreshadowed a LOT of what's gonna happen in this story! I already explained some to you all, so you'll have to figure the rest as time goes by! Don't worry, when an obstacle has already passed, I'll explain the meaning behind each obstacle at the end, in case you guys get confused!**

 **As for what happened with Ignis, well, she didn't know what sort of payment she was going to give to Dr. Facilier. He was interested in her because of the display of magic she just performed, so naturally, as payment for his long services of fortune telling, he drained her magic and transformed her into something. What is that something? Yeah, it's not a frog, so don't worry. It's something else.**

 **Next chapter might be longer, but I'll do my best! Read and review!**


	11. New Orleans (2)

**Wow, you guys really love this story, huh? Well, like it was mentioned before in the whole fortune telling thing last chapter, Ignis' fate has already been decided, and a lot of foreshadowing and stuff! I did try my best to make the lyrics match for Ignis, so I hope it was good! You can think of it as...a renewed sing-a-long for Ignis when you replay that Friends on the Other Side song!**

 **Now, then! You guys are gonna find it anyways, but I should give you a hint about Ignis' new form, obviously. She's not gonna be a frog. Tiana and Naveen already have those roles. And no, not everything she's gonna be is fire-based, like a salamander. If she was, she'd still be strong even as a salamander, because salamanders are quick and poisonous. No, she actually has to be degraded in this world for her to be taught lessons.**

 **That said, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series or any of the Disney songs! Mage of Hope has also added some new lyrics that didn't belong to one of the Disney songs.**

* * *

"Ooohh...Oww...My head...It hurts so bad..." groaned Ignis, rubbing her head with her hand. Wait, why did her hand feel all tingly and-

"Ah! I see you are awake, my friend!"

Turning around, Ignis quickly realized she was in some sort of glass container, and just before she could panic and question why she was inside one, she spotted another creature a bit bigger than her inside a glass jar.

A big frog.

"Aaah! Big frog!" cried out Ignis.

"Oh, rest assured! I'm not going to hurt you!" assured the frog.

"Aaah! Big talking frog!"

"Er...you can talk too."

"What are you talking about?" wondered Ignis. "Of course I can talk! I'm just surprised that frogs can talk around here! Then again, this is another world, so maybe in this world, animals can talk..."

"Er, what was that last part?" wondered the frog.

"Nothing! Uh...So, I'm Ignis! Who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Prince Naveen of Maldonia!" introduced the frog, rising up and introducing himself dramatically.

"...Prince of the frogs?"

"No, no! This is not my original form! I am not a frog! I am a perfectly handsome _human_ prince that has been tricked and turned into a frog by that...that witch doctor!"

"What, Dr. Facilier?" corrected Ignis before recollection of what happened before she lost consciousness came zooming back to her. "Oh, that sneaky little-! I don't know what he did, but he made me fall asleep after he told me my fortune! Ugh!"

The frog named Naveen sighed, leaning back against his glass jar, checking his hand. "It appears you and I are on the same boat, then. He has told me my fortune, and as such, he has taken my blood and turned me into this hideous form! Oh! Where is Lawrence when you need him?"

"Who?"

"My valet! My personal attendant! For some reason, the witch doctor did not turn him into a frog, but rather, he has taken my appearance and impersonated me!"

"Do you know where he is? Maybe he could help us?" suggested Ignis.

"Alas, he has fallen into the witch doctor's greedy pockets and has betrayed me for him! Right now, he's probably going to come back with food with feed me or something of the sort!"

"Well, maybe-" Just when Ignis was approaching closer, she stopped and was taken aback by what she saw in her reflection. She had wanted to talk to Naveen further by walking towards him, but upon seeing her unmistakable appearance in her reflection, all previous plans swiftly were wiped out of her mind.

The human girl, Ignis, was no more. Her new appearance was that of a small, red cricket.

Screaming, Ignis bounced a bit TOO high up and ended up smacking her head against the lid of the jar, prompting her to jump back down, then propel off the ground with her naturally new legs, and then proceed to bounce all around the jar. Soon, screams from her new appearance quickly reverted to screams of constantly jumping around without stop.

Eventually, she did come to a stop by landing on her side, which hurt a little, but it was a small price to pay to stop her bouncing. "Ow, ow, ow!" she hissed before running up to her reflection and touching her cheek and other parts of her new body to check and see if it was her. She even tugged on her new antennas to register the pain, and sure enough, it was painful.

"That...was basically my reaction the first time I discovered myself too, only more refined," said Naveen, trying to comfort her.

"How?! Who?! Why?!" cried out Ignis.

"Like I said, the witch doctor did all this! What his goals are, I don't know, but I do know my male attendant, Lawrence, is going around impersonating as me," replied Naveen.

"I'm gonna strangle that guy when I see him!" growled Ignis, antennas twitching to symbolize her quaking anger. "How dare he take my beautiful, super cute, awesome, mega strong, adorable body and replace it with...with this?!"

"It could have been worse," offered Naveen. "You could have been a frog like me."

Ignis stared at him. "...Yeah, you're right. You got me there. But seriously, we gotta get out of here and then demand that jerk to fix everything!"

"Trust me, I've tried, but the lid's on too tight."

"Hmm...What if...?" Concentrating, Ignis quickly summoned her Keyblade, although thanks to her size, the Keyblade's size had been degraded and was quite heavy in her paws. "Okay...! Gah! This was not heavy before!"

Naveen blinked in surprise. "Are you a witch doctor, too?!"

"Well...! Maybe not a witch doctor, but definitely a mage! Well, my friend's better at magic than me, but-Look, that doesn't matter!" Ignis then found an easier method to carry her Keyblade, which was to hold it in her mouth. She glanced around and searched for a sort of keyhole in her jar, but found none, spatting out her Keyblade in frustration. "Damnit! There is no keyhole! I need a keyhole for this!"

"Well, if you're definitely a mage, why not try some magic?"

Ignis brightened up immediately. "Aw, yeah! I love doing magic! Alright, uh...Definitely not fire...wouldn't want to fill up this jar and drown myself with water...Ooh! I got it! Quake!"

Her plan was to summon a few rocks and use them to pelt against the glass to create cracks and eventually break through. Unfortunately, her spell didn't work.

"...Uh...Quake! Quake? Er...Aero! Thunder? Thunder! Quake! Aero! ...Why isn't it working?"

"Well, it's probably because you're out of practice, or the only magic you can do is summoning that item from before."

"First off, I actually don't need to use magic to summon my Keyblade!" said Ignis. "Second, I'm second best in magic where I come from, so-"

"Sire! Sire!" A handsome prince-like figure came bursting in, intruding their conversation while carrying some food items in his arms. "I'm not sure which food you'd prefer, but-Oh, the other one is awake as well."

"Lawrence, Lawrence! Please, you've got to set me free!" pleaded Naveen.

"I..." Taking a deep breath, the man impersonating and taking over Naveen's appearance shook his head. "I'm sorry, sire! But, I just can't do that!"

"Lawrence!"

While the two men were arguing, Ignis pondered on how to escape. She couldn't just roll the jar over to the edge, especially when the Lawrence guy was around, for he might catch it. Worse case would be him separating both her and Naveen from communication by placing her in a different location in the room. For some reason, her magic wouldn't work and she can't do much when it came to holding her Keyblade in her mouth.

Suddenly, another idea popped into her mind. Nothing too hard, a little bit of acting, and just enough to convince Lawrence to let her out before she can free Naveen!

She grabbed at her neck with both paws and started coughing violently and loud enough for both Lawrence and Naveen to hear. She started stumbling around her jar and trying to screw up her expression to make it seem like she was choking. "I...can't...breath...! No...holes...!"

Quickly catching on to what Ignis was trying to do, Naveen proceeded to imitate her and started flopping and rolling around, gasping for air. "Need...air...! Hurry...! HURRY...!"

Lawrence panicked, not wanting to be responsible for their deaths should they cease to breathe because of lack of air. Quickly, he unscrewed and lifted up the lids off both their jars, hoping they may be able to breathe easily. What Lawrence didn't expect next was a frog kick to the face as Ignis jumped out of the jar for her escape.

Because of the unexpected attack, Lawrence fell to his back and groaned in pain while Naveen bounced up and down in joy for his freedom. "Yes! Yes! I'm free! Thank you for the assist, you gullible fat man!" He proceeded to hop out of the open doorway and hop out of there as fast as he could.

 _'Wow, how rude!'_ thought Ignis, glancing back at Lawrence before deciding to follow Naveen, as she had nothing better to do than hope and check to make sure he stays safe. _'Wow, I did notice how late it is! How long was I asleep?!'_

Upon following after Naveen, Ignis found herself outside and staring at the night sky. Back before, it was around the afternoon where the sun still rose, but ever since the whole situation with Dr. Facilier, she didn't even know how long she was out for. As soon as she got her body back, she was definitely leaving the world for sure!

She found it much easier and less tiring by bouncing around like a cricket would do, while walking around seemed more slower. Perhaps because she was a cricket and was simply traveling like a cricket would normally do. She was still trying to get the hang of her cricket body while trying to catch up to Naveen.

Eventually, she caught up to him in a masquerade party, where Naveen had stopped and hid behind some bushes to avoid being seen. "Hey, wait up! Why are we even in some party, anyways?" wondered Ignis.

"Well!" started Naveen proudly. "First off, I did not ask you to come with me!"

"True, but you might need my help, so...eh."

"Secondly! After coming up with my brilliant plan of escaping that foil jar I call a prison-!"

"Hey! That was my idea to begin with! I was the one pretending to choke and all!"

"Let me finish!" protested Naveen. "Anyways, I know Lawrence is going to come here because he's impersonating me, and as such, I had to meet Miss Charlotte at the party!"

"And why are you meeting this Charlotte...?" wondered Ignis.

"She's my fiancée."

"EH?!"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer shouted loudly as the spotlight shined upon Lawrence, who was impersonating Naveen as he took the first steps into the party. "His Royal Highness, Prince Naveen!"

Upon his arrival, the music started playing in a dramatic, opening fashion as people began to bow their heads and cheer for the arrival of the imposter Prince of Maldonia. Hearing a loud whistle, both Ignis and Naveen turned and saw a young lady in a puffy pink dress with sparkles all around her now having the spotlight focused on her as Lawrence made his way to the end of the staircase, waiting for her. At first, the lady seemed to take the first steps downwards elegantly...until her excitement overtook her and she ended up hastily running down the staircase to dance with her "prince charming."

"That should be me out there!" pouted Naveen.

"You know, if it weren't for the fact that we're in the same situation and that guy is an imposter, I would have thought they'd be a good couple," stated Ignis.

"...You know, you may be small and frail, but if you care for a danc-"

"Dude, we just met each other. Plus, don't we have more important things to worry? Why bother coming to the party, anyways? I mean, I know you told me that Lawrence guy is gonna be here, but so what? What does him being here have anything-"

"It is quite simple, my little cricket friend!" Naveen said. "That witch doctor must have been planning something nefarious if he took my blood and turned me into a frog, then used said blood to turn Lawrence into my handsome self! As such, if Lawrence is here, then so is that witch doctor!"

Ignis looked surprised. "Wow, I...I never really thought of it that way. You really thought that through, huh? I'm impressed."

"Naturally, you should be! For it was I who also came up with that escape plan earlier!"

"Once again, that was all me! You only followed my lead and-"

"Hush, what's done is done! All in the past!" said Naveen, waving away her protests and making her irk. "Now, where to find that witch doctor...?"

"And what do you plan on doing if you do find him?"

"Simple! Catch him and force him to change me back!"

"Yeah, sure. You, a frog, is going to threaten a guy with powerful magic. The same guy who turned you into a frog," said Ignis sarcastically. "Dude, you're gonna frickin' die if you do that! Worse, he'll probably turn you into a fly or something!"

"Oh? And I suppose you have a better idea? Perhaps you should zap him with that nothingness you call 'magic,'" said Naveen.

"I DO have magic! I don't know why I can't cast magic for some reason! Look, we can't even find Dr. Facilier anywhere right now. Do you even know how many masked people there are? It'll take a while to find him and in our position, all we can do is try to find him by craning our necks and looking up!"

"Aha! Then the solution to that is simple!" said Naveen. "We must reach a higher place where it's much easier to spot the witch doctor from above! Let's see...Where to find a good spot to see the entire party...but not cause a ruckus?"

Glancing around, Ignis found a balcony connected to the nearby mansion in the party, and though it was a bit high, she figured it might be a good spot to look down at the party and spot Dr. Facilier somewhere.

"...Why not up there?" suggested Ignis, pointing to the balcony.

"Ah! Excellent idea! Come along! Quickly!"

The two hurried to reach the top of the balcony, and as they grew closer, they stopped to hear the beautiful, faint singing from a princess who just arrived at the balcony, staring up at the stars.

 **Almost There (Reprise)**

 **Composed by: Randy Newman**

 **Sung by: Tiana (Anika Noni Rose)**

 _"Almost_

 _Almost there_

 _People would have come from everywhere_

 _I was almost there."_

Just as both Naveen and Ignis arrived and hopped onto the railing of the balcony, they heard the woman mutter, "I cannot believe I'm doing this..." She prayed in a pleading manner before closing her eyes tightly, "Please, please, PLEASE." When nothing happened, the woman sighed, having expected that before finally noticing Naveen and Ignis, though she paid more attention to Naveen as she sarcastically spoke, "Very funny. So, what now? I reckon you want a kiss?"

Checking his fingers, Naveen gave her a cheeky grin before smoothly saying, "Kissing would be nice, yes."

Screaming in shock, the woman rushed backwards and crashed into a shelf full of stuffed animals; the impact enough to turn the lights off and darken the room with the only light coming from the moonlight outside.

 _'Ow!'_ though Ignis, winching as she tried to recover from the high-pitched scream. _'Then again, I should have expected that.'_

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" apologized Naveen frantically, hopping down the railing and hoping to comfort the woman. "I did not mean to scare you. I-Wait, no, no, no! Wait! Hold on a sec!" Ignis watched in amusement as Naveen had to avoid things being thrown at him, such as some books and some of the stuffed animals. "You have a very strong arm, Princess-Eep! Okay, please! Put the monkey down!" At that command, the woman threw a monkey stuffed animal at him, causing Naveen to duck.

"Stay back!" warned the woman, raising a book above her head. "Or I'll-!"

"Please, please, please!" pleaded Naveen, leaping onto a table as Ignis took the chance to enter the room and watch from below, looking up between the two. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Prince Naveen-"

 **SLAM!** Still horrified and shocked over the fact that a disgusting, talking frog was chatting with her, the woman had slammed the book she was holding against Naveen, flattening him, but still keeping him alive. "...Of Maldonia…" he finished weakly.

"Ooh! That's gotta hurt!" commented Ignis, causing the woman to shriek when she heard and saw Ignis.

"Y-You can talk, too?! Jeez, are all animals capable of speech now?!" cried out the woman, raising her book again.

"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't even do anything!" shouted Ignis, leaping high enough to reach the same table Naveen was...recovering on. "Please don't hit me with that book! It's already bad enough that I'm a cricket, I don't wanna get smushed to death!"

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" groaned Naveen, stammering around and trying to recover from the previous book attack. "To do that to a prince! Very, very rude!"

"Prince?" That caught the woman's attention as she thought back to before she had met the weird talking frog and cricket. "But I didn't wish for any...Hold on! If you're-!" She pointed accusedly at Naveen. "-the prince, then-then who was that waltzing with Lottie on the dance floor?!"

Sighing, Naveen answered, "All I know is, one minute I am a prince, charming and handsome, cutting a rag, and then the next thing I know-!" Crying out, Naveen slipped and tripped over his own two frog legs, raising them up and wiggling his toes, much to the woman's disgust. "I am tripping over these." Seeing as the woman was about to strike him again out of disgust, Naveen cried out, "Wait, wait, wait, wait! I know that story!"

"Wait, you mean the book she's holding?" wondered Ignis.

The woman glanced at the book title and read confusedly, "'The Frog Prince?'"

"Yes! My mother had the servants read this to me every night!" cheered Naveen, being handed the book gently and using all of his strength to hold the book long enough to set it against the wall and turn the pages around; the illustrations revealing the happy ending between the prince and princess of the story.

As Naveen went through the story to confirm something, Ignis hopped up to the woman, causing her to step back a little. "Um...Miss...? I'm sorry, we never introduced ourselves properly, right? Uh...You already met Naveen over there, so, I guess it's my turn! I'm Ignis, nice to meet you!"

"Y-Yeah..." agreed the woman hesitantly. "I'm Tiana...Now, this may sound rude, but I certainly did NOT wish for a cricket. The frog prince thing I can...somewhat question and kinda make sense of, but I certainly did not wish for you."

"Hey, I was just following that guy," assured Ignis, addressing to Naveen. "I had to make sure he didn't run into any trouble. By the way, what exactly is the whole story of the Frog Prince?"

"Oh, you never heard of it?" wondered Tiana, surprised. "Basically, it's about a prince who's been turned into a frog, and to return back to his normal, human form, the princess has to kiss him back. She does so, they get married, and everyone lives happily ever after."

"Wait, that's it? Huh, I thought there'd be more to that story," said Ignis. "Then again, there's not a lot of fairy tales where I come from."

"Yes, yes, yes! This is exactly the answer!" cried out Naveen happily, turning to Tiana with a seductive gaze. " _You_ must kiss me.~"

Tiana looked baffled, as though she misheard him. " _Excuse_ me?"

"Oh man, I can see where this is going," Ignis quietly commented, stepping back for space and to enjoy the front row show before her.

Naveen stood up on his two frog legs, trying to act smooth and seductive as best as he could. "You will enjoy, I guarantee. All women enjoy the kiss of Prince Naveen. Come, we pucker." As the frog prince attempted to pucker his lips, his throat suddenly bulged out, much to everyone's surprise and disgust, before it returned to normal. Retaining his composure, Naveen tried to revert what just happened by smoothly saying, _"That's new."_

 _'Yeah, that definitely ruined the moment,'_ thought Ignis, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'd REALLY like to help you, but I just...do NOT kiss frogs!" shuddered Tiana, turning around with her arms crossed in a huff, rejecting Naveen's offer.

Stunned, Naveen protested, "Wait a sec! But on the balcony, you asked me-!"

"I didn't expect you to answer!" snapped Tiana.

"Oh, but you must kiss me! Look, besides being unbelievably handsome, I also happen to come from a fabulously wealthy family. Surely, I could offer you some kind of reward? A wish I could grant, perhaps? Yes?"

From Tiana's hesitant behavior and movements, she seemed tempted by Naveen's offer. "...Just... _one kiss?"_

"Just one. _Unless you beg for more_ ," promised Naveen, licking his lips.

 _'...Is it bad that I wish I had some popcorn?'_ thought Ignis, silently watching as she glanced back and forth between both the human and the frog.

Tiana winched, as it was clear she was both disturbed and not wanting to do a simple task. Still, if it was just one simple thing for her dream, she'd be willing to do it. As Tiana puckered up and slowly moved in for the kiss, she opened her eyes and saw the revolting, disgusting appearance of Naveen attempting to kiss her with his big, froggy lips.

Shrieking in disgust, Tiana nearly gagged and vomited out of disgust before quickly calming herself. "Okay, Tiana! You can do this! You can do this!" muttered Tiana, taking a couple of deep breaths. "Just a little kiss, just a little kiss! Okay!"

Having inhaled a deep breath and squeezing her eyes shut tightly, Tiana whirled around and smashed her lips against Naveen's.

The magic coming from Naveen's frog form swirled around the two in combination of a bright light and smoke, causing Ignis to shield her eyes to avoid being blinded. When she opened them back up once the magic lightshow faded, she opened her mouth to congratulate the two, but instead, she saw Naveen was still a frog, and Tiana was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh...Naveen? Where's Tiana?" asked Ignis, receiving a shrug from the still frog prince. Both glanced down from the edge of the table and saw only Tiana's dress and her tiara remained, along with an unknown, moving figure squirming around inside the dress. Once the mysterious figure, revealed to be Tiana, finally got freed from the dress, Ignis gasped. "Oh...Oh...Ohhhhh….Yikes."

"You don't look that much different," Tiana spoke, glancing upwards. "But how'd you get way up there? And how'd I get way down there in all this-" Upon spotting her...green arm, Tiana spotted her new appearance in a small hand mirror nearby.

Instead of Naveen turning into a human, Tiana herself, had become a frog.

Screaming at this new revelation, Tiana had unintentionally hopped up high enough to reach the same table Ignis and Naveen were on, understandably freaked out over her new appearance.

Both Ignis and Naveen attempted to calm down Tiana. "Hey, hey, it's okay! Just calm down!" said Ignis.

"Easy, Princess! Princess, do not panic!" cried out Naveen.

"What did you do to me?!" yelled Tiana, trying to rub the stick sensation off her body. "I'm green and I'm _slimy!"_

"No, no, no, no! That is not slime!" assured Naveen, trying to calm her down. "You are secreting mucus!"

"Yeah, I think that's actually a bit worse," commented Ignis, blanching from the sight of the mucus.

"You...! You...!" Letting out a frustrated cry, Tiana tackled Naveen, unintentionally also tackling Ignis in the process as the trio fell off the table, bounced off a soft pillow chair, and landed on a toy riding horse. Then, the impact of their crashing and bouncing caused a book off the shelf to slam onto the head of the toy riding horse, causing the three human-like animals to fly out of the room and out of the balcony before landing on some drums belonging to one of the performers in the party's band.

Irked with disgust at the two frogs and insect, the drummer attempted to squish them with his drumsticks, prompting the three to jump around the drums to avoid getting hit and also unintentionally causing rapid, catchy music to initiate thanks to the drummer. The catchy drum music excited the rest of the band members as they took the opportunity to add their instruments' own rhythms to the music, spicing up the party and caused everyone to dance wildly to their heart's content.

Tiana, Naveen, and Ignis ended up bouncing off one of the bigger drums and accidentally slipping into Charlotte's, the lady in pink from earlier, dress through the back of her dress collar, causing Charlotte to squirm and move around frantically, trying to get whatever was crawling on her back out of her back before slipping and falling down. Upon spotting the three animals, Charlotte let out a high-pitched scream, loud enough to catch her father's attention.

"HEY, STELLA!" hollered Charlotte's father, getting Stella the dog's attention away from eating some sugary treats off the ground. "Get them!"

"Run!" urged Naveen, grabbing Ignis and Tiana by their arms.

"I can't run, I'm a frog!" reminded Tiana as they landed on one of the dining tables.

"Does that really matter right now?!" Ignis shouted.

"Then, HOP!" encouraged Naveen before he and the other two girls made a break for it, bouncing past plates of food and glasses of wine to avoid being attacked by the dog named Stella. The trio dodged swords, more wine glasses, a costumed giraffe's head, and so forth to eventually reach a small bundle of balloons attached to the other end of the table.

"Wait, Stella!" called out Tiana as Ignis and Naveen frantically untied the balloon strings from the table to make their escape before grabbing Tiana away with them as they floated upwards at a fast pace, which was easy due to their small size and light weights. "Stella, it's me! TIANA!"

Having recognized Tiana's voice and her name, Stella cried out in shock, "Tiana?!" Her attempted capture towards them grounded to a halt as she watched the three float away along with the balloons.

The dog wasn't the only one shocked, as Tiana was also feeling the same way upon hearing the dog talk. "Stella just talked to me! The dog just spoke to me!"

"You know, if you're going to let every little thing bother you, it's going to be a very long night!" called out Naveen, expressing his annoyance as the winds guided the balloons, along with them, away from the party and into a different direction where it looked as though it was going to be stormy.

* * *

 _Much later that night..._

"Voodoo?!" exclaimed Tiana, upon listening to how both Naveen and Ignis got turned into their current animal forms. "You mean to tell me this all happened because you two were messing with the Shadow Man?!"

"Is that what he's normally called?" wondered Ignis, surprised. She flinched whenever a raindrop popped onto her body, making her shiver in the cold temperatures of the rain. Being that she's a very smaller size than the two due to being a cricket, all raindrops were basically like taking a full force of water to her body, making her wet and cold every few seconds since it was rainy. It was taking everything out of her not to slip her hands off the balloon string and hold onto dear life.

"He was very charismatic!" defended Naveen.

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that," Ignis apologized, shivering nonstop. "I-It was my own fault in my case, and because of that, I'm now like this. I-I'm sorry you got wrapped up in all this, Tiana. Man, it is freezing!"

Tiana sighed. "It's not your fault, Ignis. I'm not blaming you. Though I'm blaming a certain _someone!"_

"Hey, why are you blaming me and not her?" questioned Naveen.

"She had nothing to do with the kiss nor how you ended up as a frog!" answered Tiana. "I'm blaming you for a logical reason! You said that the kiss would turn you human! Not the opposite around!"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know THIS would happen? This has never happened! The kiss was supposed to make my handsome self human again!"

Tiana groaned, deciding there was no point arguing further on what had happened back with the kiss. "It serves me right for wishing on stars. The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work!"

"Hard work? Why would a princess need to work hard?" wondered Naveen, chuckling as though it was a joke.

Glancing around the swamp-like environment below them to search for a safe place to land, Tiana noticed Naveen's question and turned to him. "Huh? Oh! I'm not a princess. I'm a waitress."

"A waitress?! Well, no wonder the kiss did not work! You LIED to me!"

"No, I never said I was a princess!"

"You never said you were a waitress!" reminded Naveen angrily. "A waitress! You-You were wearing a crown!"

"It was a COSTUME party," corrected Tiana. "You spoiled little rich boy!"

"Oh, yes? Oh yes? Well, the egg is on your face, all right? Because _I_ do not have any riches!"

"What?!"

"I am COMPLETELY broke! Ahaha!"

 _'Jeez, they're acting like an old married couple,'_ thought Ignis before hearing a strange popping sound. She glanced up, and to her horror, she saw the balloons, the same ones providing as their flying transportation, popping one by one.

"You said that you were fabulously wealthy!" accused Tiana.

"No, my _parents_ are fabulously wealthy!" corrected Naveen.

"Uh...guys?" called out Ignis, only to be ignored by Tiana and Naveen as they continued their argument.

"You're broke, and you had the galls to call ME a liar?!" shouted Tiana.

"It was not a lie!" Naveen argued. "I fully-"

"Guys?!"

"What?!" Both frogs looked at Ignis with annoyed, frustrated expressions until they quickly realized the problem involving the balloons popping, which was down to one. Now none.

Cue the screaming as they were plummeting down from the air into the water below. Luckily, the water wasn't that deep, but Ignis ended up twisting and gasping for breath, struggling to even do a simple doggy paddle due to her smaller body until Tiana helped her up by picking her up and placing her on a floating tree branch.

Before Tiana and Naveen could resume their argument, they were interrupted by a huge fish leapt out from the water, very close to gulping them up. Hurriedly, the trio rushed out of the water and into safe land, where the fish couldn't get them. Their troubles weren't quite over, as a huge bird loomed over them with its wings spread as it swoop down to devour the three.

"RUN!" screamed Tiana, grabbing Naveen and Ignis and narrowly avoiding the bird's beak as it penetrated the dirt spot they were standing on before.

"I full intend to be rich again!" exclaimed Naveen hastily as he and the other two were running for their lives while trying to dodge the beak attacks from the predator bird. "Once I marry Miss Charlotte La Bouff! If she'll have me!"

"You're a prince?" asked Tiana in disbelief.

"Obviously!"

"Then, she'll have you!"

While trying to avoid the predator bird and running aimlessly in the dark night, the three failed to see the trail ending as the ground disappeared under their feet, making them slid thought a muddy hill before flipping into the air and landing painfully on top of a log.

"All right, then," panted Tiana breathlessly. "Once you two are married, you are going to keep your promise and get me my restaurant, right?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Not so fast!" interrupted Naveen, still upset over Tiana's trickery. "I made that promise to a beautiful _princess,_ not a cranky wai-why are those logs moving?"

Both Tiana and Ignis followed Naveen's gaze as they peered a little bit closer before realizing the logs were actually alligators slowly creeping up to them in all directions, blocking off any signs of exits elsewhere. Suddenly, the log they were standing on shifted and was revealed to also be another alligator; its predatory gaze on the trio as it bore a huge grin, ready to devour them.

"I've got dibs on the big one!" said the alligator before diving in to chomp them.

Her heroic instincts driving her forward, Ignis summoned her Keyblade, clamped it down on her mouth, and leapt up to face the larger and scarier alligator. Being quicker, she delivered the first blow, swiftly striking it in the stout which causing him to yelp in pain and back off a little, placing its hands on its stout.

"Run! Hurry!" cried out Ignis, already leaping and dodging the other alligators' ferocious attacks that were now targeting her.

"But-!" protested Tiana.

"I'll hold them off! Get to safety!"

With no time for further debate, Tiana and Naveen took the chance to escape while leaving Ignis to deal with the alligators. Ignis knew that she couldn't fight all of them, at least not in her current state, for if she could, she would have ended this with a simple Thunder spell. Come to think of it...

After hopping around and trying her best not to be swallowed up by one of the alligators' huge jaws and sharp teeth, Ignis landed on the side of an open tree trunk, raising her Keyblade. "THUNDER!"

The only thunder that came was from the natural forces of natures; from the thunderstorm. Yet no lightning bolts struck down on the water and shocked the alligators.

"Damnit, why isn't my magic working?!" cried out Ignis, waving her Keyblade back and forth as though it was broken. At the very least, the alligators were still fixated on their current spot and thinking that Ignis was still near them, hopping around, when in reality, she was just at the tree trunk.

Alongside Naveen.

"Psst!" Naveen hissed to Tiana, who had hid herself inside the tree trunk. "Lower the vine!"

"Find your own tree!" hissed back Tiana.

Ignis, who knew that due to her cricket form, can jump to high lengths, leapt up high enough to reach one of the dangling vines. Tiana, spotting Ignis, assisted her by pulling up the vine and helping her to safety.

Before Naveen could protest how unfair the action was, the alligators spotted Naveen after figuring out that their prey wasn't anywhere. "There he is!"

"I see him! I see him!"

"All right, look!" pleaded Naveen, seeing as the alligators were slowly but dangerously swimming closer as the seconds ticked by. "Help me get out of this swamp, and once I marry Charlotte, I shall get you your restaurant!"

"Mmm! You're gonna taste so good basted and battered and fried!" one of the alligators chuckled darkly before clamping his jaws onto Naveen. It would have been the last sight Naveen would have seen, if it were for Tiana and Ignis' quick rescue by granting him access to the vine.

"Quick, pull me up!" cried out Naveen as the two girls obeyed hurriedly.

"You can hop, but you can't hide!"

"We've got all night!"

While the alligators waited in anticipation while laughing as how their prey were now cornered, Ignis, Naveen, and Tiana were now all alone inside the tree trunk. No danger, but no means of escape for the time being.

"Well, waitress, looks like we're going to be here for a while," said Naveen, wrapping an arm around Tiana. "So, we might as well get... _comfortable."_

Still angry with Naveen, Tiana slapped him as hard as she could, hitting him hard to cause Ignis to flinch and for Naveen to yelp painfully. "Ugh! Keep your _slimy_ self away from me!"

Coiling in pain, Naveen complained, "I told you, it is not slime! It is mucus!"

Ignis rolled her eyes and sighed. _'Oh boy, we're gonna be here for a while.'_ "Tiana? Naveen?" she called out. "It's getting late, it's rainy, and it's dark out. Those alligators aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so how about we just call it a night?"

"Agreed!" said Naveen, relaxing against the smooth tree stump ground after grabbing a soft leaf blanket. "Well, goodnight, ladies!" Turning his body over to the side, he quickly dozed off, much to the annoyance of his two female animal companions.

"Wow, really, dude?" groaned Ignis before turning to Tiana. "Uh...so what now, Tiana?"

Tiana sighed. "Well, we're in a swamp, or more accurately, a bayou, there's bound to be lots of water around, so we'll have to get up extra early to build a raft."

"...What's the difference?"

"Pardon?"

"The difference. What's the difference between a swamp and a bayou?"

"Well, a swamp has lots of dry vegetation and is mostly just land and trees and not much water, whereas a bayou is like a swamp-version of a wetland."

Glancing out the tree trunk, Ignis could see not only the eerie, hungry alligators just waiting for them to come out to feast on them, but also mostly water everywhere before coming back inside. "Yeah, I guess I can see your point. I'm still calling it a swamp, though."

"Fine, fine," said Tiana. "If you're not gonna sleep right now, I reckon you help me with plans on making the raft. The faster we make the raft, the faster we find someone to help break this curse!"

"Uh, okay," said Ignis. "Let's see...we need something solid to float on, and there's a bunch of tree bark around, so how about using that?"

Tiana nodded. "That could work. We definitely need rowing paddles. That's simple enough. We'll just use some sticks. They're everywhere!"

"Okay! If we're building a raft, don't we need like, sails or something? Maybe leaves would do the trick?"

"Building the sails would take a bit of time," said Tiana. "Besides, bayous aren't that windy, so maybe a raft without sails is fine. We could just use the paddles to navigate our way through."

"Hmm...Let me try something," said Ignis, summoning her Keyblade, surprising Tiana. "Aero! Aero! Damnit, it's not working!"

"Uh...what's that?" asked Tiana, pointing to her Keyblade.

"Oh, that's my-" _'Crap! Secrecy of the worlds! I totally forgot! Think, Ignis! Think!'_ thought Ignis before coming up with a solution. "You see, uh...I'm a mage, which means someone magically, and good mages like me automatically have this ability where they can summon a special weapon to help them fight against the darkness! Yeah! Unfortunately, for some reason, my magic isn't working! It was working fine when I was a human, but now that I'm like this, I can't even conjure up some of my favorite spells!"

"A weapon, huh? And you say you can use magic?" wondered Tiana.

"I mean, you did kinda see me whip out my Key-er, my weapon! Hey, Tiana? Just wondering, but what happens if we encounter more of those alligators on our journey back? Last time, we got lucky and all, but if we drift on a raft in the middle of the water, we're practically huge targets!"

"Then, we'd have to abandon our raft for survival," said Tiana. "But, maybe you can help fend them off. You've got that strange weapon of yours, so that probably means you're well-trained, right?"

Ignis quickly got to what Tiana was talking about. "Oh! Okay! You want me to try and deal with any dangers that come in our way while we're on the water, right?"

"Exactly!"

"I can do that! I've been taught to use the power of the Key...of my magic to help others! So...Anything else we need for the raft? I was thinking...something cozy along the way in case we need to rest, like...a leaf couch pillow or something!"

Tiana yawned. "Fine, fine. We need to hold the raft together with some vines, by the way."

"Done! I'll take first watch, so you go to sleep first, Tiana. Good night!"

"Good night, Ignis..."

* * *

 _The next morning..._

Naveen was snuggling close to his makeshift leaf blanket, feeling the warmth of the bright morning sunlight bathe over him when he felt something hard conk his head, waking him up. "Ow!"

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" called out Tiana from outside the trunk. "Gators are gone!"

Letting out a yawn, Naveen peered out from the tree trunk, spotting Ignis and Tiana tying up the ends of the raft with some vines, thus completing their raft. Ignis spreaded and made the leaf pillow on the raft as comfty as possible before picking up a thin stick and handing another to Tiana as they could both use them for paddles.

"We gotta get back to New Orleans and undo the mess _you_ got us into," reminded Tiana as Naveen landed onto the raft and laid back against the leaf pillow casually.

"To be fair, Naveen wasn't even responsible for me being turned into a cricket," called out Ignis, rowing the raft with Tiana with their stick paddles.

"And I was not the one parading around with a phony-baloney tiara," said Naveen, snapping a twig with a small spider web at the end of it and playing it as though it was a guitar or ukulele. "Ah...Music to paddle by..."

"I could use a little help," called Tiana, mustering her strength to row the raft.

Pausing, Naveen smiled and replied, "Oh! I will a little louder." With that said, he proceeded to increase the volume as well as pick up a catchy rhythm which even Ignis found herself humming to as she rowed the raft.

Tiana sighed and turned around to reprimand him. "How about a little less picking and a-" Her gasp caught Ignis' attention as she also turned around and saw a large alligator's jaws about to consume the raft. Naveen quickly noticed something overshadowing him and jumped over to Tiana and Ignis. Both frogs clung onto each other in fear as Ignis had quickly summoned her Keyblade and guarded both frogs as the three animals screamed in fear.

What appeared to be consumption turned out to be a friendly alligator's face as he exclaimed, "I know that tune! Dippermouth Blues!"

Upon hearing a friendly tone instead of the pain of being eaten alive, Tiana and Naveen opened their eyes and somewhat relaxed...while Ignis still continued screaming despite no danger coming to harm to her and her group.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH...….aaahhhh…..ahhhhhh….." Ignis' screams started to die down when she started to realize that the alligator wasn't going to harm them.

Having assumed that all the screaming and fears were gone, the alligator took out a trumpet and started playing an upbeat tune. Recognizing the tune, Naveen gasped and dropped Tiana, shouting, "Play it, brother!" He joined in the musical tunes with the alligator, strumming his makeshift ukulele to match the rhythm with him before he hopped on top of the alligator's head just as the bigger predator fell back to land and finished the tune.

Grabbing Naveen, and instead of eating him, the alligator spun him around joyfully. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Where did you learn to play like that?" laughed Naveen happily as the alligator set him down.

"Why, the bayou's the best jazz school in the world! All the greats play the riverboats! Old Louis would give anything to be jamming with the big boys!"

"Why don't you?"

"Oh, I tried once!"

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _A band was playing a melodic, jazzy song on the ferry when all of a sudden, Louis the alligator hopped on board and finished the tune with his faithful trumpet, much to the shock of the other band members and passengers._

 _Louis quickly swam back to the waters and out of the ferry upon the screams of the passengers and the gunfire upon him as he made his escape._

* * *

"...It did not end well."

Having sailed the raft close to the land where Louis and Naveen were, Tiana bounced off to retrieve Naveen while Ignis waited by the raft. "Uh-huh. It has been a real pleasure meeting you, Louis," said Tiana, grabbing Naveen by the hand and dragging him along back to the raft. "And thank you kindly for not eating us, but we best be on our way!"

"Nice meeting ya, Louis! I liked your trumpet playing!" called out Ignis, waving to him.

Shocked to see his new friends leaving, Louis followed after them, asking sadly, "Where-Where y'all going?"

"To find somebody to break this spell," answered Tiana as she and Ignis began paddling.

"What spell?"

"Brace yourself, my scaly friend!" spoke Naveen dramatically. "We are not frogs!"

"Or cricket," pointed out Ignis.

"Or cricket! We are...humans!"

Louis stared, stunned...until he exploded with laughter, finding the notion ridiculous as he toppled onto his back until he realized that no other laughter came besides from him. "...Y'all serious?"

"I am Naveen, Prince of Maledonia!" introduced Naveen proudly. "That red cricket over there is...um...Well, her name is very difficult to remember-"

"My name is Ignis!" said Ignis happily while rowing the raft. "Nice to meet ya, Louis!"

"And that over there is Tiana, the waitress!" Naveen then inched closer to Louis and whispered softly, "Do not kiss her."

Tiana gasped before throwing down her stick and marching forward to correct the issue. "Now, just a second! This goon here got himself turned into a frog by a voodoo man, and now-"

"Voodoo?!" exclaimed Louis, dropping his trumpet and trembling in fear, glancing his eyes back and forth as though there were dark forces around. "Like the kind Mama Odie do?"

"Mama Who-dee?" wondered Naveen, confused.

"Mama Odie! She's the voodoo queen of the bayou! She got magic and spells, all kinds of hoodoo!"

"If she's got magic, then maybe she can change us back!" said Ignis excitedly. "And then I can get my magic back! Yay!"

"Can you take us to her?" asked both Naveen and Tiana simultaneously.

Louis gasped. "Through the deepest, darkest part of the bayou? Facing razor-sharp pricker bushes and trappers and hunters with guns?"

"...So, is that a yes or...?" started Ignis.

"No." Louis then slid down against a tree and started playing his trumpet again.

"Great, now what?" Ignis asked to both Naveen and Tiana, who shrugged her shoulders.

Naveen, however, had a brilliant idea based on his confident expression. "Watch and learn, ladies. Louis!" Approaching the trumpet-playing alligator, Naveen leaned against the nearby tree, checking his hand. "It is too bad we cannot help you with your dream. If only you were...smaller! Less toothy! You could play jazz to adoring crowds without scaring them." Knowing he had Louis by the sound of the alligator no longer playing, Naveen began to leave. "Anyway, enjoy your loneliness, my friend!"

"Do you think that's all it's gonna take to convince the big guy?" wondered Ignis.

Crossing her arms, Tiana looked unimpressed. "Cute, but it's not gonna-" Naveen raised one finger, interrupting her right before the big alligator came rushing up to them with excitement spread all across his body.

"HEY, GUYS! I JUST HAD ME A CRAZY IDEA!" exclaimed Louis, practically jumping up and down with joy. "What if I ask Mama Odie to turn me human?"

"Huh, for a sec, I thought you were gonna use reverse psychology on him," Ignis muttered.

"Louis! You are a genius!" praised Naveen, grabbing both Tiana and Ignis before hopping to the top of Louis' head.

"Hallelujah!" cried out Louis happily before jumping into the water, now being their escort as well as their new raft.

"Aww..." complained Ignis as she watched the destroyed remnants of the raft she and Tiana made float away. "And we woke up early in the morning to make that! I even had a leaf pillow ready for rest later!"

Naveen shrugged. "At least we have a strong and handsome gator for our new raft! Now we no longer have to worry about any predators as long as we have him!"

Laying on his back as he swam, Louis began playing an upbeat tune to not only pass the time, but entertain his new friends.

 **When We're Human**

 **Composed by: Randy Newman**

 **Sung by: Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley)**

 **Tiana (Anika Noni Rose)**

 **Naveen (Bruno Campos)**

 _"If I were a human being,_

 _I'd head straight to New Orleans!  
_

 _And I'd blow this horn so hard and strong_

 _like no one they've ever seen!"_

As Louis stepped out from the water and into the land, he started dancing around and continued singing as Ignis, Naveen, and Tiana sat on the top of a turtle's shell, watching his performance while being entertained.

 _"You've heard of Louis Armstrong!_

 _Mr. Sidney Bechet?_

 _All those boys gonna step aside_

 _When they hear this old ex-gator play!_

 _Listen!"_

"Oh, yeah!" said Naveen happily as he listened to Louis increasing the flow and rhythm of his trumpet solo. To join in the fun, Naveen started playing his makeshift ukulele to play alongside Louis as the turtle they were sitting on began swimming towards Louis' direction. The large alligator was swinging in a circular motion over and over, hanging on a tree branch with his tail until the tree branch could no longer support his weight, and he accidentally fell and splashed all over his friends.

Having recovered quickly, Louis rescued his friends by having them sit on the top of his head before having them slid down to his tail.

 _"When I'm human,_

 _as I hope to be,_

 _I'm gonna blow this horn_

 _'Til the cows come home,_

 _And everyone's gonna bow down to me!"_

He began dancing around on a log, using the turtle as a top hat before tossing it aside onto a tree branch as though it was a coat rack. Louis bowed his head numerous times as though addressing to a large audience. "Thank you! Thank you! Aw, thank you! I love you too, baby!"

When his turn came, Naveen was more than eager to show off his musical talents as they traveled past a small field of hanging flowers from some trees. Strumming up his ukulele, he proceeded to impress his friends as he sang, tossing up some flowers as though they were confetti.

 _"When I'm myself again,_

 _I want just the life I had!_

 _A great big party every night!_

 _That doesn't sound too bad!"_

A bunch of colorful butterflies flew downwards to join in the fun, attracted by the musical performance and mostly by Naveen the frog prince's charm, joining him by dancing.

 _"A redhead on my left arm,_

 _A brunette on my right!_

 _A blond or two to hold the candles!_

 _Now that seems just about right,_

 _Eh, Louis?"_

The butterflies carried Naveen through flight and helped him land on top of Louis as Ignis and Tiana scrambled to catch up to the two.

 _"Life is short,_

 _When you're done, you're done!_

 _We're on this earth_

 _To have some fun!_

 _And that's the way things are!"_

"Tell it, brother!" Louis said, stepping on a tree root platform before proceeding to play his trumpet to move into the next set of lines as Naveen sang.

 _"When I'm human,_

 _and I'm gonna be,_

 _I'm gonna tear it up like I did before_

 _And that's a royal guarantee!"_

Seeing Naveen flirting shamelessly with a bunch of butterflies, Tiana finally caught up and started waving the butterflies away with her stick. "You are gettin' married!"

"Oh, right," groaned Naveen before waving at the butterflies, who sighed happily as they fluttered away. "I just have to leave a string of broken hearts behind me!"

Grabbing his makeshift ukulele and throwing it aside in replacement for another paddle-like stick, Tiana handed it to him before grabbing another stick and proceeding to paddle while singing.

 _"Your modesty becomes you,_

 _And your sense of responsibility!_

 _I've worked hard for everything I've got!_

 _And that's the way it's supposed to be!"_

Deciding to play around, Naveen snapped the stick in half and used it as drumsticks to play on Louis' scales while Tiana started maneuvering around the bayou with assistance from Ignis, bypassing every obstacle along the way such as tree branches, or avoiding rocks that would block their path.

 _"When I'm a human being,_

 _at least I'll act like one!_

 _If you do your best each and every day,_

 _good things are sure to come your way!_

 _What you give is what you get!_

 _My Daddy said that,_

 _And I'll never forget!_

 _And I recommend it to you!"_

"Naveen, would you quit fooling around and help me and Ignis row around?" Tiana scolded.

Naveen sighed, pouting. "Why are you always so nice and supportive towards our dear cricket friend, anyways?"

"Because, unlike you, she actually helps me!"

"Now, now, you two!" said Ignis, getting in between them before things could escalate for the worse. "How about we both enjoy and work hard at the same time?" With that said, seeing as it was her turn to sang, Ignis happily obliged.

 _"There's no need to fight amongst ourselves,_

 _we're all aiming for the same goal here!_

 _We're gonna work real hard_

 _And have some fun!_

 _There's no real shame in doing both!"_

Having successfully separated the two frogs, Ignis assisted Tiana with the rowing, but whenever she moved onto Naveen's side, she grabbed the stick she was using as a paddle and began performing twirling techniques with it, spinning it around and around like she normally does with her Keyblade out of fun, impressing her friends.

 _"When I'm human,_

 _and when I'm free,_

 _I'm gonna travel long and far and wide,_

 _To places that I've never seen!_

 _When you strive for_

 _And you have some fun,_

 _A balance exists_

 _Between work and fun!"_

 _"When we're human, and we're gonna be!~"_ everyone sang in unison, leaning against each other.

 _"I'm gonna blow my horn!"_ To prove his point, Louis played a quick trumpet solo tune.

 _"I'm gonna live the high life!"_ sang Naveen, grabbing another makeshift ukulele and finishing his piece with a quick and catchy tune.

 _"I'm gonna reach for the stars and find my way home!~"_ Ignis summoned her Keyblade, Phoenix Fairy, and used that as a substitute for her rowing paddle after twirling it around.

 _"I'm gonna do my best to make my place in the sun!"_ finished Tiana before she and all the others were startled when they discovered Louis trapped in a tree trunk; them being all distracted with their musical singing. She then hopped to Louis' head, grabbing a stick with moss on it, and rubbed it against his nose to make the large alligator sneeze.

 _"When we're human!~"_ Tiana, Naveen, and Ignis sang together as Louis released a loud sneeze, enough to propel him out of the tree trunk and into a far distance further into the bayou with him finishing the song with one last trumpet solo.

* * *

 **Originally, I wanted to do more, but I'll save that for next time! The Human song is one of my favorites in the movie because it's so darn catchy! Anyways, read and review!~**


	12. New Orleans (3)

**Before you guys ask, yes, I did get inspiration behind Ignis' cricket design from that cricket character from Mulan! That, and I plan to incorporate some of the cricket moves into Ignis' fighting style to help improve her fighting and such! As you all know, Ignis cannot use magic, but that will be revealed why in this chapter, as well as giving Ignis a sort of a..."break" from magic!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own any RWBY songs, as they're both belonging to Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams from Rooster Teeth. Mage of Hope also has added some lyrics in the "Dig A Little Deeper" song.**

* * *

"Ready guys? Louis, you got the trumpet ready? It's a major part in the song!"

"Gotcha covered, Ignis!"

"And you, Naveen? Even a ukulele's the closest we got to a guitar or bass!"

"Of course! When it comes to music, I am always in service! Especially when I'm bored!"

"Alright! Five, six, seven, eight!"

As though acting like it was a guitar, Naveen strummed the strings on his ukulele as roughly as he could to initiate the song as Louis prepared himself to blast musical sounds from his trumpet as Ignis waited for her turn to sing.

 **Ignite**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _"Come at me,_

 _And you'll see,_

 _I'm more than meets the eye!_

 _You think that,_

 _You'll break me,_

 _You're gonna find in time,_

 _You're standing too close to a flame that's burning,_

 _Hotter than the sun in the middle of July!_

 _Sending out your army, but you still can't win;_

 _Listen up, silly boy, 'cuz I'm gonna tell ya why!_

 _I BURN!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You've got nothing that can stop me!_

 _I BURN!_

 _Swing all you want!_

 _Like a fever, I will take you down!"_

The rest of the song finished thanks to Louis performing a fantastic trumpet solo to signify the finale. Satisfied with their song, Louis and Naveen lowered their instruments as Ignis took a breather. During the whole trip, Ignis did assist Tiana in rowing Louis around, but sometimes, when she did take a break, she would often join in with Louis and Naveen in their music playing, being the singer in their songs.

"Fantastic as always, little cricket!" praised Naveen.

"Yeah! You've got some natural singing talent there!" agreed Louis.

"Well, I loved singing and was practicing for 10 years or so," bragged Ignis. "Naturally, I would be good!"

"Yes, that's nice, but now help me with the rowing, please!" called out Tiana.

"Alright, alright!" Ignis hopped towards Tiana's side and started rowing the same time she was. Her ears caught wind of Louis and Naveen's instruments playing while she did her work. "You know, I've always wanted to try playing a musical instrument," commented Ignis, watching both Louis and Naveen free playing with their instruments.

"Say! I know! Once I've become human, maybe I could teach you a few things and have you recruited in my new jazz band!" offered Louis, spinning around his trumpet.

Ignis giggled. "Well, that's a nice offer, Louis, but, once I'm back to normal, I have to find a way back home. It's far, far away. But, I wouldn't mind a few lessons and playing a tune or two before leaving."

"I also would not mind joining in for a little while before returning to my high life," agreed Naveen, fixing the strings on his makeshift ukulele. "Although, I call dibs on the guitar. It's my forte, after all!"

"And obviously, I'd get the trumpet!" said Louis.

"Hmm...Well, there's the piano, bass...Ooh! I wanna play the saxophone! Kinda fits with all the jazz music, you know?" said Ignis. "We'd be like...the Jazz Trio or somethin-Oh! I'm sorry, Tiana! I forgot to include you!"

Tiana shook her head. "That's alright, hon. Not really interested in joining a band. More like opening my own restaurant."

"Oh, cool! I didn't know you wanted to open your own restaurant," said Ignis. "What do you plan on naming it?"

"Tiana's Place!"

"..."

"...What? What's with that disbelief look you've got there?"

"Dude, nobody is gonna come to a restaurant with an obvious name like that," stated Ignis bluntly. "Even I know that to attract customers, you need a good name."

"Our little cricket friend is right, waitress!" agreed Naveen. "The name must be simple, has a bit of jazz to it, and not too long, but not too short, either!"

"Oh? I suppose you guys all have good names, then?" questioned Tiana, placing a hand on her hip as she continued rowing.

"How about...Tiara Garden?" Ignis suggested.

"Where did the tiara part come from?" asked Louis.

"Well, I just figured Tiana's name is awfully similar to the word, 'tiara,' and I once heard there was this restaurant called, 'Tea Garden.'"

"Hmm...Not bad, but I think my idea is superior!" declared Naveen. "Orleans Palace!"

"Ooh! Ooh! I have a good one!" said Louis. "Jazz Paradise!"

"Hmm...Not bad, all of your ideas. I'll have to think about it," said Tiana. "You are right though, Ignis. A good name always attracts customers, but until I find one, the place is still gonna be called, 'Tiana's Place!'"

"Alright, alri-Ooh! Louis! Naveen!" cried out Ignis happily. "I just thought of something for me to join in with your music while we're still trying to find that Mama person!"

"Mama Odie," corrected Louis.

"Right, right! Man, why didn't I think of this sooner? Crickets can chirp! I'm sure I can find a way to add some rhythm to the music with my chirping! Now, how do crickets do this...?"

"I think you're supposed to rub your forewings together," stated Louis.

"Yeah...that's a problem, actually," stated Tiana.

"Why? What's wrong?" wondered Ignis, who was about to do what Louis suggested. "My body parts are fine, by the way. Nothing's broken."

"No, nothing like that, sweetheart. It's just...well, back at school, I had to do a research essay on animals, and my topic was on crickets, coincidentally. And...well, I just remembered that female crickets can't chirp. Only males can."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Ignis, jumping up to Tiana and shaking her back and forth. "You're kidding me, right?! You're joking, right?!"

Tiana shook her head, calmly lowering Ignis' paws off her. "Calm down there, little cricket. I would never joke about something like this. Also, if you do hear another cricket chirping, DO NOT follow that sound."

"Why?"

"It's the male mating sound trying to attract any female crickets."

Ignis recoiled in disgust. "Eww! No! I don't wanna get married to a cricket! One of my lifelong goals is to date and marry my type of guy! A guy who's tall, dark, and handsome!"

"You know, I am tall, dark, and handsome." said Naveen smoothly. "I mean, you and I have both seen Lawrence, and while that is not his true form, that is my actual human form."

"Yeaaaahhh...I've seen it, and I'm not impressed," deadpanned Ignis. "You're got the qualities, and you're not bad-looking, but I don't like you in that way. There's just something about you that doesn't make you attractive."

"Aww! Then again, this is not the first ladies have rejected me. Although it does happen rarely," said Naveen, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Fear not, my little red cricket friend! I do not have an romantic interest in you, either."

"Wow, way to ruin the mood. Besides, aren't you getting married?"

"Sadly, yes."

Ignis sighed, pushing away Naveen's arm. "I can't use magic, I can't hold an instrument, I can't even chirp! WHAT GOOD EVEN IS A CRICKET?!"

"There's are some good qualities about a cricket," stated Tiana, trying to cheer up Ignis. "For instance, did you know that a cricket can jump higher and farther than a frog?"

Piping up at the interesting fact, Ignis grew curious. "Ooh! I didn't know that! I mean, I knew they were really good jumpers, but I never thought which one was the more superior jumper!"

"Yup. Plus, crickets have a good sense of smell, too!"

"Really? Lemme try!" said Ignis, hopping to the top of Louis' head as though wanting to get a good view. She raised her head and sniffled around, catching several different faint senses from different directions.

 _'Hmm...The moss, the lavender flowers, the...urk! The slime from Tiana and Naveen!'_ thought Ignis as she continued sniffing around. _'Hmm...Wait, that smells...familiar-Why do I smell darkness?'_

"Uh...Waitress?" called out Naveen worriedly.

"My name is Tiana, thank you very much!"

"Yes, yes! Um...Are there any swamp creatures with red eyes and look like dark, creepy nightmares?"

"Aside from crocs and alligators? I don't believe so, why?" wondered Tiana.

"...Then, what are those?"

Everyone turned to where Naveen was pointing to and saw a bunch of Unversed Floods swiftly moving around on the logs and the nearby lands. For Ignis, she could deem them as small, but now that she was the smallest one of all, she now viewed even the weakest of the Unversed as much, MUCH bigger than her.

So this is what it felt like being on the other end of the wrong side.

Before anyone else could scream in terror, Naveen was the first to scream, causing everyone to turn their heads towards him. "...I didn't know you screamed like a girl," commented Ignis, slightly amused.

"I-I do not!"

"What are those things?! Monsters?!" wondered Tiana, trying to row towards the other way around, only to find that they were completely surrounded by the Unversed. "We're surrounded! There's no way to get out!"

"Unversed!" shouted Ignis, summoning her Keyblade in her palms. Despite having the strength to hold it, she found it hard to swing it around with her frail arms and resorted to place it in her mouth, finding it much easier that way.

"You know these creatures?" asked Naveen, hiding behind Louis' tail as the large alligator panicked, not knowing what to do.

"Fight now, talk later!" said Ignis. "But if you're really curious, then basically, they're creatures of darkness! Really bad guys! So, yeah! Here I go!"

Without any hesitation nor fear, Ignis jumped off of Louis and landed on a lilypad, glaring at her targets. Mustering up the strength within her tiny legs, she pounced off the lilypad and high up into the air, spinning around in a cartwheel motion as she descended down onto one of the Flood Unversed, slashing at its head. Although the uprising slash move caused the targeted Flood to shriek in pain, it wasn't enough to destroy it as it thrusted its sharp claw at Ignis. Thanks to her small but nimble figure, Ignis easily dodged the thrusting attack and counterattacked with another slash move using her Keyblade. It caused pain, but not enough to defeat the Unversed entirely, forcing Ignis to continuously dodge until the next few successful strikes were enough to take it down, but left an exhausted Ignis in the process before she was forced to retreat back to the lilypad she first landed on when another Flood tried to swipe at her.

 _'Man! This is rough! It took everything out of me to defeat even one of these things!'_ thought Ignis, panting and wiping any sweat off her forehead. _'It would be way easier if I were human and had my magic back! But I still don't have it back, and the time it took for me to defeat one of them, I would have annihilated these guys way before! Still, there's no way I can let them hurt Tiana and the others! But how can I speed things up?'_

Seeing Ignis not only destroy one of the monsters, but doing so by herself which ultimately exhausted her filled Tiana with the determination to assist her. She grabbed Naveen's ukulele, ignoring his protests, and started firing sticks and small stones from the strong web-like strings of the ukulele as though it was a bow.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing with my ukulele? That is the only kind of instrument I can play!" cried out Naveen.

Tiana slapped Naveen upside the head, glaring at him. "Oh, you hush, rich boy! While you're here complaining and lazing about, our friend is out there risking her life fighting these monsters! Look!"

The two frogs turned to see Ignis being caught in the jaws of one of the Floods, being dangled by the leg as she was swinging her Keyblade around and frantically trying to hit the Flood. "Aaaahhh! Lemme go, you big, stupid asshole! AAAAAAHH!"

Hurriedly, Tiana picked up another rock and shot it like an arrow with the ukulele bow, successfully hitting the Flood in the eye and forcing it to release Ignis, who quickly finished off the distracted Unversed with a series of swift slashes before she moved onto the next Flood.

"Tiana's right!" decided Louis with a determined look as he placed Naveen and Tiana on some nearby lilypads for their safety as he stood up from the water. "I'm gonna help Ignis, too! Hang on! I'm coming!" Looking around, Louis spotted two Floods and grabbed them quickly, chomping off their heads with his sharp jaws and causing them to disintegrate into nothing.

"Nicely done, Louis!" praised Naveen.

"Hey, you're gonna help, too!" ordered Tiana firmly. "Go and get me more sticks and stones! You can do at least that, right? And if you don't, well, you don't wanna be stuck facing with all these monsters around, do you?"

Naveen glanced around the group of Floods surrounding the area and gulped, deciding to obey Tiana for the time being despite disliking to do any work himself. In no time flat, he managed to gather a couple of small branches and light rocks for Tiana to use as firing arrows.

The battle went on for a while and it involved the teamwork of everyone involved. Naveen and Tiana were the supporters, as Naveen constantly gathered rocks and sticks for Tiana to use as arrows while using the makeshift ukulele as a bow. While her attacks didn't do any damage to the Unversed, they did well in distracting and bringing attention to her from the rest of the Floods.

Meanwhile, Louis and Ignis were the main frontline attackers that took advantage of Tiana's distractions to wage attacks on the Unversed. Ignis was quick and hard to catch and hit, but while her attacks were continuous and swift like her, even with the power of her Keyblade, it still took a lot of hits from her to take even one Unversed down. By then, she would be exhausted. On the other hand, Louis was slow and many times, his attacks missed a lot, but his strength was several times bigger than the rest of his friends and it especially helped that at least one of two hits from Louis was enough to destroy an Unversed.

By the time they were finished, it had taken a long while, but all of the Unversed in the area were gone. Naveen, Tiana, and Ignis laid against Louis' belly as the large alligator himself started free swimming exhaustedly in the water, not bothering to go fast as he was too tired to do so at the moment.

"Whew! That was...really tiring!" sighed Naveen before turning to Ignis. "So...what...was that all about?"

"Okay! Okay...Gimme a sec!" panted Ignis, raising one finger before finding a comfortable spot to sit on. "Okay...Those monsters? They're called the Unversed. Really nasty creatures of darkness! Apparently, they feed on negativity or some stuff like that. My special weapon is the only thing that can properly eliminate them. I guess...you could see, I came from a long journey to here to get rid of them, and if I leave them alone, they're just gonna cause more trouble."

"Where did they come from?" wondered Tiana.

"Dunno...They just mysterious appeared out of nowhere...Anyways, thanks for you help, guys. I dunno if I could have handled all those big Unversed by myself!" thanked Ignis.

"It's no problem!" assured Tiana. "Everyone's safe and sound, and that's what's important! But I do think we need a strategy in case we run into more of these creatures again."

"Oh, really? It was bad enough the first time!" whined Naveen. "And where's my ukulele?"

"Er...the strings got pulled too much and it broke, so I threw it away."

"What?! Mama mia, you must be kidding me!"

As both Naveen and Tiana started arguing amongst themselves again, Ignis glanced at her paws and frowned. With her current form, it was next to impossible defeating an entire group of Unversed by herself. She had attempted casting magic during the last fight, only to come up unsuccessful with each try, thus confirming that as long as she remained a cricket, she cannot gain access to any magic, which would prove troublesome. However, she's starting to pick up on some physical skills that she could incorporate into her fighting style.

Through the next several hours, the group of friends spent their time playing and singing songs, which both Tiana and Ignis were quite the great singers, while sailing to their destination as well as dealing with any Unversed they came across. Their usual means of offense and defense as well as support was the same as the first battle; Naveen and Tiana being the distractors while Louis and Ignis fought off and destroyed as many Unversed as possible.

With each battle she faced, Ignis was starting to grow comfortable and more experienced in her cricket form, finding jumping around while fighting and making successful attacks a lot of fun. She barely focused on any defense and started evasive methods, acting more like Ventus' fighting style where his usually consists of speed. Perhaps it was time to focus less on defense for the time being and learn more on taking advantage of her speed from her small size.

* * *

 _Later, close to nighttime..._

"Now, this restaurant of yours, is it gonna have touffe?" asked Louis as he continued roaming through the surface waters of the bayou just as it was starting to get late.

"Jambalaya, gumbo, it's gonna have it all!" promised Tiana, smiling dreamily.

"I wouldn't mind trying some spicy food!" said Ignis. "I wonder if this new restaurant will have those really delicious sugary treats I ate when I first came to New Orleans! I think they're called...beignets?"

"Oh, yes! That's definitely a must! I guarantee it! I plan on testing a bunch of recipes and adding in some new ingredients to make the flavors more better than before! How about you be my test taster, Ignis?"

"Would I?! Of course!"

Louis licked his lips hungrily, daydreaming about the food Tiana described. "Mmm! I've always wanted to try red beans and rice, muffulettas, po' boys-"

"Stop, Louis, Louis," chuckled Naveen, rubbing his stomach. "You three are making me so very hungry..." A swam of flies then flew past Naveen, and through his animalistic instincts, Naveen's tongue shot out for a second, catching the frog prince's attention. "Interesting..."

"Oh yeah, I guess I'm getting hungry, too," agreed Ignis, rubbing her grumbling stomach. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning...Tiana, please tell me you're a pretty good cook! I'm horrible at it!"

"Well, I have been cooking for many years now,"" said Tiana. "As for you, I'm sure with enough practice, you can be a pretty good cook, too!"

"No, no. I really can't. I'm fully aware of how awful a cook I am," said Ignis. "One time, I accidentally burned down a kitchen while trying to make something, and somehow, I even caused boiling water to go up in flames. Yeah...I totally got grounded big time for that."

A splash sound caught the girls' attention as Louis stopped, and the three of them watched as Naveen had jumped into the water and was sneaking up to the swam of flies. "What are you doing?" questioned Tiana.

"Shh!" hissed Naveen softly, getting closer to the flies. "You are frightening the food..." He lashed out his tongue at one of the flies, only to miss and accidentally smacking himself on the face with his own tongue as it had wrapped itself around his face. Laughing a little at his failed attempt, Naveen stopped up and unwrapped his tongue from his face, watching the swarm of flies fly away. "This is harder than it looks."

"You know, I wonder what crickets eat? Tiana?" asked Ignis. "Please tell me that crickets don't eat flies!"

"Hmm...If I recall from my essay back at school, crickets are omnivores that eat fruits and seeds and plants like leaves."

"Oh...Well, that doesn't sound too bad-"

"Sometimes, they even eat the dead bodies of their own kind."

"Ew! EWWWW! No, thank you! I think I'll just stick to being a herbivore!"

Tiana chuckled. "Yeah, I reckon you wouldn't want to choose that. I'd do the same if I were you."

A couple of slap-like sounds caused the two female animals to see Naveen attempt to swat his tongue at the flies over and over, only to fail miserably each time. The latest attempt, he was so close, but he unfortunately caught a tree branch and got hit by the impact of the captured tree branch, falling back in the water and groaning in pain.

Tiana and Ignis giggled to themselves, finding the situation absolutely hilarious just as a firefly flew past them and landed on a spore flower, staring up at the moon. "I'm gonna be right back and try and find some food on this side," announced Louis, pointing to a direction with tall grass.

"I'll help you," said Ignis, bouncing to Louis' side before the two of them entered into the tall grass to find some food.

A flicker of her tongue shooting out surprised Tiana as she quickly realized her issue. "What? Oh, no. No, no, no!" cried out Tiana. "There is no way that I am kissing a frog and eating a bug on the same day-Aah!"

Her tongue shot out again for a second, causing Tiana to cover her mouth with her hands to stop any further attempts of her tongue lashing out. Unfortunately, her instincts proved too strong over her sense of logic as it kept lashing out despite her denial as she was forced forward while Ignis watched curiously. Meanwhile, Naveen had spat the tree branch out of his watch and saw a firefly sitting vulnerably on a spore flower, looking up without a care in the world. Seeing his chance, just as Tiana was unwillingly growing closer to the firefly's location Naveen shot out his tongue at the same time as Tiana.

Unfortunately, not only did their tongues miss and hit the spore flower, which also caused the firefly to fly away, but their tongues collided and twisted around each other, causing the two frogs to literally become tongue-tied. Because their tongues were tied together, when they tried to pull back, they ended up ramming into each other, stuck in a kissing position.

"Hello..." said Naveen awkwardly before Tiana attempted to break free first, pulling herself away from Naveen only for their tongues to force them closer.

"Hold still!"

" Stop moving! You are making this very difficult!"

Louis and Ignis returned, emerging from the tall grass with discouraged looks on their face; evidence that they haven't found any food. "Y'all find anything to eat yet?" asked Louis before his eyes went wide at the scene before him and Ignis. "I-Oh, my."

"Were...were we interrupting something...?" teased Ignis with a sly look on her face. "Alright, Louie! Let's go-"

"No! No! This is not what it looks like!" cried out Tiana; her voice muffled due to her tongue sticking out. "Help us out of here!"

"Hang on! Old Louis got it covered!" declared Louis, picking up his two frog friends and attempting to free them from their tongue mess by twisting and turning them around as though they were toys needing to be fixed, despite their painful protests. "How's that?"

After setting them on the water, anyone could tell from one glance that they were further immobilized and that their situation had gotten worse than before. "Louis..." started Ignis slowly. "You kinda made it worse."

"...This could be a little better," muttered Tiana. It was even a slight miracle that the two tangled frogs were even standing on one leg in the water.

"You know what this needs? A sharp stick! Be right back!" After saying that, Louis quickly left the two frogs and Ignis, singing something while twirling his trumpet with his tail. Ignis had the slight suspicion that he not only left for the sharp stick, but also to allow the two frogs for some... _alone time._

Sighing, Ignis knew that for the time being, it was all up to her as she walked up to the two frogs. "Here, lemme help you guys," she offered, trying to find the end of their tongues as a starting point to untangle them.

Tiana and Naveen attempted to stay put as Ignis wandered her paws around to find what she was looking for. Tiana glared at Naveen and said, "This is all your fault!"

"My fault-my fault-! Let me tell YOU something! I was having a wonderful time until-"

"Wonderful?! And it looks like you were about to say this whole mess with MY faul-"

"It is your fault! I can't believe-"

"No, I can't believe that you would accuse me of somethin-"

"Jeez, would you stop moving and arguing?! I can't untangle you guys if I can't-"

"-And you even stole my ukulele to fight off those things!"

"If I didn't do that, we'd all be dead right now and-"

"COO! Well, looky here!" A loud voice silenced the three of them as they glanced up and saw the same firefly from earlier fly towards them. "Girl, I guess you and your little boyfriend got a little carried away. Am I right?"

"Oh, no, no, no! Do not be ridiculous!"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"I am the prince of Maldonia!"

"Seriously, guys?! You guys are STILL arguing?!"

"Uh-huh," stated the firefly, not believing the frogs for a single moment as he flew higher for more space. "Lemme shine a little light on the situation!" He strained himself a little to light up his backside, releasing a slight farting sound before failing to light up. "Excuse me, one more time now!" With a thoughtful expression, the firefly twisted the light part of his body as though it were a lightbulb, in which it finally lighten up brightly. "That's more better! Yeah!"

"Too bright! Too bright! Back up a little!" called out Ignis, stepping back from the frogs and the firefly as the firefly flew back closer to where Tiana and Naveen were; the frogs cringing from the nearly blinding light emitting from the firefly.

"Oh, that alright, baby! I don't explode me! I ain't no firecracker! I just got my big butt glowing! That's right! The women like a man with a big back porch!" assured the firefly, flying around the two frogs. "Lord, you done this up real good, for sure! Now, where this go to at?"

"Uh...You sure you know what you're doing?" asked Ignis. "Need help or something?"

"Hang on there! I got this!" said the firefly, squirming down between Tiana and Naveen; his small size allowing him to venture between their bodies. "I'm just gonna give a little twist there! We're getting to know each other now!" As the firefly began exploring around while trying to free both Tiana and Naveen, he started singing a short tune while using the light from his body to shine his way through.

Ignis didn't really know what to do to help out the firefly, so she just stayed put and waited. Finally, he popped out and tugged on the ends of their tongues, freeing both the frogs and then releasing their tongues as they spun around and fell back into the water in surprise.

Wiping his hands clean, the firefly announced, "It's about time I introduced myself!" In a flash, he drew his name in the air with his light before erasing the last four letters of his true name. "My name Raymond! But everybody call me, 'Ray!'"

"Pardon me, but your accent..." started Naveen. "It's funny, no?"

Not offended, Ray stated, "I'm a Cajun, brah! Born and bred in the bayou! Y'all must be new around here, huh?"

Standing up, Naveen wiped the water off his body and replied, "Actually, we are from a place far, far away from this world."

Ray gasped. "Go to bed! Y'all from Shreveport?!"

"I...have no idea where that is," said Ignis.

"Uh...No, no, no," corrected Naveen. "We are people."

"Prince Charming here got turned himself turned into a frog by a voodoo witch doctor," explained Tiana.

"Yeah, I was in the same position as he was," admitted Ignis. "And Tiana here got turned into a frog because she kissed him."

"Well, there you go!" said Ray, understanding their predicament despite how absurd it may sound.

Tiana continued, "And we were on our way to Mama Odie's, and we think maybe she-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ray flew up to Tiana, interrupting her. "Mama Odie? Y'all headed to the wrong direction, cher! Now, what kinda chucklehead told y'all to go this way?"

"I FOUND A STICK!" yelled Louis, bursting out from the bushes excitedly, happy to accomplish something to help his friends. He was then greeted with silence in response, as well as glares.

"Louis..." started Tiana, crossing her arms with a stern look. "Ray here says you've been taking us in the wrong direction."

His excitement turning to a nervous mess, Louis dropped the stick he worked so hard to find and started fidgeting, sputtering out excuses. "I was...Well, listen! I was confused by the topography-and the geography-and the choreography and-"

"Dude!" cried out Ignis, flabbergasted. "Are you telling me that we've been going in circles this whole time?!"

"First rule of the bayou," stated Ray, mumbling towards Tiana. "Never take directions from a gator." He then whistled, causing the nearby trees to light up and sparkle with countless fireflies, astonishing everyone else. "Why, me and my relationals will help show y'all the way!"

"Wow! It's so pretty! Like a light show!" gasped Ignis. "...Kinda wished I was turned into a firefly, instead."

"Hey, Cousin Randy!" called out Ray, flying up to some of the fireflies sitting on one of the taller tree branches. "You ready for a little bayou zydeco?"

"Ready when you are, Cousin Ray!"

"Alright, Lulu! Let's get to it, darlin'!" Ray, along with all the other fireflies, picked up miniature instruments their size and music began playing as all the other fireflies cheered and started flying around. "Come on, chre!" called out Ray to his new friends. "Just follow the bouncing butt!"

 **Gonna Take You There**

 **Composed by: Randy Newman**

 **Sung by: Ray (Jim Cummings)**

 _"We're gonna take ya down_

 _We gonna take ya down_

 _We gonna take ya all the way down!"_

Following the rhythm of the song, Naveen started dancing slightly with Ignis humming the song before Tiana grabbed their arms and pulled them along. The three of them, along with a dancing Louis, followed after the bright trail of the fireflies as the song continued.

 _"Gonna take ya down_

 _We're gonna take ya down_

 _We gonna take ya all the way!_

 _Goin' down the bayou!_

 _Goin' down the bayou!_

 _Goin' down the bayou!_

 _Takin' ya all the way!"_

"We got the whole family!" introduced Ray to various different fireflies. "There goes Mimi, Cousin Beaudreaux-Oh, Grandmama! Your light out!"

The firefly resembling an elderly grandmother turned to her grandson. "Hmm?" She clapped her hands, causing her light to illuminate just like the other fireflies.

 _"We all gonna pull together!_

 _Down here that's how we do!_

 _Me for them and them for me_

 _We all be there for you!"_

Seeing all of his relatives and other firefly friends dancing and joining hands together as well as having fun, Ray seemed happy, but he quickly realized that Tiana and Naveen seemed lost and confused as there was not even a single firefly to guide their way. Therefore, just one whistle from him and groups of fireflies lit up around them, lighting their path as the two frogs hopped from lilypad to lilypad, jumping across rings of light.

 _"We gonna take ya!_

 _We gonna take ya!_

 _We gonna take ya all the way there!"_

"WHEEEEE!" cheered Ignis, hanging onto Louis' scales on his head as she and the alligator sped past the frogs; the fireflies at the end of Louis' tail acting as propellers before they flew away to join with their other fellow fireflies, thus causing both of them to sink into the water.

 _"We know where ya going_

 _and we're goin' with you!_

 _Taking you all the way!_

 _Goin' down the bayou!_

 _Goin' down the bayou!_

 _Goin' down the bayou!_

 _Takin' you all...!"_

Having recovered from her water fiasco, Ignis began hopping side by side with Tiana and Naveen, staring up at amazement at the moving path of light as Louis tried to follow behind as fast as he could. He did trip and fall on top of a couple of fireflies, and luckily, they didn't get crushed under his weight, but acted like women' clothing before flying away, causing him to cover himself in embarrassment.

At the end of the song, Ray and the other fireflies spiraled all the way upwards before making the impression that they had exploded like fireworks, only to ensure that they were all perfectly fine.

"Come on, y'all!" shouted Ray, taking the lead for the other fireflies. "Keep that line flowin' and the lights a-glowin'!"

Later, upon reaching some point in the bayou towards the correct direction where they needed to go, Ignis and the others started granting their goodbyes to the other fireflies that helped guided their way, with Ray surprisingly deciding to join their crew.

"I'll take them the rest of the way!" called out Ray. "Bye-bye, y'all!"

"Nice meeting y'all!" said Tiana.

"Bye! Thanks again!" called Ignis.

"Bye-bye, Pookie!" said Louis.

As the fireflies began to fly away, Ray called out one last time, "And don't forget to tell Angela, Ray-Ray say, 'Bonne Chance!'"

"That your girl?" teased Tiana to Ray as the two of them, along with Ignis, started heading towards a small tree hollow past through some moss curtains.

"Oh, no, no! My girl? Ho, ho, ho! That's Evangeline!" corrected Ray.

"Evangeline? That sounds like a lovely name," commented Ignis.

Ray couldn't agree more. "She the most prettiest firefly ever did glow!~ You know, I talk to Evangeline every night!~ She's kind of shy, don't say much, but I know in my heart, someday, we gonna be together...Yeah..." As though expressing his love, Ray flew up and through his light, could be seen behind a heart-shaped leaf, as though it was his own symbol of love for Evangeline.

Climbing up on some wood, Tiana couldn't help but be touched by Ray's commitment to Evangeline. "Aww! That's so sweet!"

"Yeah, that was the most romantic thing I've ever heard anyone say!~" cooed Ignis. "I wish you and this Evangeline luck, Ray!"

"Yes, so sweet," said Naveen, somewhat sarcastically. "Just, do not settle down so quickly, my friend! There are plenty of fireflies in the swamp...What? What is with the looks for, ladies?"

Tiana only rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before smashing her way through the bushes with a stick she picked up to clear a small pathway. Ignis merely gave Naveen an annoyed look.

"Wow, really, dude? Way to ruin the mood," spat Ignis before Naveen shrugged and followed after Tiana deeper into the pathway through the bushes.

Just as Ignis was about to follow the two frogs, she leapt back in surprise when she heard Louis let out a painful cry. Looking up, she saw that he had accidentally pricked himself with a thorn and had fallen on his back.

"AAAH! PRICKER BUSH JUST GOT ME! GATOR DOWN! GATOR DOWN!"

At first, Ignis was worried, but then her worried expression turned to annoyance just like Ray when she figured out he was just being dramatic over a little pain.

"The darkness is closing in...! I'm so cold...!"

"Uh...Dude? It's just a little thorn," commented Ignis, jumping onto Louis' belly before reaching out for the thorn impaled on his finger. "Here, lemme-"

"OW! IT HURTS!"

"Jeez, I only touched it a little! What is wrong with you?!"

Rolling his eyes, Ray flew down to assist Ignis. "Will you hold still, you big baby?"

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

"...I ain't touched it yet."

Surprisingly enough, the thorn was actually a little tough to pull out, even with the combined efforts of both Ray and Ignis. The more they pulled and the longer the thorn was still embedded in Louis' finger, the more he cried out in pain rather pathetically. At long last, they finally managed to yank the thorn out, much to everyone's relief.

Whatever Louis saw next freaked him out as he screamed, "HUNTERS WITH GUNS!" As though to escape from his fears, Louis ended up hiding behind...a bush full of thorns, thus commencing the painful screams coming from the same alligator who just had a small thorn removed.

Ignis sighed. "I got him." She hopped into the bush, and it didn't take her long to track down Louis. Because he kept moving around, he ended up getting more thorns stuck to his body, which meant more work for Ignis once she managed to get Louis out of the bushes.

After Louis fell out of the bushes and into the rough, but non-thorny ground, he was practically kissing it, relieved to have escaped from the pricker bushes. "Oh, sweet land! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah! Let's just get those thorns ou-RAY?!" Looking to the side, Ignis saw Ray's half-conscious body floating on the water facedown. While she didn't know that much about fireflies other than the fact that they light up and fly, she did know that flying creatures don't do well with water!

Hurriedly, she leapt into the water and swam towards Ray, bringing his head back to surface for him to breath before swimming back to shore while dragging his body with her, placing him on a soft lump of dirt to get him comfortable. Having calmed down from his previous episode, Louis saw the trouble Ray was in and hurried to help out their little firefly friend by picking up a straw-like reed. First, the alligator pumped the water out of Ray by pressing his finger against his belly, and then helped him breath through the use of the reed, thus helping Ray recover.

Seeing Ray coughing for air, Louis knew he was in no more danger. "You alright there, little bug?"

"I'm fine!" coughed Ray, sniffing the air before trying to waft it away. "But your breath done near kill me to death!"

Ignis sighed in relief. "Well, at least you're okay, and that's what's most important."

"Um..." Addressing to a thorn stuck on his belly, Louis timidly requested, "Would you mind?"

Although slightly annoyed, Ray did mentally remind himself that both Louis and Ignis saved his life, so one more measly thorn couldn't hurt. "I got you covered, brah!" said Ray, pulling off the thorn.

Louis let out a quiet squeal of pain before relaxing once the pain subsided. "Much obliged, peewee!" Just when it was thought to be over, the situation took a fire turn when Louis turned around and lifted up his tail, revealing a bunch more thorns. "Now how about the other side?"

"Yeah, I should have expected this," groaned Ignis before she and Ray got to work on removing the remainder of the thorns.

Possibly due to their annoyance and wanting to get the job over with, both Ray and Ignis settled for a small, mutual agreement to finish taking out the thorns, so they pulled as hard and fast as they could, erecting painful yelps from their alligator patient.

"OW! OOH! Easy, easy!" complained Louis.

"This one's in there, ain't it? Hold on!" said Ray, pulling out yet another thorn.

"HOLY-! AAAH!"

After removing a rather stubborn thorn out of Louis, Ignis fell to the ground while holding said thorn and spotted both Naveen and Tiana. "Uh...Tiana? Naveen? Where did you guys go? One minute you were here, and the next, you weren't!"

"We kinda got into a little bit of trouble, but we're alright," assured Tiana.

Ceasing his thorn-pulling activity for the moment, Ray spoke up. "Chre, I know we gots to get to Mama Odie lickety-split, but this particular extractification is gonna take a while, yeah!"

"Awww...Poor Louis!" awed Tiana, sympathetic towards the large alligator as she patted him on the nose.

Holding up one finger while Ray and Ignis continued their "medical" procedure, Louis said, "You know what would make me feel better-AAAAH! Ooh! Crawfish smothered in remoulade sauce-MERCY!"

"Just a little more!" called out Ray as Tiana walked away.

"Jeez, you have a lot here, Lou!" shouted Ignis.

"Some Banana Foster sprinkled with pralines..." continued Louis, practically drooling with hunger before hunger quickly reverted to pain. "OW! OH, MAMA!"

"How about some swamp gumbo?" suggested Tiana, tapping a fresh pumpkin she just found.

"That'll do. YEOOWWW!"

"Sounds delicious," said Naveen, leaning against a tree after placing his feet up on a soft mushroom and spreading a leaf across his lap as though it was a napkin. "I'll start with a pre-dinner cocktail and something to nibble on while I wait. Thanks."

"No, no, no, no, no, _your royal highness,"_ denied Tiana, wrapping a leaf around her waist as though it was an apron before mockingly performing a short curtsy at Naveen, lightly lifting his feet off the mushroom. She then picked up a small stone-like knife and handed it to Naveen. " _You_ are going to mince these mushrooms."

"Do-Do what?" stammered Naveen, confused and lost.

"Mince the mushrooms!" repeated Tiana as she began climbing up a tree to gather more ingredients. "Hop to it!"

"Tiana! Wait!" called out Ignis, leaving Ray to deal with the last remainder of the thorns and ignoring his protests of her suddenly leaving. "What can I do to help?"

Nearly reaching the top of the short tree, Tiana place a hand on her hip. "I thought you said you were terrible at cooking?"

"Well, yeah, but anything's better than pulling thorns out of some gator's butt. I might not be able to help with the cooking, but I can gather some ingredients. You did say crickets have a strong sense of smell, after all."

Tiana snapped her fingers. "Oh, that's right! I did say that! Hmm...Alrighty, then! Go out and find some herbs and other plants and I'll determine whether or not they're for good use! Also be careful of those dark creatures, hon! Dunno when they might pop out of nowhere!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! Might take a while though, but I'll be back!"

With that said, Ignis hopped off to find and gather the ingredients Tiana ordered her to find. Suddenly, she wished she had fire magic right now, or at the very least, brought Ray along, because the more she went, the darker it got, even with the moonlight providing as light for her. She followed the scent of numerous smells all around, and found the source of all those scents in the form of several different plant fields which should be enough ingredients for Tiana's pumpkin dish.

It was at that moment that one distinct, stronger scent overpowered all of the scents she had smelled and a large Bruiser had crashed right in front of the plant fields.

"...WHY?!" complained Ignis before jumping away to avoid a slow rushing attack from the Bruiser.

It was just as she feared. She could handle the small Flood Unversed, but she definitely didn't want to face the bigger Unversed, at least not while she was still a cricket! She could still wield her Keyblade, but her attacks wouldn't be as effective as they normally were when she was human due to her animal form having lack of strength, with speed and agility to make it up. One thing that was good about all this was that she didn't have to worry about Louis and the others since it was just her and the Bruiser. Additionally, there was no other Unversed, so it was a 1-on-1 fight.

If she played her cards right, waited patiently, and dodged every attack, she could win the fight!

Summoning her Keyblade, Ignis crouched down, preparing for any attack from the Bruiser Unversed. Having sensed the power of light emitting from Phoenix Fairy, the Bruiser leapt up, preparing to crush the red cricket under its weight. Ignis leapt back a little, and just as the Bruiser was descending down, Ignis raised Phoenix Fairy, placing it atop her shoulder before she jumped up, closing the distance between her and the Unversed in a second. Performing an upwards slanted slash, Ignis successfully delivered the first blow since the battle started, not only damaging the Bruiser, but also causing it to lose its balance and crash painfully on the ground, messing up its crushing technique.

Because she was very high in the air, Ignis panicked, as she didn't have quite a safe way to land properly. If she could use magic, she could use wind magic to serve as a cushion, but then again, she doesn't have the ability at the moment, so she has to resort to using her physical skills, which she started learning new small but effective techniques during her time as a cricket.

If she crashed down from the high height where she jumped up to, she'd be squashed like road kill. Luckily for her, she landed and bounced off the injured Bruiser's belly, which served as a trampoline. Wiping sweat off her forehead, Ignis couldn't celebrate yet as the Bruiser was still around and starting to get back up. She shrieked as she had to bounce around, dodging the Bruiser's pounding fists all over the ground. One false move, and she could still be squashed!

Rushing up to the Bruiser, she leapt side by side, avoiding more of the fist attacks as she slid across the ground and arrived between its legs. She started slashing and trying to hack away at its legs, naively thinking that if she chopped off from bottom to top, she might eventually get the Bruiser down her level.

There were so many flaws in her plan that she had nearly forgotten that she _was underneath the gigantic Unversed._

Hearing the shift movement of the Unversed, Ignis glanced up and saw that Bruiser was closing in on her, trying to sit down to crush her. As fast as her legs could do, she leapt out of the gap of space as fast and far as she could, landing on the water. She got out of the water and shook the water off her body as though she was a dog before dodging another heavy blow from the Unversed.

No matter how many swift blows she successfully delivered to the Bruiser, the Bruiser didn't seem to let down, although it was getting slightly weaker. She would have finished the fight a lot sooner if she was back in human form, but for now, she was stuck with what she had. It was even a miracle that she could produce a Keyblade in her current form, because without it, she was utterly useless and just reverted as a normal, talking cricket. Technically, a talking cricket still wasn't normal, but that didn't matter at the moment.

 _'You know, I just thought of something,'_ thought Ignis, glancing at the bayou waters. _'Can Unversed even swim? I mean, I did face that fish Unversed, but...Well, time to put it to the test!'_

She began to bait the Bruiser Unversed, leaping high and high in all directions, constantly jumping around it as it looked around and tried to find a good time to attack. Eventually, it did take Ignis' bait by jumping up in the air, hoping to get Ignis by following her movements.

In that instance, Ignis mustered up her strength for an attack strong and quick enough to send the Bruiser Unversed towards the water. Slashing from left to right in a very deep slash, Ignis left a massive impact on the Bruiser that didn't quite finish it off, but sent it flying towards the water before she safely landed on the field of plants that cushioned her fall.

The Bruiser crash landing into the bayou waters sent ripples of water to splash down on the area, drenching Ignis, much to her annoyance. Deciding to check up on the Bruiser, Ignis held tightly onto Phoenix Fairy and jumped down on the water, watching as darkness started leaving the Bruiser as the big Unversed started fading away.

Having confirmed that the Bruiser was gone, Ignis swam back to shore and laid on the ground, deciding to take a break. She was lucky that only one Unversed was there. Come to think of it, she couldn't access that Unversed invention Merlin handed to her due to all of her items being with her human form. At least she had her most important, valued item with her, which was her Keyblade.

Though, if there was one other item she wished she could see for the moment, it would be that Wayfinder Aqua made for her.

Getting nostalgic thoughts out of her head, Ignis proceeded to get up and collect all the plants she could gather in her small cricket body before heading back.

"Where is that girl?" questioned Tiana. "Louis? Ray? I'm a little worried, so do you think you could go and find her?"

"Roger that!" agreed Ray.

"Alright, then!" said Louis before sniffing the air. "Mmm mmm! That smells scrumptious!"

"I'm back!" called out Ignis, laying the various plants on the ground. "Sorry it took me so long!"

"Well, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters," said Tiana before examining each of the plants and picking some up. "Hmm...Herbs, some lavender, that's not so ba-Why did you bring back poison ivy?"

"Wait, what?!"

Ignis glanced down to where Tiana was pointing at and took a sniff at it. Come to think of it, it did smell strange with an...unfamiliar and unpleasant smell. If that the case, and the plant really was poison ivy, then...

"AIYEEEEE!" shrieked Ignis, startling everyone. "I JUST TOUCHED POISON IVY! OH GOD, I DON'T WANNA HAVE RASHES! WATER, WHERE'S THE WATER?!"

"Um...Ignis, hon? I don't think that-"

"LOUIS!" cried out Ignis, running up to him in a panic. "Throw me to the water! PLEASE!"

"U-Uh...Okay!" Picking up Ignis, Louis tossed the little red cricket into the water. A moment later, Ignis emerged, sighing in bliss before exiting the water.

"Uh...Ignis? You really didn't have to do that," said Tiana. "Many animals, especially insects, are actually immune to poison ivy, so you're safe."

"Oh...Oh...Ohhhh...So...I pretty much panicked for nothing?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Oh...Louis, you can go ahead and drown me now."

"No, no, no! It's alright! Anyone would have a reaction to that! How about we just forget what just happened?"

"...Yes, please."

* * *

 _Later..._

While eating the delicious swamp gumbo soup dish that Tiana made, everyone passed the time by sharing stories with each other, mostly just Ray and Ignis. The difference between their stories was that Ray's were hilarious while Ignis' were memorable and cute, since hers were based off of child memories where she spent time with Terra, Aqua, and Eraqus, though she was extra careful not to mention anything like Keyblades and such.

In fact, Ignis was telling one of her childhood tales where she had played a wedding game with Aqua and Terra.

"...And you couldn't believe it!" giggled Ignis. "Aqua was the bride, and Terra was the husband! And I played a bunch of roles during the game! Like, I was the priest, the ring bearer, and I even played my favorite role of all!"

"Oh? And what role is that?" wondered Naveen.

"The flower girl, of course! I get to toss a bunch of flowers around during the 'wedding!' Thinking about it now, it was really super cute! I wish that I could be an actual flower girl! But then our game had to come to an end when Master Eraqus put a stop to it, saying we were too young to be kissing and stuff. I was a little upset that happened, but I was just a kid back then."

"And what of this Terra and Aqua now? Are they...you know?"

"I wish!" sighed Ignis. "It's really clear to both me and Ven-Ven that those two have got the hots for each other! Even a toddler could see it from a mile away!"

"Who's...uh...Ven-Ven?" asked Louis.

"Oh, another friend of mine. He's like the cute little brother I never had! He's also like...like this cute little cinnamon roll that you just wanna hug and squeeze to death!~"

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna meet these friends of yours!"

"That's...gonna be a little difficult, " admitted Ignis. "I do live really, really, REALLY far away, you know?"

"Anyone up for seconds?" suggested Tiana, standing up from her seat.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! I loved that spicy pumpkin soup!" Ignis said, waving her hand as she followed after Tiana.

Naveen also seemed to want to have another tasting as he stood up as well. "That was magnificent!" he praised to Tiana after she poured more soup into Ignis' bowl. "You truly have a gift."

Looking away, seemingly in embarrassment, Tiana smiled and poured more of the soup into his bowl. "Why...thank you."

Hearing Ray gasp, everyone else turned to him and saw him fluttering off from a weed, staring off at the night sky where there were stars sparkling all around. "There she is...the sweetest firefly in all of creation."

"Evangeline?" asked Tiana as she and Naveen hopped onto a lilypad, glancing around and trying to find Ray's firefly sweetheart.

"Ooh? She's here?" Ignis perked up and hopped onto a separate lilypad.

Finishing his soup as quickly as possible, Louis asked, "I want to meet this girl! Where she at?"

"How you can miss her?" asked Ray, flying higher and pointing to a bright, white star that shined the brightest out of all the other stars in the night sky. "She glowing right up there in front of y'all!"

Ignis grew confused as she followed Ray's gaze until she realized the firefly was gazing lovingly at the white star in the sky. Tiana and Naveen exchanged confused looks, but said nothing as Ray started pouring his heart out in the form of a song as well as drawing a sparkling outlet of light in the form of a heart around the star in his perspective.

 **Ma Belle Evangeline**

 **Composed by: Randy Newman**

 **Sung by: Ray (Jim Cummings)**

 _"Look how she lights the sky..._

 _Ma Belle Evangeline~"_

Louis laughed. "That ain't no fire-" He stopped midsentence with a small yelp when Naveen threw his bowl at Louis, gesturing him to hush. Ignis no longer paid attention to her food, but was instead growing mesmerized by Ray's love for "Evangeline," especially with the firefly further expressing his love by drawing another heart of light with an arrow shooting past it along with his and Evangeline's initials on a tree.

 _"So far above me,_

 _Yet I_

 _Know her heart belongs to only me._

 _Je t'adore,_

 _Je t'aime.~"_

"I adore you. I love you," spoke Naveen smoothly to Tiana, who looked surprised before frowning with a questioning expression. "I was just translating!"

"Awww..." awed Ignis, feeling Ray's strong love for Evangeline the more he sang. "That's so touching!"

 _"You're my queen of the night!_

 _So still, so bright._

 _That someone as beautiful as she_

 _Could love someone like me."_

Glancing at Tiana and feeling the mood of love in the air thanks to Ray's romantic love song, Naveen stood up and took Tiana's hand, lifting her up to her feet and taking a dancing position.

Realizing his intentions, Tiana pulled away. "O-Oh, no, I don't dance..." Just as Naveen attempted to pull her back again, Tiana only leapt away onto a different lilypad with a sorrowful expression.

 _"Love always finds a way is true."_

"I've never danced," admitted Tiana, ashamed as she turned her back on Naveen. With an understanding, soft expression, Naveen, much to Tiana's surprise, pulled on the stem of the lilypad with a vine and brought her closer to him.

 _"And I love you, Evangeline."_

"If I can mince, you can dance," replied Naveen, swaying his body movements while guiding Tiana around, teaching her how to dance by having her mimic his movements, though she was a little clumsy at first.

Meanwhile, to further spice up the love mood, Louis started playing a low trumpet solo while glancing at Ray, almost in a smirking way, as though to indicate for the firefly to do something to help out with the romantic scene before them. Deciding to help out, Ray started lighting up the pink flowers floating around the two love frogs in a circular manner.

Wanting to help, Ignis glanced around and wondered what to do to be of assistance when she spotted a couple of differently colored leaves. An idea popped into her mind as she leapt towards the colored leaves and grabbed several of them before making her way towards Ray. Ray quickly caught onto her idea, as he smiled brightly before happily taking the leaves and flying high in the air just as Tiana and Naveen jumped and sank underwater, performing a sort of underwater dance. With the colored leaves he received from Ignis, Ray took advantage of his light to shine different colored lights radiating down on the two frogs as they continued their underwater ballet.

 _"Love is beautiful_

 _Love is wonderful_

 _Love is everything, don't you agree?_

 _Mais oui."_

Springing out from underwater with a high leap to the air, both frogs landed elegantly on a leaf which slid them back on a lilypad. Gently lifting Tiana back down, Naveen twirled her around slowly before having her lean back. In that instance, he saw the evening star reflected in Tiana's eyes, and for that moment, he thought the light in her eyes shined brighter than the stars above. Both frogs stared lovingly into each other as they slowly started moving in closer.

 _"Look how she lights up the sky._

 _I love you, Evangeline."_

"Ah..." Tiana was the one to break them apart as she softly removed his hands off hers and backed away. "Lottie's gettin' herself one heck of a dance partner." To hide his sorrow, Naveen forced a chuckle and gazed at the ground, trying to avoid her gaze. "We...uh...we best be pushing on." She hopped away towards another lilypad just before Naveen could say anything.

Ignis felt awful for the two frogs. They were just about to kiss, but then realization about the consequences should they actually fall in love with each other held them apart. Then again, this was real life, not like the Frog Prince fairy tale story, so maybe things weren't always supposed to go the way they wanted to?

Her nose suddenly caught wind of something nasty and familiar and her antennas perked up as well. Sniffling more in the air, Ignis realized it was the scent of darkness. "Hey, guys-?!"

"AAH!" screamed Naveen as a shadow-like figure grabbed him and pulled him away further into the woods. "Tiana!"

"Naveen!" exclaimed Tiana as she hopped after him, hurriedly trying to rescue him.

Freaking out, the others followed after, trying to catch up to Naveen as Ignis grabbed ahold of Louis' tail and started climbing up to the top of his head. Summoning Phoenix Fairy, Ignis closed one eye and took aim with her Keyblade, firing a beam of light from the tip of her Keyblade, aiming for the shadow that grabbed ahold of Naveen.

"Oh my god, I can't believe that actually worked," said Ignis before a grin widened on her face. Then again, it should have been expected; the power of the Keyblade and magic were two entirely different things, and it just so happened that this worked in her favor.

The bad news was that the light didn't hit Naveen. The good news was that one of the other shadows got the hit instead and immediately disintegrated. Unfortunately, seeing as Ignis had the power to destroy them, the shadows grew fearful and hasten their escape, trying to reach their destination while also avoiding Ignis' light blasts as well.

"Gah! I can't aim properly!" shouted Ignis, still firing light beams from her Keyblade, successfully taking out a few of the shadows, but not the one that took ahold of Naveen. Suddenly, a different source of light destroyed that particular shadow along with the other shadows, and since Naveen was free from the shadow's grasp, he fell back into the water before resurfacing, panting and trying to figure out what just happened.

"Uh...Ignis?" asked Louis. "Did you-?"

"No, that was not me," said Ignis, stunned. While the rest of the evil shadows seemed to have been destroyed, there was another large shadow coming closer from a nearby fog, holding what appears to be a club. Hopping off Louis, Ignis got in front of Naveen and shielded him, using one arm to hold him back while the other holding her Phoenix Fairy.

The figure behind the shadow grew closer and closer...until it revealed to be a plump, elderly woman in white robes, twirling a club-like stick lit on fire.

"Not bad for a 197 year old blind lady!" chuckled the woman, blowing away the fire on her stick. "Now, which one of you naughty dearies been messin' with the Shadow Man?"

Ignis immediately pointed to Naveen, no longer protecting him as there seemed to be no malicious intent coming from the elderly woman. Surprised, Naveen accused, "Hey! You did the same, too!"

"True, but that doesn't deny the fact that you're also guilty."

"Ah! Follow me! It's so damp and cold out here that I can't stand another second here!" said the elderly woman, gesturing for Ignis and the rest of her friends to follow after her as she disappeared deeper into the bayou.

"Louis, Ray? That is Mama Odie, right?" asked Tiana.

"Oh, boy! That most certainly is her!" said Ray. "Come on! We better get a move on!"

After following and walking around for a long time, the gang of swamp creatures found themselves in Mama Odie's residence, which consisted of a large boat atop of a large, elderly tree in the darkest, deepest depths of the bayou.

"We're so glad we found you, Mama Odie!" sighed Tiana in relief as they entered Mama Odie's home. "Ray and Louis here have been tellin' us all about you. We've been traveling quite a long way, and you can't imagine what we've been through. And we-"

Tiana stopped when she, Naveen, and Ignis spotted some water-filled jars containing two eyes and teeth. "Ewwwww!" cried out Ignis, cowering behind Naveen and Tiana in disgust. "Nasty!"

"Juju!" called out Mama Odie when a snake suddenly appeared, hanging from the ceiling. nuzzling and kissing his owner in the cheek. "Come on over here, you bad boy!~ Give us a little sugar now!"

Ignis was a little weary towards the snake called Juju because of the snakes that Dr. Facilier had under his control that had wrapped around her as he had used his magic to turn her into a cricket. Now, like Louis, she was disgusted and gagging at the sight of Mama Odie kissing Juju, or rather, Juju kissing her by flickering his tongue over and over at the elderly woman's mouth. Granted, she was aware that it was a sign of affection but it was still rather disgusting.

"Y'all just loves your mama, don't ya?" chuckled Mama Odie before straightening Juju out, using him as a guiding walking stick as she moved forward. "Good to see you again, Ray! How's your grandmama?"

"Oh, she fine!" said Ray. "Got in a little trouble for flashin' the neightbors again!"

"Ooh! I like that gal's spunk!" Mama Odie laughed, sitting down on a throne resembling a rattan coven chair.

"Mama Odie," started Tiana before she, Naveen, and Ignis hopped onto the arm rest. "We don't want to take up too much of your time-"

"Y'all want some candy?" Mama Odie opened her palm, offering some...old and nasty-looking piece of candy. Some of them weren't even candy, like a few buttons and hair strands.

Ignis was about to take up on her offer, but immediately changed her mind when she saw her option. "N-No thanks!"

"Not really, no."

"No, thank you."

Picking up one of the few that actually looked like candy, Mama Odie wiped the piece off with her robe. "Now, that's too bad! It's a special candy. Woud have turned y'all into human." Having said that, she popped the candy into her mouth.

Ignis, Naveen, and Tiana panicked and stood up, voicing their cries just as the candy made its way down Mama Odie's throat. Mama Odie merely crackled with laughter as she turned to the humanoid animals.

"I'm just messin' with y'all!"

Tiana, though surprised, asked, "How on Earth did you know that we wanted to turn back-" They looked back and saw Mama Odie completely asleep with her head down, letting out a snore.

Leaning towards her, Naveen lightly poked Mama Odie's glasses as Ignis tried snapping her fingers to wake her up. "Uh...Mama Odie-?"

"JUJU!" cried out Mama Odie, startling the frogs and Ignis as she jolted awake and headed towards a large bathtub-like cauldron overflowing with a strange soup-like liquid. "Why didn't ya tell me my gumbo was burning?!"

"You sure this is the right blind voodoo lady who lives in a boat in a tree in the bayou?" Louis questioned Ray.

"Pretty sure."

"Can't believe this! Got to do everything around here-!" grumbled Mama Odie as she was busy mixing something in her cauldron. Tiana, Naveen, and Ignis took this chance to hop on top of the side of the bathtub-like cauldron, where Mama Odie was still trying to fix her problem.

Tiana tried to speak up again. "Mama Odie, if you-"

"Taste this!" Mama Odie shoved a spoonful of the gumbo into Tiana's mouth, making her taste it. "Well?"

Tasting and then swallowing the gumbo, Tiana had a thoughtful expression on her face before answering, "Hit it hard with a couple of shots of Tabasco and it's the bee's knees! Now, can we-"

"JUJU!" called out Mama Odie, searching for her snake companion. The faithful snake popped out of nowhere, holding a bottle of the Tabasco sauce in its jaws before pouring a few drops of it into the cauldron and then disappearing. She mixed it a little bit and then tasted it before joyfully dancing at the new spicy, but delicious taste. "That's got some zang to it! That's just what it needed!"

"Ooh! Can I try one, too?" asked Ignis before being granted her wish as Mama Odie shoved some of the gumbo to her. "Mmm!"

"Now, y'all figure out what ya need?" Mama Odie asked Tiana and the others.

"It's just like you said, Mama Odie. We need to be human," said Tiana as Naveen and Ignis nodded.

"HAH!" shouted Mama Odie, startling the three and causing them to stumble back. Tiana nearly bumped into Naveen, making him grab her and help her back onto his side with his arm wrapped around her, while Ignis nearly slipped into the gumbo by held onto the edge and was climbing back up. "Y'all ain't got the sense you were born with! Y'all want to be human, but you're blind to what you need!"

"What we want? What we need? Is all the same thing, yes?" said Naveen before being hit in the head by Mama Odie's stick. "Ow!"

"Is the same thing? _NO!"_ exclaimed Mama Odie, walking to the center of the room. "You listen to your mama now!" Beginning to sing, Mama Odie started wearing Juju like a scar before using the end of his tail as "rings" on her hand, showing them off to the frogs and Ignis.

 **Dig a Little Deeper**

 **Composed by: Randy Newman**

 **Sung by: Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis)**

 **Tiana (Anika Noni Rose)**

 **Pinnacle Gospel Choir**

 _"Don't matter what you look like_

 _Don't matter what you wear!_

 _How many rings you got on your finger,_

 _We don't care!"_

Chorus: _"No, we don't care!"_

"Wait, where did those flamingos come from?" questioned Ignis, addressing to the flamingo-like birds that acted as the chorus to the song.

Magically conjuring up a club-like stick like she had one earlier, Mama Odie demonstrated her magic to Louis and Ray, allowing them to watch as she transformed him into what she was singing as she said it in an instance.

 _"Don't matter where you come from_

 _Don't even matter what you are!_

 _A dog, a pig, a cow, a goat_

 _Had em' all in here!"_

Chorus: _"We had em' all in here!"_

With the flamingo-like birds dancing in the background, Mama Odie started rummaging through a chest, tossing a bunch of items around to try and find what she wanted.

 _"And they all knew what they wanted_

 _What they wanted me to do!_

 _I told them what they needed_

 _Just like I be telling you!"_

Amongst the items being tossed, Louis caught a tambourine, Ray held a bottle cap, and Ignis struggled to hold even a small, silver key.

 _"You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _Find out who you are!_

 _You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _It really ain't that far!"_

Finding what she was looking for, Mama Odie took out an oyster and presented what was inside to Tiana and Naveen, revealing a beautiful pearl inside in which they both saw their own reflections behind it.

 _"When you found out who you are!_

 _You find out what you need!_

 _Blue skies and sunshine!_

 _Guaranteed!_

 _You gotta dig!"_

Chorus: _"Dig!"_

 _"You gotta dig!"_

Chorus: _"Dig!"_

Turning to Naveen, who was dancing to the rhythm of the song, Mama Odie stood by a wooden stand and started addressing to him.

 _"Prince Froggy is a rich little boy!_

 _You wanna be rich again?_

 _That ain't gonna make you happy now!_

 _Did it make you happy then? No!"_

Mama Odie began raining gold coins all over Naveen, practically dumping a whole load of them as the frog prince lifted up his hands, laughing until he realized he was being overwhelmed by the large amount of money piling up. He couldn't breathe or move until Mama Odie picked him up from the pile.

 _"Money ain't got no soul_

 _Money ain't got no heart!_

 _All you need is some self-control!_

 _Make yourself a brand new start!"_

Flinging herself across a room using Juju, Mama Odie's loyal snake coiled himself into a cushion for Mama Odie to land safely with Naveen before she placed the frog on a box. She then gestured the frog prince to the other side of the room, where Tiana was dancing with Ray. Dropping the gold coin he had been holding onto, Naveen smiled lovingly at Tiana's dancing figure, forgetting about greed and more towards love.

 _"You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _Don't have far to go!_

 _You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _Tell the people Mama told you so!_

 _Can't tell you what you'll find_

 _Maybe love will grant you piece of mind_

 _Dig a little deeper and you'll know!"_

Louis was playing along with the music with a tambourine instead of his trumpet this time while Ignis was standing besides him, happily hopping around to the beat of the music when she jumped too high and accidentally landed on Mama Odie's shoulder.

"Oh! Sorry, Mama Odie!"

"It's alright, darling! I have something to teach you, too!"

"Really?"

 _"Little Miss Cricket came far away_

 _Trying to get back home soon!_

 _You've got the makings of a bearer of grey_

 _But you've still got much work to do!_

 _You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _You're starting to forge your own path!_

 _You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _Don't let nobody bad tell ya what to do!_

 _Magic can't solve everything_

 _But with your creative mind_

 _Dig a little deeper and you'll find_

 _Some more solutions inside!"_

Going up to Tiana, who was still dancing, Mama Odie spoke up loudly. "Miss Froggy?"

"Ma'am?"

"Might I have a word?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Picking up the little frog, Mama Odie placed her on the side of the bathtub cauldron before tapping the gumbo lightly, using her magic to reveal a past imagery of young Tiana with her father.

 _"You's a hard one, that's what I heard_

 _Your Daddy was a lovin' man!_

 _Family through and through!_

 _You your Daddy's daughter_

 _What he had in him you got in you!"_

Holding Tiana in her palm, Mama Odie started walking across a giant hole in the floor with Juju serving as a boardwalk for her. Afterwards, Mama Odie stepped on a platform and Juju started spinning a wheel to make the platform rise to the top.

 _"You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _For you, it's gonna be tough!_

 _You gotta dig a little deeper!_

 _You ain't dug far enough!_

Ignis spotted a different way upwards and pointed to it, causing both her, Ray, Louis, and Naveen to follow her up to reach the top in time to see Mama Odie walking down a wooden pathway with a dancing Tiana.

 _"Dig down deep inside yourself_

 _You'll find out what you need!_

 _Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed!_

 _Open up the windows!_

 _Let in the light, children!"_

At Mama Odie's command, the chorus birds opened up a curtain of moss, revealing a different pathway consisting of multiple colored bottles hanging from above with the sunlight reflecting onto each bottle, creating a illuminating rainbow of heaven.

Chorus: _"Blue skies and sunshine!_

 _Blue skies and sunshine!"_

Being lifted up in the air by Mama Odie just as the finale of the song was coming to a conclusion, Tiana sang both lovely and valiantly as possible; her words echoing off the area at the sound of her voice as Naveen gazed at her amazingly at her heavenly voice.

 _"Blue skies and SUNSHINE!"_

 _"Guaranteed!~"_ finished Mama Odie as the chorus of birds sang the last of the song's rhythms. A moment of silence passed before Mama Odie asked Tiana, "Well, Miss Froggy? Do you understand what you need now, child?"

"Yes, I do, Mama Odie!" shouted Tiana, more confidently than ever. "I need to dig a little deeper and work even harder to get my restaurant!"

The chorus birds and Mama Odie groaned and shook their heads, as that was not what the intent of the song was. "Alright, y'all! One more time!" shouted Ray encouragingly before attempting to sing. "It don't matter what you look like! It don't...Nobody is gonna sing with Ray? Okay..."

"Mama Odie, we really do appreciate what you're trying to tell us, but we really do need to become human. Like, real bad!" pleaded Ignis.

Mama Odie sighed. "Well, if y'all set on being human, there's only one way!" She led everyone back down to the bathtub-like cauldron, stirring the gumbo while chanting a spell. "Gumbo, gumbo in the pot...We need a princess, whatcha got?"

Tiana, Ignis, and Naveen watched from Mama Odie's shoulders as the gumbo shined and swirled around, revealing an image of a blond girl sleeping. "Lottie? But she's not a princess!" said Tiana.

"Who's Lottie?" asked Ignis.

"My best friend. Well, her name's really Charlotte, but I call her Lotte 'cause we're close."

"Hush up and look at the gumbo!" snapped Mama Odie, frowning. The image further showed a fat man dressed as a king entering Charlotte's room, presenting a tiara to Charlotte, who squealed with joy.

"That's right..." muttered Tiana. "Big Daddy's King of the Mardi Gras parade, so that makes Lotte...a princess!"

"Does that count?" wondered Naveen.

"Yes, it does!" confirmed Mama Odie. "But only until midnight, when Mardi Gras is over. Hop along! You only got till then to get that princess to kiss ya!" Using her magic, Mama Odie replaced the imagery with a different, shadowy image of Naveen being kissed by Charlotte, and as a result, Naveen and Tiana being turned back into human. "Once she does, boom! You both turn human!"

"Midnight?" gasped Tiana as she and Naveen hopped off Mama Odie's shoulder. "That doesn't give us much time at all!"

"What about me, Mama?" asked Louis excitedly as Naveen and Tiana hurriedly hopped away. "I want to be human, too, so I can play jazz with the big boys! I want fingers and toes and a bellybutton! Not the kind that sticks out, but the kind that goes in!"

Grabbing Louis' stout to hush him up, Mama Odie replied, "Jabber Jaws, you dig a little deeper, and you'll find everything you need!" She started to shove him out the door, saying, "Come on, come on, come on! There's a lot of river between here and New Orleans! Y'all best get to swimmin'!"

"Wait!" cried out Louis, halting Mama Odie in front of the doorway. "I've got a better idea!"

"Now, hold on there!" said Mama Odie. "Y'all go on with this idea of yours. I gotta chat with your little cricket friend here!"

"Me?" wondered Ignis before turning to her friends. "Uh...Go on ahead, guys! I'll catch up in a bit." After they left, Ignis turned to Mama Odie. "What's up?"

"Girl, you don't have to play coy with me! I know ya one of those foreigners that's 'out of this world,'" chuckled Mama Odie. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, along with ya being a Keyblade wielder!"

Seeing as Mama Odie helped her and her friends earlier before with the shadows and the human solution, Ignis found no reason to distrust her. "Wow, Mama Odie! I'm amazed that you figured it out!"

"Well, around a hundred or so years ago, I was acquaintances with a young Keyblade wielder just like you! She was such a lovely gal, but sadly, I never saw her again," said Mama Odie. "She was the one who taught me light magic, which I always use to fend off evil shadow creatures, the ones the Shadow Man used!"

"Oh! Mama Odie, how do I become human again?" asked Ignis. "Dr. Facilier, the...er...Shadow Man, he turned me into this! I really need to become human again! Can you help me?"

"Girl, that's what I called you here for!" Mama Odie replied. "Those two little froggies have a different fate, being similar to that of the Frog Prince! For ya to become human and regain your magic, there are two ways! First, the Shadow Man must somehow be convinced to give you back your human body and magic through his own consent, or..."

"Or what?"

"Well, it's an awful thing, but he would have to be put down."

Ignis' eyes widened. "What?! No! I mean, I don't like the guy, but I don't wanna kill him just to get my powers back!"

"Eh, his own actions will be his own downfall," said Mama Odie. "Regardless, those are the only two options, with your solution being the Shadow Man! Now, before you go and rejoin your friends, you should know the tale of your end's journey."

"Oh, that Facilier guy already kinda told my fortune."

"Why not spoil a little bit more?" Mama Odie said. "At the end of your journey, like a certain princess from a sleeping tale, you will present someone with three gifts; gifts that will aid that person to a better future. A Pathway, Protection, and most importantly, a Bond."

"Uh...I dunno how I'll do that, but when the time comes, I'll be interested to see how I'll do that. Anyways, gotta go! Thanks, Mama Odie!"

"You take care, sweetie!"

* * *

 **Finished! Wow, this took a while, but well worth it! I really do enjoy the songs and meaning behind each song in the Princess and the Frog movie!**

 **By the way, in case you were wondering, I added the RWBY song, "I Burn," because it had a short jazz section. I thought it might be fitting in a sort of jazz-themed movie like the Princess and the Frog, so why not? Plus, I did like the jazz version.**

 **Read and review!**


	13. New Orleans (4): Envy

**Wow, you guys really love the Princess and the Frog session! Just a heads up, after this whole Princess and the Frog arc is over, I plan to postpone this story until I update one or two more of my stories, then I'll come right back! Just wanted to tell y'all!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the RWBY songs, "Shine," "Let's Just Live," and "Gold," sung by Casey Lee Williams, and composed by her father, Jeff Williams.**

* * *

Sometime after leaving Mama Odie's home, Louis had escorted his friends and finally tracked down a passing riverboat that was on its way to New Orleans. Having lived in the bayou his entire life, as well as having encountered the riverboat from long time ago only to end up in an unfortunate conclusion, Louis may not have located Mama Odie the first time, but he did know that riverboats occasionally travel down the bayou to reach other places.

Glancing around, Louis saw that in the section of the riverboat he was spying on, the coast was clear, so he whistled to his friends, signaling that it was alright to come out into the open. Hearing the whistle, everyone else hopped, or rather flew in Ray's case, onto the deck. For Louis, because of his huge weight, he hauled himself over the railing before falling over heavily onto the deck. Humming to himself to the music playing in the background, Louis was half-dancing as he helped himself up.

Tiana gasped and pointed to another direction, where everyone reverted their attention to before freezing in place. She was pointing to a curtain where it had shadows of people with guns.

"They got guns!" exclaimed Louis, panicking. Tiana, Ignis, and Naveen rushed to hide behind a nearby pipeline while Ray flew into it. Unfortunately, thanks to Louis' large size, he attempted and failed to hide inside the pipeline, forced to make himself into a sort of makeshift alligator box and hope for the best that the approaching...jazz players in animal costumes didn't notice him.

Stopping upon noticing Louis, the lion costumed jazz player tugged slightly on Louis' skin, impressed by how "real" Louis' appearance was. "Man, that is one killer-diller costume!"

The one dressed as an armadillo asked, "Hey, gator! Can you blow that horn?"

Slightly hesitating, Louis played his trumpet, showing off a bit of his trumpet skills and impressing the jazz players. "Yeah, alright!"

"Come on, sit with us! We're playing Mardi Gras!"

Delighted, Louis eagerly followed after them, making loud thumping noises with his feet as he played his trumpet and left his other friends alone.

Ignis sighed in relief and wiped sweat off her forehead, happy that they were the only ones unnoticed. She glanced over to Naveen and Tiana and couldn't stop the smug look on her face when she saw Tiana and Naveen had embraced once another instinctively to avoid being caught. Clearing her throat and catching her frog friends' attention, Ignis pointed to them, making them realize their awkward position before they both chuckled and pulled away.

"We can't miss this!" cried out Ray happily as he flew off to where Louis headed off to. "Little Louis going to finally play with the big boys!"

Just as Tiana was about to follow after Ray, she glanced back and saw Naveen staring absent minded elsewhere, rubbing his arm. "Naveen? You coming?"

"Oh!" Chuckling slightly, Naveen leaned back against the pipe and waved at her, assuring her, "I'll-I'll catch up with you later."

Deciding to leave Naveen alone for the time being, Tiana nodded and hopped off, leaving Naveen alone. Naveen sighed to himself and looked away, only to spot a bunch of junk laying about the deck, such as beads and a few metallic objects.

"So..." started Ignis, startling Naveen. "I see you've got an interest in Tiana."

"W-What? I-I...do not...Uh...I thought you left with Tiana and the others!"

"Dude. I haven't even moved an inch since we hid from those guys from earlier. But, more importantly, it seems like you're trying to make a gift for Tiana! Need some help?"

Biting his lower lip, Naveen turned away for a moment, contemplating on what to do. Since Ignis was here, he might need to enlist her help in the art of crafts since he has absolutely no clue how exactly to create a ring out of all of the junk and jewelry lying about. He couldn't exactly steal an actual ring, so his only option was to try and craft a new one, but even so, he had no clue how to make one.

"...Yes," decided Naveen. "I am trying to craft something for Tiana, and if you can help me, that would be absolutely fantastic. However, you cannot tell Tiana this, for I wish to present it to her!"

"Of course!" said Ignis. "So, what are you trying to make? A necklace? Bracelet? Or, is it an actual tiara?"

"No, no, none of those. What I am trying to make is...a ring."

Luckily, Naveen knew Ignis enough to cover his ears in time as the squealing commenced. After a minute, he saw Ignis had calmed down before proceeding to explain, "Now, if you'll have my attention! I...wish to propose to Tiana, tonight. She has sparked something inside of me that I have never felt before even after dating so many other women."

"Uh...Okay, I'm happy for you, but you might not want to mention that last part to Tiana when you propose," said Ignis.

Realizing his mistake, Naveen winched. "Ooh! Right, sorry, sorry! Will you help me, Ignis? You are good with crafts, yes?"

"Of course! I used to do them all the time back at my home!" Ignis giggled at a few of her precious memories with crafting items. "Once, I even crafted a flower crown for Ven. He kept it, but he begged me not to tell anyone else. It was so cute, seeing his embarrassed, red face!"

"Well, a flower crown would be nice, but it would be even more wonderful if you could teach me how to craft a ring out of...well, all this," said Naveen, referring to all of the junk lying about on the deck.

Hoping up to one of them, Ignis looked around and turned to Naveen. "Well, I have to look through all of these materials, first. And then, we can brainstorm a couple of ideas together until you think that you've got the perfect ring for Tiana! I don't think Tiana's the picky type, so I bet she'll love any sort of ring you design for her!"

"Excellent! Thank you!" said Naveen happily, shaking her arms up and down. "Now, let's get started!"

The next while after, both frog and cricket worked together to gather all the necessary materials and moved to craft the best ring they could possibly muster with the materials they had. Ignis may have helped with gathering the materials, but because of her fingerless paws, she couldn't make the ring, so the best she could offer was advice and instructions towards Naveen, who was determined to make the ring himself with Ignis' help. They both even found and cracked open a walnut to act as the ring's box until the time was right for Naveen to present the ring to Tiana.

"Wow! It looks like a genuine, good ring!" cried out Ignis, staring at her own reflection behind the huge pearl centered on top of the ring. "Good job, Naveen!"

"Yes, well...There is still some time before we arrived at New Orleans, but I need to think up of a good way to propose to Tiana! Like, what words to say and as such!" Naveen said. "I must think and plan out what to do when I propose!"

"You need some help with that?" offered Ignis curiously.

"No, no! This time, I must do so myself! Otherwise, how will I prove myself worthy in Tiana's eyes? Ignis, I do appreciate your help, but this time, I must triumph on my own! So, if you would allow me some privacy and time to think-"

"I gotcha!" agreed Ignis, understanding that he needed time alone. "I'm gonna hang out with Ray and Lou-Lou! See ya later!"

After leaving Naveen alone, Ignis was about to hop towards the source of the music, where she knew Louis was having the time of his life playing with a jazz band in the interior of the riverboat when she accidentally bumped into Ray.

"Oh! Ray! I thought you were with Tiana and Ray!" said Ignis, surprised.

"Nah, I decided to take a breather and fly around the boat a bit, get some fresh air, ya know?" answered Ray. "Tiana still back there, listening to our boy Louis play, though, if ya wanna talk to her."

"Hmm...Nah, I can still hear the music in the background. You know, it might do us both some good if we get some fresh air together. Why don't we take a walk together, just you and I?"

"Oh, no! I see where this is heading!' Ray said, shaking his head. "The only girl in my heart is Evangeline, ya hear?"

"What? No, I'm not interested in you, Ray," said Ignis. "Besides, I only go for guys that are tall, dark, and handsome! I wouldn't dare go after someone who already has a lover!"

"Well..."both

"Besides, nothing's wrong with two friends taking a walk and talking together."

"Eh...Okay!"

Being careful to avoid any humans despite the fact that they were both rather small creatures, they rather not take the risk and decided to head towards the upper decks for their walk, as there were a lot more people in the lower decks than above. Even after finding a few crates to sit on in the upper decks, both firefly and cricket chatted amongst themselves, talking about themselves and getting to know one another.

"And ya know, we fireflies gather up every single holiday of every single year!" said Ray. "Cousin Lita's soon to have triplets soon, so we're all anticipatin' what gender's what! My bet's that the firstborn is gonna be a big boi!"

"Good for your cousin!" said Ignis. "Say, Ray? What would you want your firstborn to be, and what would be his or her name?"

"Easy-peisy! I'd want a girl first, because then I'd give her a really good and similar name for my dear Evangeline! Maybe Angelina would be good, because no matter if I get a boy or girl, they'll always be an angel to me," sighed Ray, staring up at the sky, which seemed close to becoming sundown at any moment.

"Awww! That's so sweet!" Ignis cooed. "Your love song for Evangeline was really sweet, too! I've heard a couple of love songs, but yours has to be the most sweetest of all!"

Intrigued by what she stated, Ray turned to her. "Say, you mind if I listen to one of your love songs? I be thinking of some new, good ones to sing to Evangeline every night, but I running out of ideas!"

"Okay! Hmm...Well...Uh...There is one song, but it came from a fairy tale story I read long ago. It was about...something about a cat and a bumblebee's love for each other."

"Well, whatcha waitin' for? I wanna hear it! The song, I mean."

Clearing her throat, Ignis nodded and took a few deep breaths, beginning the song.

 **Shine**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _"Baby, it's time to make up your mind!_

 _I think that tonight is when the stars align!_

 _Honey, it's time to leave the doubt behind!_

 _Take my hand 'cause you and I are gonna shine!_

 _I was cold in the dark_

 _It was empty in my life._

 _From the outside it looked so bright_

 _But nothing felt right...to me._

 _Like a sky with no sun_

 _Like a night that has no day_

 _My heart was eclipsed by the dark_

 _Then something changed_

 _I saw a little ray of light come through_

 _The tiniest of sparks came into view_

 _And then,_

 _You made me hope again_

 _I've been watching you, helping you_

 _Wishing that you'd see_

 _That the girl you've been waiting so long for could be me_

 _Now - I've never been in love_

 _But I think this is it!_

 _It might seem like a school girl crush_

 _But I have to admit_

 _I wanna take a chance and make you see_

 _I think that you're the one who'll rescue me_

 _This time_

 _You're finally gonna see you should be mine_

 _But baby, it's time to make up your mind!_

 _I think that tonight is when our stars align!_

 _Honey, it's time to leave the doubt behind!_

 _Take my hand 'cause you and I are gonna shine!_

 _I won't need any dreams_

 _It's all there if you're by my side_

 _Every moment's enough_

 _And you take me to paradise!_

 _When I needed a hero you knew it_

 _And you were there_

 _And I'm scared but I'll open my heart up_

 _I'm ready to dare_

 _I know I've never felt like this before_

 _I never really knew what love was for_

 _I dreamed_

 _But never did believe_

 _But baby, it's time to make up your mind!_

 _I think that tonight is when our stars align!_

 _Honey, it's time to leave the doubt behind!_

 _Take my hand 'cause you and I are gonna_

 _Light the sky until it's dawn and_

 _Baby, you and I are gonna shine!"_

Finished with the song, Ignis turned to Ray, who gazed at her with awe and inspiration. "That...was...AMAZIN'!" cried out Ray, spiraling around Ignis in a frenzy. "That song just zapped the inspiration for a new love song for my dear Evangeline! Thank ya, thank ya, thank ya!"

"No problem, Ray! I love singing for others!" giggled Ignis. "Glad I could help! Although, technically, it's a love song from a girl to a guy she likes, so if you sing this to Evangeline, I think it's gonna be a bit confusing."

"Eh, that don't matter! I could change the lyrics to match me and Evangeline later! 'Course you deserve the credit for helping us, yeah! Boy, whoever you pair us with, they'd sure be lucky to hear ya singing all the time!"

"Iyaaan…! Ray, you're gonna make me blush!~" Ignis said, cupping her face with her hands and blushing pink, taking Ray's words as a compliment. "But you are right! Any guy would fall in love with my singing! ...I think."

"Ya think?" wondered Ray, confused.

"Well, yeah! I never dated anyone before! Aqua's totally for Terra, and Ven-Ven's like a cute little brother to me! Hmm...I totally want a tall, dark, and handsome sort of guy!"

"Well, I hope you find ya soulmate!" encouraged Ray. "Of course, that'll have to be after you and the others turn back human!"

"Thanks! Hmm...Ray, don't you wanna become human, too?"

"Nah, I be fine!" assured Ray. "If I did become human, it'd be awfully difficult to communicate with me and my family, as well as my dear Evangeline! Besides, why become human when I've got everything I've need already?"

Thinking about it, Ignis had to admit that Ray was correct. Everyone else besides him had a reason to become human. Tiana wanted to accomplish her dreams, Naveen had to marry-Well, Ignis wasn't sure that marrying his fiancée was the reason he wanted to become human now since he wanted to marry Tiana, and Ignis herself wanted to become human and return back home. Oh, and Louis wanted to be human to be part of a jazz band.

But Ray? He had absolutely nothing to gain by becoming human. He was right; he had everything he had. Well, if there was one thing he wanted, it was his dream to be with Evangeline, who was just an evening star instead of the beautiful firefly that Ray envisioned her to be. Ignis couldn't bear to simply tell Ray that she was nothing but a star, an unreachable love.

Staring up at the sky, which had faded into a mixture of red, orange, and yellow, Ignis saw that the stars were slowly coming out one by one, including Evangeline, the star Ray loved deeply. "...The stars are beautiful tonight," she found herself muttering.

"Stars?" Ray asked, confused.

Desperate to think of something, Ignis pointed upwards and all the other faraway stars. "Uh...You know! Those other twinkling things up there besides Evangeline? Yeah, those are stars."

Feeling jealous, the light in Ray started emitting a red color, showing his anger. "Oohh! They better not do anything to my sweet Evangeline!"

Ignis chuckled. "Nah, she's safe. Besides, the stars could be her friends. I bet she gets lonely sometimes, so she needs a gal friend to talk to, you know?"

Settling down, Ray smiled. "Oh! I see! Yea, that makes sense! One of the things I can't do for Evangeline is all this girl talk! Never could understand it!"

"...You know," started Ignis, staring at the stars. "Me and my friends, Terra, Aqua, and Ven, we used to look up at the stars like this. We'd talk about how our day was, our hobbies, some stupid stuff, some funny stuff, anything friends would talk about. But...one thing we all thought was that each star represents a single world."

Confused, Ray asked, "If so, is each star a friend or a world?"

"Well, I'd like to believe it's both now," explained Ignis. "If they're a world, Evangeline can tell you all the other places she's been to when you finally join her. But if they're a friend, she can tell you all about her friends, just like how you'll tell her about me, Lou-Lou, Naveen, and Tiana, right?"

Ray nodded. "Yup! I got so much to tell Evangeline!"

"And the best part is, whether the stars are worlds or friends, we still win. I never once thought of the stars as lovers after they've been passed to the other side, but I suppose that's a possibility. Then again, my theory might be right, and they still can be both world and friend. If so, the stars are limitless."

"Ya right..." said Ray. "Ignis, what ya want to do after becoming human? Ya got a dream?"

"Of course," said Ignis, nodding. "Eh...I can tell you that I want to explore a lot of worlds and meet lots of people! But...I have to complete my training, first. Then, I'll be a master, and I can explore the worlds!"

"Master of what, exactly?"

"Um..." Ignis couldn't tell Ray about the Keyblades as part of the world order, so instead, she settled for the next thing she could think of. "Magic! I wanna be a master of magic, but I've still got a lot of training to do. Aqua's a Master now, so I gotta catch up to her! Man, I'm so jealous of her!"

"Jealous?"

Nodding, Ignis replied, "Yup. I was always jealous of Aqua for lots of reasons. Her beauty, her talent in magic, her mature composure that makes you just look up to her like a role model...and so much more. Of course, I was never afraid to tell Aqua I was jealous of her being more talented in magic than I was, but I never told her about the other reasons why I was jealous. I thought if I did, she'd lower her standards just for me, and I couldn't let that happen."

"It sounds awful like you hate her," said Ray, frowning.

"What? Oh no, I don't hate her! Not in the slightest! Jealous, maybe, but that jealously inspired me to improve myself! In a way, I was jealous in a good way, not the sort of, 'I-wanna-kill-you,' kind of jealous. Besides, there are some things that Aqua is actually jealous of that I have."

"She and you on good terms, still?"

"Oh, yeah! Totally! Uh...She might actually not know that I had left home, and by now, she's probably worrying like the Blueberry Mom she is! Oh, that's my embarrassing nickname for her!"

"What sort of things she jealous of?"

"Let's see..." Thinking for a while, Ignis said, "Uh...Nah, both me and her are both good at crafts...Oh! My wonderful singing voice is better than hers, but she comes a very close second! In all honesty, she's better at dancing than me, so it's like, I'm good at singing, she's more better at dancing. Oh, yeah! And, I get really creative with magic! She's top notch with all the powerful spells, but when it comes to creativity and spell invention, you can count on me! She even relies on me for magic strategies and we come to a mutual agreement. She helps me improve my magic skills, and I help her with creativity with magic! Aqua's more like a rule follower of the book and doesn't have a creative mind when it comes to magic. Me? I use up all my magic and have to wait and rest until I regain my strength back. Yeah...that's always been a flaw of mine."

"Not to be a downer, but I suppose since ya can't use magic now that ya a cricket, it must be harsh, yeah?" asked Ray.

Ignis nodded. "It's frustrating. So many times, I wanted to use magic during this whole journey ever since I turned into a cricket, only to find that I can't because of that Facilier guy. But, it wasn't all bad. I mean, without magic, I had to rely on my physical skills to fight any danger, and like with magic, I just thought up of a bunch of new fighting skills to unleash on the Unversed."

"Unversed?"

"Oh, right. You weren't there when I did the fighting. The Unversed are kinda like those shadows that tried to take away Naveen before we met Mama Odie. They're dangerous and feed on negativity, so hopefully, you won't have to deal with them."

"Oh, I reckon you must be strong, then?"

"Definitely!" said Ignis. "I wish I had some time to train around here, like fight against some more Unversed, but there aren't here. I mean, I should be glad, and I am, but, I kinda wanna practice my jumping cricket skills on something."

"Hmm...I bet ya'll think of somethin'!"

"Yeah! And...and when I find that Facilier guy, I...I actually have no idea what to do."

"Wha? Mama Odie said that the Shadow Man's the only one to turn ya back to human!" reminded Ray.

"Yeah, I know that, but she said there were two ways. One, he has to actually turn me back willingly, or...um...He has to die. And in the short time that I've known him, I know he's not gonna give up my magic that easily. I don't...want to kill again."

"Again? You...did something like that before?"

Startled, Ignis realized what she said, but it was far too late to take it back. "Y-Yeah...I kinda did kill someone for the first time. In my defense, it was total self-defense! I was protecting my friend, Arthur, from a nasty witch, and she was about to hurt her, so I had no choice but to kill her. It all happened so fast, and at the time, I didn't really think of her and was focused more on Arthur." Clenching her paws as though they were fists, Ignis said, "I...I never wanted to hurt her. I just wanted to protect Arthur. Back then, it was self-defense that time, but now? Faced with a choice of killing that guy? Yeah, I don't like him, but that didn't mean I wanted to kill him."

"Then, ya'll gotta find a way to trick him," said Ray. "I know nothin' about trickin' others, but I know ya can do it! Ya'll a feisty little cricket, that's for sure!"

"I guess you're right," said Ignis, relieved. "Thanks for listening and not judging me, by the way. If I had told this to my friends, I'm...pretty sure they'd judge me. I mean, I did kill someone, even in self-defense, but I'm sure they'd take it badly."

"Nah-uh. Don't think so," said Ray. "What I heard, your friends all nice and kind and fun! If they your true friends, they'd listen and support ya!"

Ignis smiled. "Thanks, Ray. I guess you're a true friend to me, too. But...My Master, he's always on about the light. He says never to kill unless necessary, and he says that killing evil is justice. That woman I killed, Madam Mim, yeah, it was self-defense, but she was also evil, too. I killed her, and I didn't know her that well, but even so, even if killing evil is justice, I...I don't really feel good about it. I don't want to disappoint my Master, but at the same time, I also don't want to kill people just because they're 'evil.' Does...Does that make me an awful person?"

Flying up to Ignis, Ray placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "I understand where ya come from. In the bayou, every day's a struggle. It's a predator vs prey day every day, and even we fireflies have our own predators. But we understand that predators hunt to eat food and catch prey for their younglings, so we don't hold it against them. That don't make killing our own kind right, though. You killing for the first time was unfortunate and tragic, but it should NEVER be a habit. Well, for predators, it is, but it don't mean you should LIKE having to kill. There a main difference between self-defense killing and killing for justice. Ya ask me, self-defense killing is much better than this whole confusin' justice system. Whoever your master is, about the whole justice killing stuff he talked about, no matter what, killing is still bad, even if it is for a good cause and... Ignis? Ignis?"

Seeing Ignis staring down at her lap and contemplating what he said, Ray decided to leave her alone for the time being. Maybe he oughta find something for her to practice her jumping skills on to help clear her mind or something. But first, he better find and check up on Naveen. It's been a couple of hours since he's last seen the frog prince, after all...

Ignis sighed and wondered what to do. All her life, she's been training to be a Keyblade Master, and up to this point, she's always been taught that light is always good and darkness is bad. That all darkness is tainted and must be destroyed no matter the reason because it was the right thing to do.

But recently, ever since she was kidnapped and forced out of the Land of Departure, the worlds have offered her more than she expected. She fought Unversed, grew stronger from both fighting and training, and made friends, but there was also something that has been lingering in her ever since her journey began.

The true theme between light and darkness.

It all began with Merlin, as she was so eager to be taught magic by him. She was taught some magic, but at the same time, he began teaching her something that Master Eraqus would never teach; that darkness had benefits. That it had somewhat of a good side. The Unversed were really bad examples to show that darkness had a good side, and it was clear they needed to be eliminated to protect the innocent, but...

Why? Every time she fought and defeated an Unversed, why was it that for a slight moment, before they vanished completely, they seemed to be in pain?

Master Eraqus taught her that darkness was evil, it had no remorse or any ways or redeeming itself. But, if the Unversed who caused pain to innocents and the light were to also be in pain in their final moments, could they truly be evil in that one moment?

No, it wasn't a matter of evil or good. What truly bothered Ignis besides the fact that light and darkness must always stay in balance was that even killing darkness was wrong. Yes, killing was always wrong, but Eraqus always taught that there is no shame in defending those one loves, even if it resorts to drastic measures. Ignis could fully agree with defending even if it meant terrible results as long as their loved ones were safe, but it still wrong to kill.

Most of the time, she witnessed darkness being evil, mostly from Unversed, but never have seen evil light. Part of the whole balance system Merlin taught her was that there must be a balance in polar opposites, like good and evil, fire and water, and so forth. In fact, the only "good" darkness Merlin taught her was through teaching her how to use darkness magic. It seemed similar to the darkness within Terra, except that darkness magic can actually be both good and evil, depending on the person who uses it. Shameful as she thought it might be, Ignis has actually been looking forward to casting more darkness magic and even came up with more creative tricks on how to use it, whereas she knew her Master would definitely disapprove anything with darkness.

In the last world, Ignis killed Madam Mim out of self-defense and to defend Arthur; a perfect example of Eraqus' words of wisdom. Back then, she didn't think too much, but now that she had time to contemplate on her death, Ignis found she didn't feel too much about Madam Mim's death, while at the same time, she did feel awful from killing her.

And that's what scared her from within.

As a Keyblade wielder, she was aware that to protect innocents, she must give up her life if the time came as that was part of the duties of being a Keyblade Master. Even if she never got popular or even if nobody remembered her, she still must fufill the most important duty of protecting others from the darkness. But if she actually killed evil people simply out of duty for the light and out of justice, wouldn't that make her bad as well?

Ray was right, though. Even if she has to kill later on, she would absolutely NEVER enjoy it. Although not really a reliable source, she knew from comic books that those who do enjoy killing are sickos and most of the time, evil. When the time came to confront Dr. Facilier, aka the Shadow Man, she needed to come up with a strategy to somehow trick him into returning her back to human form and returning her magic powers.

If she could manage to create many creative spells, then surely a tricky strategy isn't out of the question?

"Ugh! I'm so confused!" cried out Ignis. Most of the time, she would just wing it and hope for the best when the time came, but this time, it might be different. She actually has to figure out a peaceful solution without anyone getting hurt, even if that included Dr. Facilier.

She thought, that by encountering the other worlds for the first time, they would be more excited, and they were, but the philosophy and values being taught to her by Eraqus is being questioned as she encountered more problems and people.

She didn't know how long she was thinking, but eventually, she did hear Ray calling out for her. When she looked up the sky, she found that sundown had already fallen and that the night sky was glimmering with stars, including Evangeline in her full brightness.

"Ignis! Ignis! Ya'll okay?" asked Ray, concerned as he flew up to her.

"Y-Yeah...I'm okay," said Ignis before glancing at the items Ray was carrying, which consisted of a napkin and a paper souffle cup that had some red paint in it. "What's this?"

"The best idea I come up with yet!" said Ray proudly, placing the items besides her. "Ya said ya wanted to practice ya jumpin', hoppin' skills, so why not do so with paintin'? Can't carry a paintbrush cause it's too heavy, though."

"Oh, thanks, Ray!" thanked Ignis, spreading the napkin out more before dipping her paw onto the red paint in the small paper cup. Noting she had to wash her hands later, Ignis gently tapped the napkin with her red painted hand, making a small, red, painted dot.

Testing out more with the paint and taking advantage of her cricket body, Ignis started off small, but after placing the paint on all four of her paws, she began hopping around the napkin. Whenever it seemed she ran out of paint on her paws, she'd hop back and land on the red paint before jumping off and proceeding to continue her work on the napkin as Ray watched with interest.

Paint, then hop back to the napkin. Run out of paint? Hop back to the paint. This was the routine Ignis kept up with.

By the time she finished, she had used up all of the small red paint available in the paper cup, and Ray offered to lift up Ignis in the air so they could both see what a masterpiece Ignis created.

It was...an interesting piece. Lots of random dots all over, as though they were footstep trails leading to a treasure. Even a small series of dots were made up to make an X-mark. Ignis' attempt at making a stick figure with all her hopping somehow ended up with a wiggly stick figure instead, and the stars she tried to create were like a mixture of X's and squares.

Despite everything, Ignis still had some fun playing around with the paint and felt as though she had some more experience with hopping around and was getting more used to her cricket form, so it wasn't in vain.

"That's a fine piece of work there, Ignis! Why, I bet with a little more practice, you'd be a master artist!" encouraged Ray before spotting some bright lights not too far from their location. "Oh! We almost there to New Orleans!"

"Really? Oh, great! Come on! Let's go find Tiana and-"

"Ah! No, no, no!" Ray zoomed in front of her, stopping her. "Guess what? Guess what? It supposed to be secret, but I tell ya anyways! Our boy Naveen is gonna propose to Tiana tonight!"

"Oh. I already knew that."

"Really? Awww! And here, I wanted to WOW ya!"

"Sorry, Naveen got to me first," said Ignis, crossing her arms. "In fact, I helped him make the ring."

"Ya helped him? Guess that make sense, seeing as our frog prince boy doesn't know how to do nothin' at first! Come on, let's wait for the boat to land! Maybe we meet them out on the exit!"

And wait, they did. When the boat landed on the docks of New Orleans, the first ones off were Louis and his new jazz band as they headed towards the parade float of the Mardi Gras festival. Like they planned, Ignis and Ray got off the riverboat and it didn't take them long to find Tiana, who appeared to be searching for Naveen.

"Ray! Ignis! Have you two seen Naveen?" asked Tiana worriedly.

"What?" asked Ignis, surprised. "You mean, he's not with you?"

"Look at you," cooed Ray coyly. "Where the ring at?"

"What are you talking about?" Now, Tiana was more worried, yet confused.

Seeing that Tiana didn't have a ring or that Naveen wasn't around, Ignis had a high suspicion that something went wrong, yet she kept silent and decided to see where the conversation was heading.

"Well, if Cap didn't say nothing, I ain't gonna say nothing, because old Ray's sealed up tight as a drum!" said Ray, turning around.

"Ray..." Now Tiana was starting to become suspicious, thinking that Ray might know something.

Sure enough, it didn't take much persuasion for Ray to confess everything. "Okay, Cap not gonna marry Charlotte, he going to marry you! Soon as he gets himself kissed and y'all both turn human, he's gonna find a job, get you that restaurant, and..."

"Dude, dude, DUDE!" called Ignis loudly, interrupting Ray. "Wow...Dude, you don't tell a girl that her soon-to-be lover is going to confess to her before the lover confesses, you idiot!"

"Ooh!" Realizing his mistake, Ray covered his mouth, but it was already too late. "I said too much, didn't I?"

Filled with joy, Tiana embraced both Ray and Ignis, hugging them both closely. "You said just enough, Ray! Thank you, thank you, thank you, both!" She glanced up and whispered tenderly, "Thank you...Evangeline."

After releasing them both, Tiana hopped towards the parade in excitement as Ray and Ignis happily followed after her, wanting to see the proposal for themselves. As the parade floats traveled all around the streets of New Orleans, lively jazz music played and filled the streets. Confetti and beads of jewelry flew all over as people caught the beads, danced to the music, or just enjoyed the sights of the Mardi Gras parade.

Bypassing the feet of all the other sightseers, Tiana, though completely out of breath, told Ray and Ignis as they followed her, "He was trying to propose! That's what all that fumbling was about! And here I thought, all he wanted was to marry a rich girl!"

"Hey, slow down a little, Tiana!" called out Ignis as she and Ray tried to catch up to her.

"What are we looking for again? exclaimed Ray.

Continuing to hop around to get to the front of the audience, Tiana decided the best method to see everything from high and up close would be to climb up a pole sign and watch the parade from above. "You just keep your eyes out for the biggest, gaudiest float with a Mardi Gras princess about to kiss herself a...a frog..."

Frowning, Ignis could tell from Tiana's last statement that something was wrong. Bouncing up as high as she could, she grabbed ahold of the sign at the top and climbed up herself as Ray flew besides Tiana. All three saw on top of the most grand parade float that looked like a wedding cake a priest and a wedded couple about to be marry; a young blond girl in a pink wedding dress and...a princely figure that Ignis could immediately tell that was Naveen's true human form.

"Dearly beloved!" announced the priest. "We are gathered here tonight in this fine celebration to join together this prince and young woman in holy matrimony."

"W-What?" wondered Ignis, shocked. "H-Hold on...Maybe the guy up there isn't Naveen! Maybe it's some totally different prince who-"

"Miss Charlotte La Bouffe and Princess Naveen of Maldonia!"

"...Shit."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Ray whispered, "Oh, no...This-This can't be right, darling. And how you can still be a frog? Mama Odie, she-" Looking down, both he and Ignis were taken aback when they saw Tiana was no longer on top of the pole where she originally was. Though worried, they didn't panic and hurried to find her.

Their search eventually took them to a cemetery, where amongst the darkest corners of the spooky graveyards of the dead, they found Tiana, all huddled up and with her back turned, clearly heartbroken.

Flying up to her, Ray softly spoke, "I-I know what we seen with our eyes, but if we just go back that way, we're gonna find out your fairy tale come true."

"Just because you wish for something doesn't make it true..." spoke Tiana in a broken, sorrowful tone.

"It's like my Evangeline always said to me-"

"Evangeline is nothing but a star, Ray!" snapped Tiana, distraught. "A big ball of hot air a million miles from here! Open your eyes now, before they get hurt." Having said her piece, Tiana left to find herself some more privacy, wanting to be alone for a while.

"...Ray?" Ignis turned to Ray, who was staring at the space where Tiana once was; eyes brimming with tears as he was hurt by Tiana's hurtful words, however true they may be. "T-Tiana's just...When people are upset, they say mean things they don't really mean it. I-I mean, uh..." Ignis wanted to tell Ray that Tiana was right, that Evangeline was just a star, but how could she also hurt Ray who was on the verge of tears? She didn't want to lie to him, but she also didn't want to hurt him like Tiana had.

"I-It okay," assured Ray, wiping away his tears. "She just speaking out of a broken heart, that's all there is. I-I...Me and Evangeline, we gonna show chre the truth!"

"What are you going to do?" asked Ignis.

"We gonna find out what's going on and what happened!" said Ray. "Come on, Ignis! Let's get crackin'!"

Glancing back, Ignis shook her head. "I-I can't. Sorry, Ray, I just can't leave Tiana alone. This place...it reeks of darkness, a perfect harvesting spot for the Unversed. I can't leave Tiana alone. Look, I'll watch over her and make sure nothing happens. You go find out what's going on. If something's wrong, come back to me right away, okay?"

Ray nodded firmly. "Sounds like a plan!" He flew off, leaving Ignis alone with Tiana, who wasn't far away.

After Tiana's latest outburst towards Ray, Ignis knew that Tiana wasn't in the mood to talk and that she needed some alone time. Still, she couldn't leave Tiana in the dark cemetery all by herself a she had stated earlier, so she kept a fair distance away from Tiana, being on the lookout and watching over her not just because of the Unversed, but in case she needed a crying shoulder.

"Chre! Chre! Chre!"cried out Ray frantically, flying towards Tiana as fast as she could.

"Ray?" wondered Tiana, snapping out of her depression. Normally, the firefly was all energetic until recently when she had yelled at him earlier and hurt his feelings, but whatever he wanted from her right now, it had to be important.

Concerned, Ignis hopped out from her hiding spot and landed besides Tiana just in time to see Ray hand Tiana a strange talisman. "What's going on, Ray?"

"This proves what we saw ain't what we thought we saw!" Ray tried to explain to the two girls as quickly as possible.

"What is this?" wondered Tiana.

"It's a voodoo hayacall! The Shadow Man-! He been using it for the-!" Their conversation had to be cut short upon the arrival of the same sinister shadows that had tried to capture Naveen before in the bayou. "You can't let Shadow Man get this, no matter what! Both y'all, run!"

"No, you stay with Tiana and run!" shouted Ignis, summoning Phoenix Fairy and clamping it on her jaws. "I'll-!"

"No time! Get! I handle these thugs with my light! Go! Go!" urged Ray, chivalrously trying to get the two girls to escape while he buy them some time.

Gritting her teeth, which was more painful considering she was biting down on her Keyblade, Ignis wished she could do more to help, but she knew that since the shadows were weak to light, and Ray is a firefly with light being his primary source, he should be alright. Right now, her top priority was to get Tiana to safety and help her escape to a safer place. Once done, she'll return to Ray and assist him.

"Tiana, let's go! Hurry!" cried out Ignis, yanking on her arm and urging her to move as she took the lead. Though hesitant, Tiana reluctantly followed after Ignis, sending a glance behind her shoulder to see if Ray would be alright as he decided to face the shadows alone.

While running for their lives, Ignis made sure to check around for any safe passages or anyplace to hide. Size was no problem as they were both small creatures; in fact, if there was a space small enough for just Tiana, that would be fine. From the looks of things, as well as the crackling, sinister laughter coming from the shadows, it appears several ignored Ray and were chasing them down.

"Tiana, make a run for it! Go on without me!" ordered Ignis, whirling around to face the shadows. "Hide somewhere with lots of lots of light! Those shadow creatures hate light! Just go!"

With no time to argue, Tiana nodded and hurried away while Ignis faced against the shadows. It seemed that they were going to ignore her and go after Tiana, but after Ignis fired a light beam from her Keyblade, they reverted her attention towards her.

It was going good at first, with Ignis taking out a few of the shadows one by one with the power of light emitting from her Keyblade. Just when she was about to take down the next shadow, something rushed towards her, and it was due to her quick instincts, as well as the agility implanted in her natural cricket body that she was able to dodge the attack coming from...

A giant snake.

Normally, Ignis would be alright facing a snake Unversed, except she was in so many disadvantages starting with the fact that she was a cricket. It seemed that the snake Unversed seemed to be out for her as it opened its fangs and attempted to devour her; an attempt that Ignis dodged and proceeded to run away from the snake Unversed as it followed her as the other shadows decided to resume their chase and moved onward.

With the way she was now, there was positively no way for Ignis to use her defensive techniques to defend herself against the fearsome snake Unversed, who was licking its lips and was looking forward to savoring the taste of the cricket-like light warrior. Ignis couldn't gain access to her magic, and even when the best long-ranged attacks of light hit the snake Unversed, they didn't seem to do much.

Getting an idea, Ignis charged headfast towards the snake Unversed, knowing that her charge was both reckless and suicidal. Hungrily, the snake Unversed opened its fangs and welcomed her charge by doing the same. At the last second, Ignis, instead of firing a light beam, caused the power of her Keyblade to shine brightly, causing the snake Unversed to snarl and be blinded temporarily. Taking advantage of its blindness, Ignis leapt up and slashed at the skin of the snake Unversed, only to find her attacks had little to no effect against the tough skin.

Landing back on the ground, Ignis saw that the snake Unversed was shaking its head and blinking its wide, predatory eyes; the effect of the blindness wearing off. To give herself higher ground, she leapt on top of a tombstone and anticipated its next movement, leaping off just as the snake Unversed lunged at her, crashing into the tombstone she was just standing on. What was interesting was the fact that the snake Unversed was damaged upon destroying the tombstone headfirst, which caused a new idea to pop into her head.

"Hey! Over here, jackass!" taunted Ignis, hopping on top of another larger structural tombstone and waving her arms. Just as she predicted, the snake Unversed took her bait and charged at her, smashing against the tombstone just as Ignis leapt onto another tombstone. Having tested out her strategy, Ignis proceeded to use the same strategy as the fight continued.

Gravestones started flying around, and cries of pain escaped from the snake Unversed every time it crashed into a gravestone. Every time the snake Unversed lunges, the heavy gravestones are split in two, and all that results are destroyed gravestones and massive headaches for the snake Unversed as its movements began to grow sluggish and weakened by the number of large impacts every time it tried to devour Ignis.

Their roles are reversed in this situation. The advantage belongs to someone with a tiny and nimble body like Ignis, leaping around like nothing's in her way, whereas the disadvantage now shifts towards the snake Unversed's side because there are obstacles hindering and weakening it. Even that slight difference is tipping the scales in Ignis' favor.

Eventually, the entire area Ignis was in was completely tattered with destroyed gravestones and rubble all around as well as an exhausted and injured snaked Unversed. Worried for Tiana, Ignis left the destroyed area for the time being to search for her and see if she was alright, as well as granting herself a short opportunity to rest and catch her breath.

"I've got news for you, Shadow Man! It's not slime; it's mucus!"

Hearing Tiana's familiar voice, Ignis hopped over to her location and witnessed her destroying the talisman; the smashed pieces scattered all over the ground as magical, colored lights spurred all around the air. Dr. Facilier, also known as the Shadow Man, happened to be there as well as he shakily gathered the destroyed pieces into his palms.

"No! How am I ever gonna pay back my debt?!"

"Tiana! Psst! Here!" hissed Ignis, trying to catch Tiana's attention as she hid behind a tombstone. Luckily, Tiana heard her and hopped to her direction, hiding behind the same hiding spot as both girls peeked their heads out and saw a couple of totem-like masks burst from the taller tombstones and surrounding Facilier in an ominous manner.

"Friends!" said Dr. Facilier, showing them a wide, nervous grin full of fear.

 _"Are you ready?"_ the totem-like masks sang with sinister grins.

"No! I'm not ready at all!" Dr. Facilier cried out fearfully, stumbling backwards. "In fact, I've got lots of plans!"

 _"Are you ready?"_

"This is just a minor setback in a major operation!" stammered Dr. Facilier nervously before shrieking in fear when a ghastly, corrupted hand burst from underneath the ground. That hand multiple into more as voodoo dolls emerged and, like the totem-like masks, began surrounding the witch doctor. "As soon as I whip up another spell, we'll be back in business! I still got that froggy prince locked away! I just need a little bit more time!"

"Wait, what did he did with Naveen?" muttered Ignis quietly as she and Tiana continued watching.

Dr. Facilier fell against a large tombstone, which in a flash of lightning, transformed into the leader of the totem-like masks, further frightening Dr. Facilier as he retreated and tried to save himself by making up more excuses. "No, please!"

Before Dr. Facilier could think of running away to save himself, his shadow was grabbed by the totem-like masks and dragged towards the large mouth of the leader of the mysterious masks, dragging alongside Dr. Facilier as he screamed and clawed at the ground in a desperate act to save himself.

"Just a little more time! I promise I'll pay y'all back! I promise!"

However, with all the powers he possessed, were due to the mysterious powers coming from the strange masks. Because he couldn't make his payment in time, along with the fact that the talisman was somehow involved, the totem-like masks decided his soul would suffice as payment, thus literally dragging him down to his grave, leaving behind a sculptured version of Dr. Facilier's frightful expression, his name engraved on the tombstone, and a single, harsh, yet soft _"Hush,"_ from the totem-like masks.

The second Dr. Facilier was truly gone from the world, Ignis' cricket body started to glow, and swirling lights filled her body along with some smoke that covered her entire body until the effects had vanished, leaving not a single trace left of Ignis the cricket...

But Ignis the human Keyblade wielder.

"I-I'm back...?" wondered Ignis, patting her body all around to check and see if this wasn't a dream. "Ha! I'm actually back to human! Awesome! Yeah!"

"But how?" asked Tiana. "I know that you couldn't be cured by a kiss like Naveen, so how did this happen?"

"Mama Odie told me all about it! She told me that that witch doctor either had to willingly turn me back human or..." Ignis' face fell as she remembered the other option. "Or...if he died...Oh...But...Seriously though, what WAS that just now?! I mean, I'm glad I'm back to being human and all, but I didn't want anyone dying to do that! And, just what happened that caused that guy to-?"

"Ignis, calm down. You're being a bit hysterical," said Tiana. "Okay, just take some deep breaths and-"

Hearing the bell tower clock chiming, both Tiana and Ignis glanced upwards and saw it was 11:45; approximately 15 minutes before midnight. If Naveen didn't hurry and kiss the Charlotte girl, then it would be too late to revert the frog spell for both him and Tiana.

Then, out of nowhere, the snake Unversed that Ignis had been fighting earlier peered out from some of the tombstones and rushed towards both her and Tiana like they were prey in its eyes. Tiana gasped and closed her eyes, waiting for the impact as Ignis, filled with determination, moved in front of Tiana, summoning Phoenix Fairy in her hands once more and uttering a single spell to protect her and Tiana.

"Barrier!"

A strong, protective barrier formed around the two girls, shielding them from the snake Unversed's attack and causing it to bounce off before it slithered back into offensive position, waiting for a chance to strike once the barrier was let down.

"Alright! I got my magic powers back!" cheered Ignis. "Tiana, when I lift the barrier, get outta here! Leave this guy to me! I'm confident I can handle this guy!"

"But-!"

"Don't worry about me! Go and find somewhere safe! I'll track you down when I'm done!"

"Okay, then!"

Starting the countdown, Ignis' expression grew serious as she prepared herself, taking a defensive stance with Phoenix Fairy in hand. "3...2...1...! NOW!" Releasing the barrier spell, Ignis blocked the snake Unversed's fangs with the blunt front of her Phoenix Fairy as Tiana hopped away as fast as she could, leaving the battlefield. Knowing that Tiana had gotten away safely, Ignis forced some distance between her and the Unversed by swinging Phoenix Fairy out of its jaws and sliding back, preparing to fight for real.

Wanting to check something first, Ignis took out the Unversed Cleanser from her bag, pressing the button with her thumb and tallying the number of Unversed in the world. Only 1, which meant she had to deal with the snaked Unversed and this world she was in would be free of anymore Unversed.

That meant she couldn't afford to lose this fight.

The snake Unversed slithered back and forth, taking a sideways stance before seemingly lunging forward, forcing Ignis to bring up her Keyblade to block any attack. However, she was baited into that position, as the snake Unversed didn't come any closer, but its shadow did.

Its shadow extended and folded into a straightforward blade, thrusting itself into Ignis' open shoulder and drawing blood from the now open wound. Leaping back for further distance, Ignis grunted in pain and used one hand to hold onto her wound.

"Wha...What the hell was that?!" wondered Ignis. "C-Cur-"

Her eyes widened when the snake Unversed's shadow sprung towards her without its wielder, the snake Unversed, moving, popping out from the ground and forcing her to halt her healing magic. Sharp as a blade, the shadow started attacking her fiercely, twisting its shadow-like body around to unleash furious and swift attacks onto her. Firmly planting her feet on the ground, Ignis deflected the barrage of attacks with the best of her defensive techniques.

Unfortunately, the shadow did manage to get a few hits in, as evident of the slash marks on her body, such as the ones on her thigh, side, and cheek. Dealing with so many fierce attacks left Ignis breathless as she kept up a defensive posture.

With the reveal of the shadow ability the snake Unversed seemed to possess, Ignis had time to analyze and study the movements and abilities of the snake Unversed; another lesson Master Eraqus taught her to do while in combat.

First, the snake Unversed didn't seem to move much while its shadow was clashing against her, when it had some opportunities to tag team with its shadow against her. That could mean that while controlling its own shadow, the snake Unversed itself couldn't move; a clear weakness that might lead to her advantage.

Second, Ignis was lucky that snakes didn't have any arms, because the shadow of the snake Unversed could have used the shadows of the "arms" to grant itself more attacks. That also meant that the shadow could only attack using its body and no other limbs.

Third, light. Shadows are darkness, thus light is its weakness. In fact, she should probably test that theory.

Twirling Phoenix Fairy in her hand, Ignis then sent a light beam at the shadow, which caused it to shout in pain and shrink back into a normal shadow. This confirmed that the shadow abilities truly were weak against light, and, being a Keyblade wielder of light, that served greatly to her advantage.

Then again, if she recklessly charged in like before, she might end up being attacked by the snake Unversed's shadow, and she doesn't know how long it'll take for it to recover from her light attack. If she had to charge in like before, then she'll do so to deliver the finishing blow.

Suddenly, as though springing to life, the shadow burst out from the snake Unversed and began ferociously attacking her as the passing clouds up above the sky clouded the moon, leaving them in a somewhat state of darkness. To Ignis' shock, the attacks were much more aggressive and faster than before, thus causing her to discover she couldn't block all of the attacks and was becoming more gravely injured with each successful stab or slash.

"Shell! Haste!" Ignis was forced to enhance her physical abilities with the speed and defense enhancement spells during her second barrage of shadow strikes, managing to keep up with the speed of the strikes and narrowing the pain anytime an attack was landed onto her body. Gritting her teeth and clenching Phoenix Fairy, Ignis continued to endure the harsh and sudden treatment of the shadow's attacks until they lessened in both speed and aggressiveness.

Once the clouds parted from the moon.

 _'I see! It makes sense!'_ thought Ignis, jumping around the cemetery and avoiding the shadow's attacks as it continuously followed her. _'The shadow is kinda like a puppet! And just now, when the moon was blocked, that had the shadow gain more access to the darkness of the environment, making its attacks stronger and faster! I have to be careful! The next clouds don't come for a while, so I have some time-!'_

To avoid the shadow even further, Ignis took large leaps backwards for farther distance just as the shadow chased her, only to come to an abrupt halt, as though it was stuck. Only when the snake Unversed slithered forward did the shadow continued chasing after her; something Ignis took note of as she moved her head to dodge a shadow thrust attack before blocking another strike from the side.

 _'Okay! So, it has limited range! Lemme test something, then!'_ thought Ignis, continuing to dodge and jump backwards, blocking whenever the shadow grew closer as the snake Unversed followed after her. Any gravestones that blocked the shadow's path, it merely sliced through them like butter before continuing to pursue Ignis. Even if the snake Unversed was no longer foolish enough to crash into the gravestones and had its shadow slice through them for it, the gravestones still proved as hindrances when it came to attacking a dodging and defensive opponent such as Ignis.

Because of all of her time and experience as a cricket, even if it were for a few days, Ignis has become surprisingly more agile. Perhaps it was thanks to all the fighting in the bayou, or even Ray's help of hopping while painting earlier, but now, Ignis felt like she was truly light on her feet. While she was more on the defensive fighting style, she knew there were times when defense couldn't help, and that sometimes, the best way to avoid an attack would be to dodge out of the way.

Now performing a backflip over another gravestone, Ignis, at the same time, casted a spell at the snake Unversed. "Thundara!" The thunder spell, as quick as lightning, didn't struck the snake Unversed as she expected, but instead struck at a lightning rod marked on top of one of the closest gravestones near the snake Unversed. "Aw, shoot!"

Because of her earlier spell assault, the shadow took the opportunity to strike at her as she was in mid-air. Twisting her body, Ignis managed to escape a fatal wound but suffered a scratch on the side in return. She crashed to the ground, grunting in pain as she held her injured side before recovering quickly to dodge a thrusting blow from the shadow.

Clearly, thunder spells weren't going to work, as there were a couple more gravestones marked with lightning rods on top, but she did discover one thing in her failure. The snake Unversed looked a bit frightful when the thunder spell was close to hitting it, meaning that it may have a vulnerability against magic.

A grin formed on her face as a new idea popped into her head. Whenever it came to magic, imagination was always key to her new discoveries. She didn't have any potions or ethers, and she still had no idea where to find any Moogles in this world, but she knew she had to savor her magic for the right moment. She was going to test one more thing to clarify something and then make up her decision on how to defeat the tough snake Unversed ready to devour her.

"Aero! Haste!" called out Ignis, using the combination of the speed enhancement spell and a wind spell to merge together into an effective enhancement spell much stronger than a basic Haste spell. When it came to speed, the combination spell she invented was one of her favorites as she moved swiftly like the wind, bypassing the shadow and appearing in front of the snake Unversed in a flash.

Taking the snake Unversed by surprise, she slashed with Phoenix Fairy, slashing at its scales. Even after turning back to human and regaining her current strength, Ignis found that she couldn't pierce through the tough scales. The snake Unversed snapped out of its shocked state and had its shadow unleash a flurry of attacks of Ignis, who was forced to block and retreat to a better distance.

 _'Huh, now I know how Ven and the others feel every time I bring up my defensive techniques against them,'_ thought Ignis. _'They were right, it does feel frustrating! But...I think I know how to pierce through that thick skin of that Unversed! I just need to prepare myself first!'_

Taking advantage of her speed until the effects wore off, Ignis didn't confront the snake Unversed or its shadow, but instead used the chance to collected the lightest and smallest lightning rods off the gravestones. It might be disrespectful to simply take something off the gravestones, and even moreso with leading the snake Unversed to destroy the gravestones earlier, but it was for a good cause if it meant eliminating a great evil off the world.

After gathering as much small lightning rods in her palm as possible, Ignis turned to face the snake Unversed and its shadow for a final confrontations just as dark clouds engulfed the night sky, even the moon, darkening the area. As though grinning, the shadow grew in size and prepared itself to eliminate the warrior of light in front of it.

Gripping Phoenix Fairy, Ignis shouted, "Enfire!" Her Keyblade, being engulfed in flames, was further boasted up in fire elemental attacks and slightly lit up the darkened cemetery as Ignis prepared the first step of her plan. "Aerora! Haste!" The second step of her plan was complete as her speed was further enhanced and much faster than the previous combination speed spell she casted earlier.

Not waiting for her to make the next move, the shadow moved in swiftly, ready to pierce her with its stronger, faster shadow attacks that would spell her doom when one spell was enough to extinguish all hopes of that.

"Holy!"

The strong light spell was extremely painful towards a dark being as the shadow of the snake Unversed, eliminating a large portion of its body. As soon as the light died down, the snake Unversed was twisting around violently with its eyes closed, having been blinded, and the shadow needed time to recover even with the environment advantage.

Rushing faster than before, Ignis used her magically enhanced fire-based Phoenix Fairy to slash multiple times at the snake Unversed. Because magic was added to her Keyblade, Ignis' strikes became more stronger and enough to pierce through the snake Unversed's tough skin, confirming that the snake Unversed was indeed weak to magic. After each slash was dealt with, Ignis took out the lightning rods she stole from the gravestones and plunged them into any open spot that was exposed due to her slashes, further inflicting more damage to the snake Unversed.

Just as she finished the preparations, Ignis backflipped in time to avoid the snake Unversed's bite attack. She further distanced herself for what could be the final nail to the snake Unversed's own coffin with one final spell.

"Thundara!"

With a lot of lightning rods piercing the snake Unversed's body, there was a high chance of the thunder spell not reverting to any of the other lightning rods on the other tombstones. When the thunder spell was cast, it quickly coursed through all of the lightning rods implanted on the snake Unversed and struck through its defenses. Because of that, the snake Unversed was destroyed and started to disintegrate, along with its shadow.

Standing over the spot where the snake Unversed used to be, Ignis was panting and recovering her breath from fighting for so long; the blood from her wounds dripping down to the ground. She didn't really have time to heal herself during combat nor did she have any potions, but now that she was done, she could use the last of her magic to heal herself. Feeling the drip of water on her head, Ignis looked up and saw it started pouring rain, so she ran and hid underneath a tree for cover.

After resting for a few minutes all by herself in the cemetery, Ignis decided she had enough and left the cemetery to search for Tiana and the others. Hopefully, they got the curse broken and everything got back to normal.

"Tiana? Where are you?" called out Ignis, looking around the city in the rainy weather. She couldn't just ask random people if they've seen a walking, talking frog, alligator, and firefly. Speaking of fireflies, she hoped that Ray was alright, as he had given both her and Tiana time to escape earlier.

Seeing a large alligator sitting near the clocktower, Ignis figured it must be Louis and ran up to him, spotting Naveen and Tiana still in their frog forms. "Oh! Louis! Naveen! Tiana! There you guys are!" panted Ignis. "Wait, why are you guys still frogs? What happened?"

Naveen, who was comforting Tiana by embracing her, looked up with a slightly surprised expression. "Ignis...? Is that you? But...you're not a cricket anymore."

"It was thanks to Dr. Facilier, the Shadow Man. He kinda...died and thanks to that, I got turned back into human," said Ignis. "What's wrong? Why's everyone all sad?"

Pulling herself out of Naveen's embrace, Tiana looked up to Ignis with a teary face. "Ignis...It's...It's Ray. He..."

Confused, Ignis asked hesitantly, "W-What? What happened?"

Turning around, a teary-eyed Louis moved out of the way, revealing Ray lying on a leaf with his eyes closed and with a peaceful expression on his face. Such a sight made Ignis' insides cold and her heart stop.

"R-Ray? Guys..? He's just...sleeping, right? He's tired, and you guys are playing along just to mess with me, right?"

"He's...not sleeping," said Naveen sadly. "He is...gone from this world. He has passed away just a few minutes ago."

Eyes slowly widening with realization and fear corrupting her heart, Ignis ran forward and broke down to her knees, placing her palms onto Ray's stomach and pressing down over and over, as though trying to resurrect Ray.

"Come on...! Come on..! Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!" cried out Ignis, trying to resurrect Ray. "Heal, heal, HEAL!" She was growing more desperate, and despite the fact that she was completely out of magic, she proceeded to pour out whatever magic she thought she had remaining into healing magic to revive the already deceased firefly.

Probably because she was so focused on Ray, she didn't hear nor pay attention to the others trying to tell her to stop. Only after Louis pulled her back did she realize their attempts at trying to calm down and stop her. Breathless, Ignis proceeded to slowly calm down from her slight panic attack.

"I...What...What did happen to Ray? How did he...?" Ignis didn't finish her sentence, as she was still in slight denial over Ray's death.

"It...It was the Shadow Man," explained Tiana, looking down. "He did this to Ray...right after you and I left."

That...would make a lot of sense. Ray did buy time for her and Tiana to escape, fending off the shadows as best as he could. They, along with Dr. Facilier, must have finished off Ray quickly before trying to pursue Tiana. Dr. Facilier being in the cemetery further backed up that sort of evidence, but, if that were the case...

Shoulders slumping, Ignis stared absentmindedly at the wet ground in horror. "...It's my fault."

"What?"

"It's my fault that Ray's dead...He's dead, because I didn't stay behind first. I should have ignored Ray and stayed with him! At least, he would have a chance of survival! Instead, because I didn't have confidence in myself, I just let him take the fall! I should have forced him to go with you, Tiana! I had the power to stop those shadows! I had a better chance, but I was a coward! A selfish coward who used the excuse of protecting you to run away and-"

"Stop it!" snapped Tiana, hopping in front of Ignis' lap. "You're not a coward, and this wasn't your fault! The Shadow Man did all of this, not you! Ray wouldn't want anyone down like this! Yes, he's dead, but he gave us a chance to live! So, don't blame yourself, because that's not what Ray would have wanted!"

"T-Tiana..."

Softening her tone, Tiana placed her palms onto Ignis' cheeks and forced her to look up. "And...You're not a coward. I...We've all seen you fight against those nasty creatures in the bayou, always in the front lines and trying to protect all of us. Back in the cemetery, you even offered to buy me and Ray time to escape before he intervened, and you even gave me time to escape from that big, mean snake. A coward would never do all the things you've done, Ignis."

"I..." Like the rain, tears poured down from Ignis as her body trembled with sorrow. "I...I didn't come from New Orleans. I came from a place far, far away, and my journey just started. I...from a young age, I was always taught to give up my life to help others, to let them see the light, that helping them is always good. But now, someone else has given their life up for me, and...it feels like I failed-no, not feel. I did fail my duty to protect others."

"Ignis, you can't protect everyone in the world," spoke Tiana sadly. "Yes, helping others is good, but when it comes to sacrificing your own life...That's a noble cause, but at the same time, it should always, ALWAYS be as a last resort. My Daddy died the same way; protecting innocents in a war. You, him, and Ray are all heroes in my heart."

"I think...for everyone's sake, a moment of silence is what we all need," suggested Naveen, hopping up to the two girls. Nobody said a word afterwards as they basked in the silence with the only sound being the rain falling in the background.

* * *

 _Soon..._

It was only right to return Ray's body back to the bayou, back to his family. As expected, they were sadden and grieving for his death as the bayou had suddenly gotten a lot foggier and colder from the death of a loved one.

The fireflies lead Ray's friends and several even carried his body in a leaf in mid-air; the lights providing as a pathway for Louis and the others as the alligator carried Naveen and Tiana through the water. Being human, Ignis thought her weight might be too much for Louis to handle, so she walked all the way through land.

After the fireflies laid the leaf containing Ray's body on the water's surface, Tiana, Naveen, and Ignis laid down flowers inside the leaf boat as Louis began playing a trumpet song to commemorate Ray's passing as the leaf boat floated away in the hazy fog, never to be seen again.

The fog slowly faded along with the dark clouds in the sky, and when everyone glanced up at the night sky, besides the moon, there shimmered not one star, but two stars; Evangeline, and the new star that just reunited with his long lost love, Ray.

The sight of the two stars being reunited made everyone both sorrowful, yet happy because Ray's wish to unite with his dear Evangeline up with the stars had just came true.

Blinking away tears that turned from remorse to happiness, Ignis knew Ray was safe and sound where he was before opening her mouth to sing him one last song; a fitting one that summarized their journey together.

 **Let's Just Live (Acoustic)**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _"It just to be like a fairy tale,_

 _Now it seems we were just pretending_

 _We'd fix our world_

 _Then on our way to a happy ending."_

Everything was supposed to go smoothly at first. Naveen would have kissed Charlotte, then marry Tiana and help her get her restaurant. Tiana was supposed to get her restaurant from the beginning. Louis wanted Mama Odie to turn him into human so he could join a jazz band and not be criticized for being an alligator. Ignis was supposed to turn back human and go about her way back home. And finally, Ray wanted to reunite with Evangeline.

 _"Then it turns out life_

 _Was far less like a bedtime story_

 _Than a tragedy_

 _With no big reveal of the hero's glory."_

Life wasn't fair, and though their journey was just like the fairy tale, "The Princess and the Frog," it was much more than that. Charlotte did kiss Naveen, but she couldn't turn him back into a human just like the princess did with the frog princess in the story. Worse of all, a treasured friend died in the process of their journey, though he died as a hero.

 _"And it seems we weren't prepared_

 _For a game that wasn't fair!"_

Their journey all came towards the one origin that started it all; Dr. Facilier, also known as the Shadow Man. Like the shadows, he was crafty, manipulative, and his words were as smooth as music that just brings unsuspecting people towards him. As such, he manipulated and unfairly caused Naveen and Ignis to turn into small creatures and led them to a chain of connections that coursed throughout their journey.

 _"Do we just go home?_

 _Can we follow through?_

 _When all hope is gone,_

 _There is one thing we can do!_

 _Let's Just Live!_

 _Day by day and not be conquered by our sorrows_

 _The past can't hold us down_

 _We must break free!_

 _Inside we're torn apart_

 _But time will mend our hearts!_

 _Move onward; not there yet_

 _So Let's Just Live!"_

The lyrics of the song described exactly how Ray's closest friends and families were feeling. They were sad that a loved one, Ray, who was like a spark of light in their lives, was suddenly torn from them. But, they knew they must move onward as that's what Ray would have wanted all of them to.

 _"Can we get back to a happy place?_

 _We've suffered so much pain and sorrow!_

 _After yesterday is there any way_

 _We can trust tomorrow?_

 _Will we go through life_

 _Filled with strife like it's torn and tattered?_

 _Can we keep this up_

 _When we all know that every hope has shattered?"_

Grieving takes time to get over, and it would certainly take a long while, especially how special Ray was to everyone. Naveen, Tiana, Louis, and Ignis all suffered through so many trials along their journey, but the hardest one was losing Louis. They didn't know what tomorrow would bring, and suffice to say, they were scared because they didn't want to lose another loved one.

 _"And the lesson isn't new_

 _That some dreams just can't come true."_

Tiana was repeatedly told over and over throughout her life that she was a workaholic, that she never had time to rest or play around and such. Even some people didn't believe that she'd get her dream, just like her boss, and she was told if she didn't pay the full amount for the place she wanted, she'd never get the restaurant she wanted. It was even more difficult for Louis because he was an alligator, as in, a very dangerous species, so his chances of being in a jazz band was lower than Tiana's dream.

 _"When it finally falls_

 _And the battle's through_

 _When our faith is gone_

 _And there's nothing left to lose!_

 _Let's Just Live!_

 _Day by day and not be conquered by our sorrows!_

 _The past can't hold us down_

 _We must break free!_

 _But time will mend our hearts!_

 _Move onward; not there yet_

 _So Let's Just Live!"_

The next part of the song, Ignis remembered fully, having sung it many times in the past, yet she didn't want to sing it. Comparing the lyrics with the memories of Ray was...almost compatible, but she continued. It was taking everything out of her not to break down and cry as she sun the next verse.

 _"When it feels like there's nothing_

 _Worth living for_

 _Everything is broken_

 _The light's not there anymore..._

 _And the story_

 _Takes an unexpected turn_

 _A friend is suddenly gone..."_

Ignis paused, took a shakily deep breath, and continued. Most fairy tales don't end in death, but just remembering Ray's dead corpse at the last lyrics she sung caused her to hesitate for just that one moment.

 _"We can cry our lives away,_

 _But if they were here, they'd say_

 _Go forward,_

 _You must keep moving on!"_

Singing a non-lexical vocal chorus, Ignis didn't sing any lyrics but continued with the song. As she was singing, tears drippled from her eyes as she thought back on Ray and her journey with the rest of her friends. Yeah, she didn't know Ray for that long, but he was helpful towards her. They spent a couple hours together, chatting and having fun with each other. He even listened and offered a shoulder to her about her problems, never once judging her and talking to her in a mature manner.

She would never forget Ray, and just when she was becoming close friends with him, he was suddenly taken away to a better place. She was happy that he was with Evangeline, but sad because he died. Recalling the lyrics and what Ray would say, Ignis wiped away her tears with a determined look as the end of the song was approaching and her chorus was coming to an end.

With new determination and a clear voice, Ignis sang loud and proudly for all, even Ray and Evangeline to hear.

 _"Let's Just Live!_

 _Just one day, let's forget about our problems!_

 _Let's fall in love with life_

 _And just be free!_

 _The sun will never fade!_

 _The night won't steal our day!_

 _Let's laugh and dance and love_

 _And Let's Just Live!"_

* * *

 _The next morning..._

The preparations for Naveen and Tiana's wedding came easily, considering they didn't really need a big, grand wedding like Charlotte intended. The wedding took place in a large, grand part of the bayou in a flower field, where many attendants, which were the creatures of the bayou, came to see the wedding.

Louis and Ignis were also a big part of the wedding, as they both had two roles. Louis was in charge of the music that would play during the wedding as well as Naveen's best man, while Ignis was, to her joy, both a bridesmaid and the flower girl. Louis prepared to play his trumpet, and Ignis, wearing a flower crown just like Tiana, was happily tossing flower petals all over the air.

Mama Odie, being the priest of their wedding, was about to lay down the final parts of the wedding vows. "And so, by the power bested in me, I now pronounce y'all frog and wife! Get to it! Hop-along! Give your lovely bride some sugar!"

A butterfly that acted as Naveen's bowtie flew away, sending out a congratulations to the new couple as both frogs stared lovingly into each others' eyes before closing them and then kissing each other.

When their lips came into contact, a bright light enveloped the two frogs and illuminated the entire wedding, causing everyone but a delighted Mama Odie, who was wearing sunglasses, to turn away from the blindness of the light.

When the light died down, the newly wedded couple, dressed in fancy wedding garments, had transformed back into their human forms, bringing happiness to everyone. Louis was sobbing out of happiness and using his tail as a napkin to blow his stout in and wipe away his tears, while Ignis stopped throwing flower petals and stared at awe at Tiana and Naveen's true forms and the magic that came with it.

Mama Odie chuckled. "Like I told y'all! Kissing a princess breaks the spell!"

Naveen said, "Once you became my wife, that made you a-"

"A princess," finished Tiana, smiling sweetly. "You just kissed yourself a princess!"

"And I'm about to do it again," promised Naveen smoothly before engulfing her lips with his, causing cheers to erupt from everyone in the bayou.

Applauding, Mama Odie called out to Ignis and Louis, "Hit the music, you two!"

"Wait, right now?" asked Ignis, surprised. "But it's not even our signal! Can't we enjoy this moment a little longer?"

"Yeah! Let's wait a little!" agreed Louis.

"Fine! ...Okay, that was a little! Now, hit the music!"

"Oh, come on! That was like, a couple of seconds!" complained Ignis before turning to Louis. "Alright, Lou-Lou! Start the music!"

"You got it!"

Once Louis started playing the beat of the music with his trumpet, that caught some attention towards him and Ignis as Ignis started singing a song she and Louis worked out to be perfect for the wedding.

 **Gold**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _"Dream of anything;_

 _I'll make it all come true!_

 _Everything you need_

 _Is all I have for you!_

 _I'm forever_

 _Always by your side!_

 _Whenever you need a friend,_

 _Never far behind!_

 _If the stars all fall,_

 _When there's no more light,_

 _And the moon should crumble,_

 _it will be alright!_

 _Don't you worry about the dark,_

 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart,_

 _I will burn like the sun,_

 _I will keep you safe and warm!_

 _Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day,_

 _I will be there to take all your fears away!_

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to_

 _Gold!_

 _(With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to_

 _Gold!)_

 _Let's have everything,_

 _Nothing we can do!_

 _Every heart just beaming,_

 _Every sky turns blue!_

 _I'm so happy,_

 _Just to have you here!_

 _Smiles bringing sunshine,_

 _Worries disappear!_

 _When the days turn dark,_

 _And we start to fall,_

 _I will pick you up and_

 _We will fix it all!_

 _Don't you worry about the dark,_

 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart,_

 _I will burn like the sun,_

 _I will keep you safe and warm!_

 _Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day,_

 _I will be there to take all your fears away!_

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to_

 _Gold!_

 _Don't worry, I've got you;_

 _Nothing will ever harm you._

 _I'm close by, I'll stay here;_

 _Through all things, I will be near._

 _Close your eyes,_

 _Don't you cry._

 _Love's around you;_

 _In time, you'll fly!_

 _Don't you worry about the dark,_

 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart,_

 _I will burn like the sun,_

 _I will keep you safe and warm!_

 _Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day,_

 _I will be there to take all your fears away!_

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to_

 _Gold!"_

Everyone cheered and applauded as Ignis waved her arms and grinned while Louis bowed his head over and over to the audience for the song. The ones who enjoyed it the most were the newly wedded couple, as it described exactly their feelings for each other.

"Tiana! Throw the bouquet! Come on! I wanna get next in line to get married!" called out Ignis loudly, bouncing up and down and waving her arms frantically. Chuckling, Tiana obliged and tossed the bouquet towards Ignis, who rushed forward to try and catch it.

Unfortunately, it bounced off her arms and landed on the water.

"Nooooo! Redo, redo, redo!" Ignis whined, jumping up and down as Mama Odie frowned. Seeing Tiana shake her head and shrug, giving her an apologetic smile, Ignis slumped her shoulders. At the very least, Tiana and Naveen got their happy ending.

Later, while the bayou wedding was still commencing, Ignis glanced around and saw the wedding guests have either left or stayed around and were chatting with each other. She could see Tiana and Naveen happily talking with each other, and knowing they were going to be just fine, she turned around and started to leave, bypassing trees as she left the flower field.

"Ignis? Where are you going?"

Turning around, Ignis saw Louis and figured he must have saw her leaving before walking up to him. "Oh, I...I was just leaving, you know?"

"Oh, I see! You gonna come back and sing with us more or eat some of Mama Odie's special cakes an-"

"No, I mean, for good. I have to return home," said Ignis, staring up at the sky. "I've been gone for so long. Days...weeks...Definitely not months. I have people waiting for me to return home, and when I do...it's chores for a year, I bet."

"You don't sound that eager to return," said Louis.

"No, no, I do have to return. I spent so much time here, but I really do have to go. I can't waste anymore time here. Louis, can you tell Tiana and Naveen I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to them before leaving? It's really important that I have to go now."

"I see...Oh! Mama Odie wanted me to give you something!" Louis said, revealing a small vial with a single golden drop of water inside.

"...Dude, it's a single drop of water."

"Nuh-uh! Mama Odie said it was a special magical potion! The greatest accomplishment she ever made! Called it, 'Second Chance Luck!' She wanted you to drink it! Said that if your life was in very close to danger, this would grant you immunity for a few minutes when the time came! Mama Odie's really good with fortunes, so I'm sure you'll need it!"

"Well...Alright. I swear, it better not turn me into a cricket again!" said Ignis, taking the vial. "I like Mama Odie, but I have an incredible, yet understanding distrust towards fortune tellers now. Alright, bottoms up!" She swallowed the single drop while down her throat, tasting absolutely nothing. Her body glowed gold for a single second before fading. "Huh. I don't feel any different."

"Well, maybe when the time comes, it'll have an effect!" said Louis.

"Yeah, maybe. Well, I gotta go! Bye, Lou-Lou! When I come back to visit, maybe we can play again!"

"Wait!" said Louis. "I...I know you might think that you still are responsible for what happened to Ray, but nobody here blames you what happened! I'm sure Ray's happy, with Evangeline."

Smiling, Ignis placed her hands into Louis' palms, singing softly, _"Go forward, just keep moving on..._ That's what Ray would have wanted for all of us. I'm still sad over what happened to Ray, but like I said, he would want us to keep moving on. I understand that now. But, thanks for comforting me, Lou."

Smiling back, Louis softened and nodded. "Yeah...You take care, you hear? Come back and play with me in Tiana's new restaurant!"

"Gotcha!" called out Ignis, walking away. "I'm stealing the food off your plate when I do!"

"You better not!"

"I make no promises! Ahahaha!" Laughing happily, Ignis skipped away, fading from Louis' sight.

Once she was far away, Ignis looked up at the bright skies, wishing it was night instead so she could see Ray and Evangeline once more. "This world...was really fun...and really weird. But, I love it. Time to get back home."

With that said, she activated her armor and summoned Phoenix Fairy in its Keyblade Glider form before flying away, twinkling like a star in the sky when she exited the world.

* * *

 **Alright! The next obstacle has passed, so that means I get to explain what this obstacle's tarot reading was all about! Ready? Okay!**

 **So, the Seven of Cups refers to the seven deadly sins, which means that Ignis will face 7 trials during her journey. She already completed 2 of the trials, which took place in different worlds. Camelot, and now in the world of New Orleans.**

 **The Knight of Cups, which is the second trial Ignis partakes in, has a reversed card that represents jealously, moody, too much into imagination and less into reality. In short, it represents Envy, another one of the Seven Deadly Sins Ignis had to face. In fact, there were themes of envy all over the New Orleans world. Envy from the lower classes towards the higher classes who has all the money they have to be happy, envy that people have what they want. There were even parts where it describes people dreaming about something, but in reality, their life is harsh and it's even harder to get what they want.**

 **The snake Unversed that Ignis faced is a boss-level Unversed that represents envy, and it's a snake because it's a symbolic animal of envy. The reason why I had it have shadow powers is not just because of the whole darkness thing, but also because it's another representation. The snake is the reality, while the shadow is the imagination, the dream. Shadows can cast shadows that are easy to manipulate and imagine, like with shadow puppets. The snake is the reality, because it's real, it's physical, and it can harm like a snake.**

 **There were a few foreshadowing parts in the story that will be important towards the later parts of this story, especially with Mama Odie's potion for Ignis. Her potion plays a small, but important part later on, which I'll address later.**

 **In case any of you were interested, you could play the acoustic versions of the songs played in this chapter to make it all emotional and stuff.**

 **So, Ignis is learning more about reality and growing stronger after passing the second trial, which is part of her character development! Now, I won't be updating this story for a while because of busy stuff in life and other updates to stories, so read and review!**


	14. Enchanted Dominion (1)

**I'm back! Just to clarify, this'll be one quick world! And, I did mention before there'll be a couple of changes in the Kingdom Hearts franchise for this one, which was slightly affect the story but not much of the main plot. That said, I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Ignite," or "Red Like Roses," from RWBY, created by Jeff Williams and sung by Lamar Hall and Casey Lee Williams! Some of the lyrics in "Ignite" was rewritten, but not that much.**

* * *

After roaming through space for a long time, Ignis thought it best to rest for the night and landed in a nearby world. Parking her Keyblade Glider down to the grassy grounds of the mysterious forest, Ignis then climbed off and deactivated both her Keyblade Armor and Keyblade, glancing around for any signs of trouble. Other than the occasional woodland critters such as chirping birds and squirrels, the entire area appeared safe.

Taking out the Unversed Cleanser, Ignis pressed the only button on the small object and scanned the world for any Unversed. The numbers were around 30 or 40 this time around, unlike the last two times she used the Unversed Cleanser. Since it was sometime before sundown, she had some time to roam around the forest before making camp and calling it a night. Tomorrow, she'll continue ridding this world of anymore Unversed.

That, and she wanted to try out some new spells she thought up of as her time as a cute little cricket in the last world.

"Kupo! Special sale going on today! Kupo!"

"Hmm?"

Turning around, Ignis saw a Moogle nearby, waving his small, frail arm at her, as though trying to gain her attention. At long last, a Moogle! That meant that he sold items, such as Ethers and Potions! Especially Ethers! After traversing through two worlds without any sights of any Moogles, it was a great refresher to finally find one available.

That, and she always found Moogles to be adorable, especially their little red pom pom on top of their heads. She even had a Moogle plushie back in her room that she had bought once and still had it.

"Yes! Finally! A Moogle I can talk to!" cheered Ignis, trotting up to him. "And items on sale, too! Alright, I'll buy! Gimme!"

A few minutes later, a happy Ignis strolled around the forest, humming a tune as her bag was now filled with new items bought from the Moogle. While wandering around in search for any Unversed, she was scribbling down her new ideas in her Magic Creation Journal. The thought of casting some unknown magic excited her, and with some new Ethers to restore her magic power, it would be easier, although she would have to spare a few for the upcoming future.

Hearing some familiar sounds, Ignis turned around and saw she was now surrounded by some Unversed. Perfect for her magic practice. During her training with Merlin, he did tell her focus and imagination were key to creating new forms of powerful magic, and while focus wasn't her strong point, she had a ton of imagination for certain.

"Okay! Let's try this!" said Ignis, closing her eyes and straightening her stance instead of summoning her Keyblade. Like with how she often used her enhancement spells, they usually focus on her entire body, but this time, she wanted to focus instead on just her arms and legs with magic, specially her fire magic.

 _'Focus...Imagine your own arms and legs...Pretend they're beast arms and legs...Infuse them with magic and concentrate on just them instead of your whole body,'_ thought Ignis, feeling the flow of her magic coursing into her arms and legs as well as the warmth of the type of magic she was using; fire magic.

She could feel her magic activating exactly the way she wanted...in a painful method. She opened her eyes and saw her arms and legs burning, having caught on fire and felt the stinging, burning sensation of fire without protection. Shrieking, Ignis gritted her teeth and activated another spell to stop the pain, the magic defense spell, Shell. The pain instantly vanished, and while Ignis was certain she had burnt marks on her body which she'll heal later, she could concentrate more on her new spell.

Soon, she found herself staring at her new blazing claws on her arms and feet, now longer feeling the burning sensations due to the Shell spell she casted on herself. So many spells casted just for the creation of this brand new spell. Clenching her fire claws into fists, Ignis prepared herself for battle to test out the new spell.

As though sensing the danger from the new spell, the Unversed readied themselves before they all lunged themselves towards her. Ignis responded by leaping out of the way, landing to a safer spot before noticing something. The previous grassy spot she was in had lit up in flames, most likely from the fire claws on her feet. While the flames didn't burn her up any longer due to the Shell spell she casted on herself, they still seemed to have a burning effect on everything else.

When she spotted the nearest Unversed lunge at her, she slashed at it with her fire claws, slicing it in half and watching the remains burst into flames before disappearing into darkness. Amazed at the strength of her new spell, Ignis grinned and turned to face the rest of the Unversed.

Ignis was no expert in martial arts, as she had trained her whole life in the way of the Keyblade. Still, she knew how to kick and punch and slash like anyone else, so, using her new spell, she took down a couple of the Unversed, hacking them or burning them with even a touch of her fire claws.

Unfortunately, it seemed her new spell had a time limit, as it wore off after some time later, much to her disappointment. One of the Unversed charged at her, forcing her to summon her Keyblade to block the charge before finding an opening and taking down the Unversed, breathing heavily afterwards.

 _'That spell...I had to concentrate and use a combination of spells just to create that one! And that cost a lot of magic power!'_ thought Ignis, gulping down a Potion to heal the burns and other wounds on her body. _'I still have some magic power left, and I wanna try out a new spell of darkness!'_

What Ignis wished to create was a shadow spell, a sort of shadow puppet to do her bidding, like with Dr. Facilier and the shadow manipulated by the snake Unversed from the last world. If she could recreate such a spell, she would have many uses for that.

She knew that creating such a spell required darkness, as well as her own shadow. In the past, using darkness spells would have frighten her to no end due to Eraqus' teachings, but thanks to Merlin, she's gotten comfortable casting darkness magic, as though it was natural.

"Darka!" she cried out, focusing not just the nature of the darkness spell, but also on her shadow. Her shadow shimmered, and while she found herself unable to move while concentrating on her magic, her shadow began to take form slowly, but effectively, proving that she was on the right direction.

When another Unversed shot out from the trees to attack her from mid-air, Ignis gasped and imagined her shadow striking the Unversed, and as though following her wishes, her shadow shot upwards like a spike and pierced through the Unversed, causing it to shriek before disappearing. Getting a basic understanding of her new shadow spell, Ignis was about to take more on the offensive when her shadow returned to normal and she fell to her knees in exhaustion.

 _'Ah! I ran out of magic power! Ugh! Does that mean the longer I hold that shadow spell, the more magic power I have to consume to keep it going?"_ thought Ignis, recovering her magic power by drinking down an Ether. _'Looks like I'll have to use my magic power sparingly yet again!'_

For the rest of the day, Ignis continued taking down any Unversed she encountered, whether it was through her Keyblade or her magic, though mostly her Keyblade. As much as she wished to test out more of her new spells, she was fully aware she had a limited amount of them, so she couldn't afford to waste all of them in one night just to satisfy her curiosity. By the time nightfall came, Ignis was overly exhausted and so tired, she managed to find herself a comfortable spot in the grass before falling asleep.

The next morning, she awoke to the sunlight shining down on her. Feeling groggy and sleepy, Ignis decided that just a few more minutes wouldn't hurt before collapsing back to her side, snoring away.

A Dark Corridor not too far from Ignis' position opened up, and the masked boy that had kidnapped Ignis before, Vanitas, exited out of the dark gateway, spotting Ignis in the process.

After their last encounter, he had successfully driven Ventus out of the Land of Departure to find Terra and Ignis, while also making his other friend, Aqua, depart as well. Upon seeing Ignis, rage filled his body as he recalled the last time they met. Initially, he did succeed in kidnapping her and had other plans for her, but she escaped out of his grasp. Worst, she even tricked him into thinking she entered a light portal to escape, and when he gave chase, he found himself falling straight into a river in the middle of some random world out of nowhere.

So, yeah, he was certainly pissed at her.

He approached her sleeping figure, weighing his options as he grew closer. The only reason he had kidnapped her was to drive Ventus out of the Land of Departure, as he thought Terra leaving wouldn't be enough for Ventus to leave. But now that his goal was accomplished, what should he do with Ignis? Strike her down right there and then? No, it would probably be better to see the despairing look on Ventus' face if he were to witness him finishing her off himself rather than right now. Should he just kidnap her again? But then what would he do then? It'd be boring to keep her around, and there was a good chance she'd escape again.

No, he'd just watch from the shadows and observe her from a distance. He's been so focused on checking up on Ventus, Aqua, and Terra, he barely had time to watch over Ignis.

Upon reaching Ignis, he crotched down, kneeling by her side and watching her twist and turn in her sleep with a stupid-looking grin on her face. Her long, red hair was messy and all over the place, she was drooling and snoring, and lastly, she was hugging her bag tightly. "Plushie...! Cute, cute, cute...!" she muttered, smiling as she dreamed of cute things.

 _'How did Ventus fall in love with an idiot like her?'_ thought Vanitas, reaching out a hand and stroking her cheek, wiping the saliva away. Realizing what he was doing, he pulled his hand away and rubbed the saliva off his hand against the grass, retorting in disgust.

Fine, it was decided. He'd watch over her for the time being and see what she was up to. Because he had taken her away, she probably wasn't aware of what had happened to her friends. Well, Ventus was desperately searching for her, as well as Terra, but he was more worried for Ignis because he knew Terra was much stronger, whereas Ignis was kidnapped. Ignis being kidnapped and Terra leaving on his own accord were two different things.

A few hours later, Ignis woke up and rubbed her eyes, wondering how long she had slept for. Yawning, she stretched her arms and stood up, jumping up a few times to get her legs up in shape and patting her cheeks to focus her mind in action. She was still sleepy, but knew that she had to continue hunting down more Unversed to make the current world she was in a safer place.

She trudged forward, feeling like she wanted to collapse at any moment. She didn't know why, but her body felt heavy and she had a sudden urge to continue sleeping. Yet, there was a small part of her mind that urged her to continue trending forward. Making her way to an open clearing, Ignis leaned against a tree and sighed, her eyes fluttering and trying to stay awake. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to sleep a bit longer...

A woman's scream startled her and cleared any thoughts of exhaustion out of her system as she glanced around, wondering where the scream came from. As though answering her thoughts, a young woman with golden hair burst out from the trees as a grizzly bear-like Unversed chased after her, oozing negativity and darkness all over.

"What?!" exclaimed Ignis. Seeing the woman trip and fall to the ground just as the grizzly bear Unversed was about to strike her down with it is claws, Ignis casted a Barrier spell to protect the woman, successfully fending off the grizzly bear Unversed's attack.

Focusing wind and enhancement magic onto her legs, which she named the new spell as "Beastcraft," due to how beast-like it looked, Ignis allowed swirling winds around just her legs before taking off, zooming forward and then leaping up, kicking the grizzly bear Unversed in the face, sending it sliding back a few feet with both speed and strength from her legs.

Landing on her feet safely thanks to the wind magic on her legs, Ignis was amazed by how much force was placed into her previous actions with the Beastcraft spell. "Oh, shoot! I did not realize they held this much power the more magic power I put them in!" said Ignis, impressed. "If I use wind magic, I wonder if I can fly?"

"W-Who are you?" asked the woman, frightened.

"Hmm? Oh, right! Uh...You might want to stand clear. I'll take care of that monster for you!" assured Ignis. "Just get to a safe place, alright?" Seeing the woman nod, Ignis released the Barrier spell she had on the woman, watching her run away to safety before turning to face the grizzly bear Unversed, who had recovered and was focusing its attention on her.

 **Ignite**

 **Created by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Lamar Hall and Casey Lee Williams**

 _Hello there my enemy!_

 _Welcome to my punching spree!_

 _This is where I lay waste and you_

 _Go home bleeding!_

With the Wind Beastcraft spell still intact, Ignis took advantage of the time left and rushed forward the same time the grizzly bear Unversed reacted by doing the same. Upon getting closer to the grizzly bear Unversed, Ignis stamped one foot forward before performing a short backflip with her tornado-like legs, kicking the grizzly bear Unversed upside the chin and dazing it.

 _Didn't have to be this way_

 _Should have stayed out of the fray_

 _Now you're heading for a beating!_

While the grizzly bear Unversed was dazed, Ignis started unleashing a flurry of slashes from her Phoenix Fairy, managing to get several good hits in before realizing that its body was a lot tougher than anticipated.

Recovering, the grizzly bear Unversed raised its claw, and a retaliatory right sweep sent Ignis tumbling back before the red-haired girl flipped back upward and slows her momentum, getting into a firm position afterwards. With no time to drink a Potion, Ignis popped out a Potion and splashed its contents all over her bloody wound on her arm.

 _Didn't someone warn you?_

 _Now they're gonna mourn you!_

 _Being damaged is how you'll end this day!_

"Fission Firaga!" she yelled, launching a large fireball from her Keyblade at her opponent, which arced around the Unversed before making contact and exploding afterwards.

The powerful spell of both fire and darkness did effectively damage the grizzly bear Unversed, but at the cost of so much magic power exploited from Ignis, as well as further angering the easily tempered Unversed. It got on all fours and charged at Ignis once again just as the Wind Beastcraft spell on her legs wore off, much to her irritation.

 _You're a big mess_

 _Cuz I'm relentless!_

 _I gotta tell you I'm on fire today!_

With the power of Fire Surge, Ignis rushed forward, surrounded by a ring of fire as she unleashed more devastating physical attacks combined with the fire element. The Fire Surge technique didn't last long, and as soon as it wore off, the grizzly bear Unversed saw a chance and captured Ignis with its claws, standing up and tightening its grip on her.

Ignis struggled to break free, yelling in pain as not only did the Unversed's grip tighten, but since it was grabbing at her with its claws, it dug deep into her skin, sputtering out blood from the wounds she just received before the grizzly bear Unversed threw her aside. Sliding and tumbling around the ground, Ignis then crashed into a tree, hissing in pain at the burning, stinging pain after having slid around and felt blood trailing from the wounds in her arms.

 _Crash and burn!_

 _(Crash and burn!)_

 _Some lessons are just hard to learn!_

Growling in irritation, Ignis stood up, ignoring the painful feeling in her arms as she glared at the grizzly bear Unversed, who dared to taunt her as it sloppily licked the blood off its claws, as though it was tasting its own victory.

Gripping Phoenix Fairy, Ignis met her blazing, glaring eyes towards the grizzly bear Unversed, who met hers back and got on all fours, ready to take the offensive once more.

 _Scathing eyes_

 _(Scathing eyes)_

 _That see things from only one side!_

Instead of charging headfirst like before, Ignis spun Phoenix Fairy in her hand before slamming it down on the ground. "Shaddoll!" she chanted, calling out the name of her new spell.

Her shadow shimmered and expanded before rising up from the ground and making its way towards the grizzly bear Unversed, acting as a long-ranged spell. Ignis knew it wasn't perfected, as right now, she was having trouble trying to keep the darkness shadow spell intact as she wanted it to be her puppet just like with Dr. Facilier and from the snake Unversed's powers.

Still, controlling her shadow into a single attack was a good start.

Unfortunately, her magic power ran out right before her Shaddoll spell could reach the grizzly bear Unversed, returning her shadow back to normal and leaving Ignis exhausted.

 _Yet every misshapen spark_

 _Suffers the judgement and pain!_

Seeing Ignis vulnerable, the grizzly bear Unversed roared in triumph and rushed at her; its claws pounding the earth with each step closer towards her as it readied to claw her to pieces.

Getting up, Ignis took a stance and awaited for the right opportunity to strike just as the Unversed moved in closer. Using an advanced-level technique, Ignis performed Zantetsuken, an impossibly blindly super fast Keyblade slash that dealt with both speed and strength, provided if the user concentrated on the technique.

The grizzly bear Unversed roared in pain and fell over to its side, attempting to pat out the pain in its side as it showed evidence of a successful slash. Meanwhile, Ignis had tumbled over after performing the technique, using her Phoenix Fairy to help her stand up as she knew the fight wasn't over.

All it took was one glance from the two of them before they charged at each other again, using their physical abilities to attempt to best each other.

 _But just as light conquers dark,_

 _There's a beauty that's greater than_

 _Pure symmetry can contain!_

 _So let's start the game!_

Both were heavily injured, but continued to try and take the other out. In terms of raw power, the grizzly bear Unversed came out as supreme, but that's all it had. Just raw power, whereas Ignis had better fighting stances as she utilized several swift and defensive sword techniques.

Admittedly, it wasn't just raw power that the grizzly bear Unversed possessed that was his greatest strength, but his own defensive capabilities, like his thick skin. But, after Ignis cracked through his skin with the Zantestsuken technique, she started focusing her attention onto the open slash as that appeared to be the current weak point of her opponent.

Ignis glared at her enemy with her own eyes, blazing with the determination to defeat it as she concentrated on the weak point. Every time she successfully landed a hit, all she heard were the painful and angry cries from the grizzly bear Unversed, assuring her closing victory with each hit.

 _Fool, you shouldn't stare into these_

 _Eyes of Fire!_

 _You're goin' to regret_

 _This little fight!_

 _You don't wanna mess with me, I'm_

 _Something higher!_

 _Anguish you'll know for your miserable plight!_

 _Soon you'll bemoan your mistake of a life!_

 _You'll watch yourself suffer!_

 _You'll watch me_

 _Ignite!_

After some time later, Ignis was tossed aside and there was a fair distance between the two opponents. During their close encounter earlier, Ignis still suffered a few more injuries from the grizzly bear Unversed, and though she saved herself by consuming a few Potions, she preferred to use her healing magic and not waste anymore valuable Potions.

Taking out an Ether, Ignis gulped down the contents and tossed away the empty small body, recovering some of her magic power. Because of large consumption of magic power utilizing her new spells, she decided not to use them for the remainder of the fight.

 _Usually I devastate_

 _This time might annihilate!_

 _Any minute now you're gonna_

 _Rue our meeting!_

"Firebolt!"

With small magic circles appearing in front of her, Ignis concentrated on a multi-shot spell consisting of her Thunder and Fire magic. When she felt ready, she unleashed small, sharp lightning bolts infused with fire from the magic circles, all firing towards the grizzly bear Unversed, who took a defensive stance, defending against the few fire-like lightning bolts that managed to pierce its weakened body while the rest flew out into the trees behind the Unversed.

Vanitas, who had been hiding on the upper branches of the trees near the battlefield to get a closer look, started moving around, nimbly dodging to avoid the path of fire lightning bolts, with one zooming past his face, almost hitting him.

 _Messing with my family  
_  
 _Means that soon you're history!  
_  
 _The moments of your life are fleeting!_

Despite her efforts, Ignis' magic-based barrage didn't defeat the tough Unversed, but did inflict more injuries to it. Seeing as it was on the brink of losing, the grizzly bear Unversed decided that if it was going down, it was going to take down Ignis with it. Taking a defensive stance, Ignis prepared for the Unversed's assault, confident that victory was in her grasp as she clashed against the Unversed.

 _Looking pretty tattered!  
_  
 _Your blood is really splattered!_

 _Won't be long until I end this game!  
_  
 _You're looking toothless!  
_  
 _I'm feeling ruthless!  
_  
 _Just watch me burn as you go down in flames!_

 _Ache and yearn!  
_

 _(Ache and yearn!)  
_  
 _Can't wait for the pages to turn!  
_  
 _Play both sides!_

 _(Play both sides!)  
_

 _When truth you cannot recognize!  
_  
 _And any remarkable heart!  
_  
 _Has gone through the hardship and shame!  
_  
 _That's born of standing apart  
_  
 _From the easily processed  
_  
 _The uniform army of "same!"  
_  
 _And that's just so lame!_

 _I dominate and desecrate leave you in a foul state!  
_  
 _Put you in the trash with that nonsense you perpetuate!  
_  
 _Why you get me riled up? Don't you know I'm wild, bruh?  
_  
 _Bet you'll understand when I'm pissin' on your ashes huh?  
_  
 _Told you I'm tortuous, when you feel the force of this  
_  
 _Blast you'll crash like a cardiac explosion bitch!  
_  
 _Bloody body, broken nose, screw it it's a bloodbath!  
_  
 _Try to get away but there's no escaping Alcatraz!  
_  
 _Look what you made me do, told you I would slaughter you!  
_  
 _Fools you lose, blood cold, ice water dude!  
_  
 _Reach into my bag o' tricks hit you with the baddest licks  
_  
 _Ever, you'll never contend I win!  
_  
 _Bringin' out the beast in me, challengin' my decency!  
_  
 _Now I gotta ask, "Do you really want a piece of me?"  
_  
 _Hope you ready for the pain, suffer when I hit your brain!  
_  
 _Erase your essence from Earth no need to explain!_

This confrontation was much easier than the last one, as the grizzly bear Unversed's attacks were more aggressive, but held many openings for her to attack. With each strike, Ignis grow more triumphant and the Unversed , yet more cautious as the Unversed was going all out just to defeat her.

However, for a split second, she had lowered her guard, and that caused the grizzly bear Unversed to strike as hard and fast as it could, slashing at her chest. If it weren't for the fact that her chest was covered with top-notch armor, she would have been mauled already with the heavy hit the Unversed gave her. Despite her chest armor protecting her, Ignis still felt the brutal impact of the slash attack and leapt back, stroking her slashed armor with her fingertips.

Angered, Ignis powered herself up with her Command Style, Firestorm, to give herself one last body enhancement boost before firing off the ground and flying towards the grizzly bear Unversed, who became filled with fear upon seeing her power up and emitting with killer intent.

Placing everything into one final charge as a last resort, the grizzly bear Unversed barreled towards Ignis with spinning and blinding speed, acting as a pinwheel tornado that was prepared to ravage anything in its path.

 _Fool you shouldn't stare into these  
_  
 _Eyes of Fire!  
_  
 _You're goin' to regret  
_  
 _This little fight!  
_  
 _You don't wanna mess with me, I'm  
_  
 _Something higher!  
_  
 _Anguish you'll know for your miserable plight!  
_  
 _Soon you'll bemoan your mistake of a life!  
_  
 _You'll watch yourself suffer!  
_  
 _You'll watch me_

 _Ignite!_

Ignis quickly put a Barriera spell, a second-tier spell much stronger than her Barrier spell, in front of her, stopping the Unversed in its tracks as it fell to its back. Not awaiting for the Unversed to get back up, she jumped and leapt off from a nearby tree, lunging at its exposed wound with her Keyblade.

That seemed to do the trick as the Unversed began fading away. The last thing the grizzly bear Unversed saw was not Ignis pulling Phoenix Fairy out from its body, but the fire in her eyes that not once dimmed throughout their fight, proving how determined she was the entire time they fought.

Panting, Ignis stumbled back and slid down the tree, exhausted as she popped out a Potion from her bag and started drinking. She noticed her movements were slightly sluggish when they should have been refined throughout her battle, and the grizzly bear Unversed was a lot tougher, or perhaps she was just weaker at the time? She didn't know why this was happening, but she was glad the fight was over.

 _'Not too shabby,'_ thought Vanitas, somewhat impressed. _'Her fighting style's improved, and she still relies on magic, though not as much as before. I'm surprised she's starting to use darkness magic, considering who her master is. Guess there's always gotta be one or two bad students in a class, huh? Still, no way she can beat me the way she is now.'_

The blond-haired woman from before emerged from the trees, having witnessed the fight, and rushed over to Ignis' side, kneeling down besides her. "Are you alright?"

Although still out of breath, Ignis smiled and nodded. "Yeah...I just need to catch my breath. Man, that was a really tough fight! I don't think I've ever been this exhausted before!"

The woman asked, "May I ask who you are? You aren't from around here, are you?"

"Ah, well, my name's Ignis! I guess you could say, I'm a traveler. So, why was that monster chasing after you, Miss...uh...?"

"Oh! My apologies! You saved me, and I didn't even introduce myself first! My name is Briar Rose, and I was simply on my way to pick up berries when that monster started chasing me for some reason! Thankfully, you came to my rescue, so thank you, Ignis."

"No problem!" said Ignis. "Say, Briar Rose? You live around these woods or something?"

"Oh, yes!" said Briar Rose. "I've lived in these woods my whole life, along with my three aunts. I'm not really supposed to talk to strangers, but since you risked your life to save me, how can I not even thank you?"

"Oh, that's not really necessary. I saw someone in trouble, so I swooped in to help. No biggie."

"Well, I really must be going. After all, I have some berries to pick."

"Oh, wait!" Ignis stood up, and though still exhausted, she said, "Why don't I come with you? After all, you've seen how strong I am, and there could be other monsters out there just like the one I fought. I can escort you to where the berries are and take you back home safely after."

"Would...would you do that for me? I don't wish to be a bother or anything."

"Nah, it's my duty to help others! That, and slay those sort of monsters you just saw. It'd be fun taking a nice stroll with a lovely lady like yourself!~" giggled Ignis. "So, come on! Show me the way to the berries! Say, are the berries really good?"

"Yes, very delicious."

"Sweet! I wanna try them out when we get there! I'm so hungry!"

Briar Rose chuckled. "Alright, alright. Let's get going, shall we?"

As both girls left the clearing to head towards their destination, Vanitas decided to follow after them, wanting to keep close tabs on Ignis. As much as he wanted to summon more Unversed to test Ignis' strength, he decided not to because of what happened to the last Unversed. The defeat of the strong Unversed sent a large backlash back at Vanitas, and he was still winching in pain from the backlash, so he didn't want to test his luck.

The Unversed were created from all of his negative emotions, and whenever they were taken down, they all had to return back to him in a painful manner. It was bad enough that Ignis' other friends constantly had to destroy them in a daily basis, but even worse if they took down the more powerful Unversed. The more powerful his emotions, the more powerful the Unversed created would be, and if that Unversed were to be defeated, the pain would increase tenfold when they returned back to him.

Nobody knew and suffered the same sort of pain he had to face every single day of his hellish life.

* * *

 _Later..._

"We're here," announced Briar Rose, presenting bushes of berries, along with a large field of various sorts of flowers. "This is one of my favorite spots in the forest, as you can see why."

"Oh, wow! So pretty! So many flowers!" exclaimed Ignis, running towards the field before falling down to roll around the flowers, taking in the fresh scent of the powers and playfully laughing. "This is so much fun!"

Briar Rose chuckled, watching Ignis play around the field of flowers before proceeding to collect berries in her basket. Ignis was already doing a wonderful job acting as her bodyguard against any monsters, so she didn't want to trouble the red-haired girl by asking her to help her collect the berries.

Vanitas paid no heed to Briar Rose, focusing on Ignis instead as she continued rolling and running around the field of flowers. She was just as childish as Ventus, perhaps even more. Despite being a year older than Ventus and being his senior, one would expect her to be mature, which she was in some cases, but most of the time, she was always cheerful and curious with a child-like mind.

Once again, how did Ventus fall in love with someone like her?

Ventus could have chosen Aqua as his crush, and for good reason, too. She wasn't as annoyingly cheerful like Ignis, was stern and much more mature, and had an older, more attractive body than Ignis in more ways than one. Because he and Ventus are as one, he could feel Ventus' emotions anytime, and he felt Aqua was more of an older sister figure than ever having any romantic feelings for the bluenette.

Ignis, on the other hand, Ventus was definitely head over heels for. Maybe it was the fact that Ignis was the first to interact with him when he first arrived in the Land of Departure, or maybe it was because out of the three friends he had, he spent the most time with Ignis. During the years Ventus spent at the Land of Departure, the two were absolutely inseparable and shared similar personalities.

Ignis was the first to break Ventus out of his shell, always offered a kind hand first, stood up for him more times than he can could, and so on. Ventus didn't have a crush on her at first, only admiration and a friendly attitude towards her. However, as time passed, Vanitas could feel Ventus' feelings for her changing to that of pure, innocent love. Yet, there was another, lingering feeling that Ventus knew deep down, Ignis didn't love him back, only viewing him as a brother.

Feeling Ventus' despair was one of the best moments in Vanitas' life.

Unfortunately for him, because of Ventus' feelings towards Ignis, Vanitas began to take an...interest in Ignis. Because he and Ventus were meant to be one, he wanted to know why he was in love with Ignis. Just what was it that made the blond Keyblade wielder so deeply in love with the annoyingly cheerful, child-like girl? Their time together? Her looks? Her attitude?

This wasn't the first time Vanitas stalked Ignis to find these answers. Sometime after Ventus started developing feelings for Ignis, Vanitas started spying more on Ignis, wanting to know what made her so special. He found out many things about her during his investigation, such as her favorite hobbies, but not quite the answer he was searching for. Just when he thought he had the answer, it didn't feel like the right answer, or at the very least, the complete answer.

What shocked him the most during his investigation was the warm feeling he got the more he divulged deeper into Ventus' crush for Ignis. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't deny that the warm, fuzzy feeling inside of him was not of any negative emotions, but... _love._

Sometime during his investigation, and possibly influenced by Ventus' feelings, he started developing more than an interest towards Ignis, but a... _crush._

It sounded stupid, cliché, and he'd rather take the tenfold pain of having over a hundred Unversed destroyed and returning the pain back at him than actually admitting he had a crush. Yet, he grew more interested in Ignis than in Ventus or his friends, though he did keep tabs on them.

Now, the question had expanded from why Ventus had fallen in love with Ignis, to why Vanitas himself started falling for Ignis?

Vanitas may not know a lot about love, other than the occasional sexual things that came out of love, but he also knew that the feeling of love cannot be forced. It just...happens out of nowhere if one were to be interested in someone. This feeling he had inside as he watched Ignis trip and fall on her face in the field of flowers...he actually liked the warm feeling. This warm feeling didn't actually cause him pain.

Yeah, no way he was going to tell Xehanort of all people about his feelings towards Ignis. Worst case scenario, he might order him to kill Ignis to render any feelings of love useless, and Vanitas didn't want to, at least not until he figured out why he had these feelings towards her. There was just something in Ignis that intrigued him, that caused him to draw interest into her that he couldn't figure out yet.

Besides, even if he had these feelings for her, what are the chances that she could love an empty husk of darkness like him?

"Ignis, I'm done!" called out Briar Rose, walking up to the girl who had stopped playing and was instead plucking up flowers from the flower field. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"Oh, hey, Bri!"

"Bri?"

"Oh, sorry! I tend to give my friends nicknames! It's a habit of mine!"

"Nicknames? What's that?" wondered Briar Rose, sitting down next to her.

"They're like, short names! Names people give to each other to show affection!" explained Ignis happily. "It's also given if someone has a really long name and nobody wants to bother saying their entire name all the time! I call my friends nicknames, too! Like, with Aqua, Blueberry Mom, because she's like a motherly, sister figure to me and my friends! For Terra, he's Baguette Dad, because he's like the fatherly, older brother figure with rock-hard abs! And last but not least, Ventus, also known as Ven-Ven, Venny, and my personal favorite, my cute little Cinnamon Roll!"

"A cinnamon roll?" wondered Briar Rose.

"Yup! It's this sweet little dessert that's absolutely delicious! I call him that because he's sweet and cute like one!"

Vanitas definitely didn't conjure an Unversed of anger and jealously right besides him. He quickly recalled it back inside him, though.

"Oh! But, I guess there is one other person that I gave a nickname to!" said Ignis. "I guess we aren't really friends, but I really want to be friends with him despite him fighting and kidnapping me!"

"He did those things?" gasped Briar Rose. "I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like that."

"Eh, don't worry. He didn't hurt me too badly. Plus, I did escape, so it was no biggie. What really got me interested was how awesome he looked!" squealed Ignis. "He looked so badass! His outfit, his helmet, and how he fought! He looked like some awesome anti-hero from the comics!"

Even if nobody else was around and he was wearing his helmet, Vanitas couldn't help but give a smug smirk from hearing Ignis' opinion of him.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, sorry! I forgot, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about," laughed Ignis. "I did come from a faraway place, so I have...different cultures where I come from. Basically, he's so cool! I guess I do admire him a bit!"

"What nickname did you give him?"

"Skirt Boy!"

Vanitas' smirk dropped instantly, replaced with a snarl. Next time they fought, he was barely going to hold back against her. He had almost forgotten that stupid nickname she had given him until now.

"Skirt Boy? Why Skirt Boy?" wondered Briar Rose.

"His badass appearance would have been so much more badass if he didn't have that skirt on! I mean, only girls wear skirts," complained Ignis. "So, just to piss him off, I called him Skirt Boy! That'll teach him to wear a skirt next time I see him!"

Oh, he was definitely NOT going to hold back against her.

"But, I really do want to get to know him better," said Ignis. "And someday, I'm gonna knock the helmet off his head so I can see his face! I hope he's tall, dark, and handsome! Well, he's slightly a bit taller than me, so I hope he's handsome underneath the helmet! I mean, he's gotta be!"

"How do you know for certain that he's handsome?" wondered Briar Rose. "Didn't you say he was wearing a helmet?"

"Come on, anyone with a voice that deep has gotta be handsome! And anyone with a voice that's high like Ven has gotta be cute!~" cooed Ignis happily, cherishing her red cheeks. "That's a mental rule I've made for myself!"

 _'That's a stupid rule,'_ thought Vanitas before thinking back about her words on the deep voice. _'...But it's not entirely bad.'_

Ignis' stomach suddenly growled, and she reverted her attention to the basket of berries that Briar Rose held, practically drooling. "Can...Can I...?"

Briar Rose chuckled, pushing the basket to her. "I can always collect more later, so go ahead. You must be starving."

"Yes! Thank you! I love you!" squealed Ignis before digging in, savoring the taste of the berries. "Mmm! So good! Come on, Bri-Bri! You should eat too! I was told that food always tastes better if you're eating it with someone!"

"Oh, but..."

"You said it yourself, right? You can always collect more later! And when that happens, I'll help you!"

"Very well then. Just a little for me."

After the basket was devoid of anymore berries, Briar Rose took a look at Ignis and giggled, taking out a handkerchief from her pocket. "Here, Ignis. You've got a lot of berry juice all over your face."

"Oh! So embarrassing! Thanks!" Ignis gratefully took the handkerchief and began wiping her mouth. "That was so good! Well, time to resume my work!"

"And what work would that be?" asked Briar Rose.

"Well, while you were busy collecting the berries, I took the liberty of making a flower crown! It's like a crown, only with flowers! Me and Aqua did crafts like this all the time back at home!"

"May I watch?"

"Of course!"

Briar Rose watched the process of the creation of the flower crown, intrigued and taking note of how to create one. Throughout the process, she heard some humming from Ignis and politely asked, "May I ask what you're humming?"

"Oh, it's one of my favorite songs! Red Like Roses! I absolutely love this song!"

"May I hear it?"

"Okay! It'll help me focus on the flower crown, anyways, so why not? It doesn't have many lyrics, though, so I guess I'll hum the rest afterwards. Kinda wish there were actual roses around here somewhere, though."

Clearing her throat, Ignis plucked a red tuberous begonia flower from the ground, adding it to the collection of the flower crown she was making as she sang.

 **Red like Roses**

 **Created by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _"Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest..."_

Picking a white lily for its pure white color, Ignis started to place it within the flower crown as well.

 _"White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test..."_

Another flower added to the flower crown was a purple amaryllis.

 _"Black the beast descends from shadows..."_

Deciding to use one final flower to add the finishing touches to the flower crown, Ignis not only chose a golden-yellow not for its intriguing color, but also for because it matches Briar Rose's golden hair.

 _"Yellow beauty burns Gold..."_

The rest of the song, Ignis simply hummed softly, but loud enough for Briar Rose and Vanitas to hear. Vanitas knew that one of the things that attracted Ventus towards Ignis was her singing, and admittedly, her singing wasn't that bad.

"There!" said Ignis, placing the flower crown on Briar Rose's head after finishing her song.

"Oh, it looks so beautiful, Ignis," praised Briar Rose, smiling. "Here, while you were making the flower crown, I also made one for you, too."

The flower crown appeared a little crooked, but nevertheless good from someone who made one for the first time in her life. Taking the flower crown and placing it on her head, Ignis smiled back. "Aww, thanks! Now we have a match!"

"Now, we should really get going, after collecting more berries," reminded Briar Rose.

"Like I said before, I'll help you!" said Ignis, standing up. "With my help, we'll be able to collect a lot more delicious berries faster than before!"

"You're not going to eat some when I look away, are you?"

"No!"

"..."

"...Okay, maybe a little. But the rest will be put in the basket! Come on, let's hurry!"

Vanitas watched Ignis assisting Briar Rose from his hiding spot, chuckling to himself when he saw her pulling off her predictable antics, sneakily and hastily eating a few more berries when Briar Rose's back was turned. No matter how much she would try, there was no denying the berry smudges on her mouth.

Soon, the two girls headed out, with Ignis keeping guard as she allowed Briar Rose to take the lead. Should there be anymore Unversed in their way, Ignis would use her magic to cast a protective barrier around the young woman to protect her while she dealt with the threat. Luckily, none had come thus far, and so to pass the time, they began singing songs to each other.

When it was Briar Rose's turn, her singing echoed loud and clear throughout the forest, attracting several woodland critters in the forest. Ignis couldn't help but be mesmerized by Briar Rose's singing voice. While Ignis was talented in singing, she knew that from her voice, Briar Rose was on a whole different level than her.

About two birds flew down and tweeted after Briar Rose's singing, following the path of her song as they landed on a tree branch nearby. Briar Rose allowed the blue bird to land gently on the tip of her finger as she sang another verse, causing the bird and red birds to fly away and chirp the verse. The two birds began waking up and gathering more woodland critters, who then followed the beautiful song coming from Briar Rose and gathered around her, following after her.

Ignis attempted to sing as high as her several times, only to choke and cough every time. She couldn't go that high like Briar Rose, but still attempted nevertheless. It was only when Briar Rose placed a hand on her shoulder did she stop.

"Take a break, Ignis," advised Briar Rose gently. "Deep breaths. Rest is an important way to improve."

"O-okay," agreed Ignis, breathing in and out, watching her sit down near a tree, gently cradling one of the woodland critters in her arms. It was silently decided that the two of them would take a break before proceeding forward.

Then, out of nowhere, a few woodland critters arrived in an unexpected fashion, Two birds were holding up a red coat with the coat user being an owl wearing a matching red hat, and two rabbits were hopping on some boots to match the image of a red-coated gentleman.

"Hey, look!" said Ignis, pointing towards the critters imitating a gentleman. "Aha! So cute!"

Looking at where Ignis was pointing to, Briar Rose giggled and stood up, walking up to the owl wearing the red coat and pretending it was a gentleman.

"You know, I'm really not supposed to talk to strangers," she said as the two birds holding up the sleeves of the coat wrapped them around Briar Rose as though the owl was embracing her. "But we've met before!"

 _"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream!"_

Gently pulling herself out of the coat's embrace, Briar Rose began ballroom dancing with the owl still wearing the red coat and hat, singing gently as she had a small audience consisting of Ignis and the woodland critters.

 _"I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam!_

 _Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem._

 _But if I know you,_

 _I know what you'll do_

 _You'll love me at once_

 _The way you did once upon a dream!"_

Briar Rose proceeded to hum for a while, playfully dancing with the owl dressed in the red coat. Ignis closed her eyes and began humming the song, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

Nobody noticed a young, handsome man pulling the owl away by the back of the coat and taking his place by dancing with Briar Rose from behind, singing along with her as though predicting her next lines.

 _"But if I know, I know you'll do_

 _You'll love me at once_

 _The way you did once upon a dream!"_

Surprised upon actually meeting a stranger other than Ignis, Briar Rose turned and met the face of a handsome man before turning to her friends to see if they knew the man. Ignis was just as startled as her, and the woodland critters shrugged their shoulders, unaware of who the man was.

"Oh, I'm awfully sorry," apologized the young man, gently clasping her hands with his. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh! It wasn't that! It's just that you're a...a..." Briar Rose became a bit hesitant and shy, unsure what to say in front of the handsome man that appeared before her.

With a clear intent of comforting her, the handsome man finished her sentence gently. "A stranger?"

"Mmm hmm..."

"But, don't you remember? We've met before!"

"We-We have?"

"But, of course! You said so yourself! Once upon a dream!" To further comfort her, the handsome man began singing softly to her, captivating her with his voice.

 _"I know you_

 _I walked with you once upon a dream!_

 _I know you_

 _The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam!"_

Capturing Briar Rose's attention, the young man and Briar Rose stared lovingly into each other, captivated not just through their looks but through their wonderful singing voices. Voicelessly, they began waltzing together in unison, roaming the woods with their dancing as Ignis and the other woodland critters began following after them.

Although her voice wasn't as wonderful as Briar Rose, Ignis still decided to sing for them, finishing the song as they danced their way across the forest.

 _"And I know it's true,_

 _That visions are seldom all they seem._

 _But if I know you, I know you'll do_

 _You'll love me at once_

 _The way you did once upon a dream!"_

At the end of the song, Ignis saw the handsome man and Briar Rose leaning lovingly near each other, staring off at the far distance. Ignis sighed happily, wishing there was someone out there who would love her just like the two. Being a Keyblade Master is her biggest goal, but marrying someone is also a big goal for her, possibly second best.

"Who are you? What's your name?" asked the handsome man tenderly.

"Hmm? Oh, my name...Why it's...it's..." Realizing that she had been gone for so long and the rule of not talking to stranger, Briar Rose panicked. "Oh, no, no, no! I can't! Goodbye!"

Watching Briar Rose leave, the handsome man called out, "But when can I see you again?"

"Oh, never! Never!"

"Never?"

"Well...! Maybe someday!" called back Briar Rose, hurrying as fast as she could.

"When? Tomorrow?"

"Oh, no! This evening!"

"Where?"

"At the cottage! At the glean!"

The handsome man tried to catch up to Briar Rose, but by the time she quickly uttered the directions to the cottage, she was too far away for the handsome man to catch up, leaving him with just the woodland critters and Ignis.

"Uh...Well, that's...a bit awkward," muttered Ignis, unsure what to do. She didn't want to disturb her and the man's time together, but her sudden departure left Ignis confused and uncertain what the next move would be. Should she go after Briar Rose? It didn't seem like there were anymore Unversed in the forest after all the time she spent in the forest.

Turning to Ignis, who seemed to be the only other person in the area, the handsome man asked, "Excuse me, Miss? I was wondering if you knew who that lovely girl is?"

"Oh, I just met her today, but her name's Briar Rose," explained Ignis. "She was attacked by an Unv-I mean, she was attacked by a really mean bear, so I saved her, and that's how we became friends."

"Briar Rose...What a peculiar, but lovely name befitting of her," sighed the handsome man happily. "My apologies, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Prince Phillip."

"Oh! A prince! Cool!" said Ignis before straightening her back and then bowing in a courtesy manner, lifting the ends of her skirt slightly as she did so. "My name is Ignis. Nice to meet you, Prince!"

"Ignis...a rather foreign name. I suppose you are a foreigner?"

Ignis nodded. "Yup! I traveled from a really far away place and just came to these woods recently, so I have no idea about this...kingdom of yours."

"The kingdom is not far from here. If you wish, I can take you there."

Ignis began weighing her options from that point. She wanted to check up on Briar Rose to see if she had arrived back safely, but at the same time, other Unversed might be in waiting at the kingdom rather than at the forest. Her duty isn't to constantly be a babysitter for Briar Rose, but to hunt down and taken down any remaining Unversed in the world, and if there were some lurking around at the kingdom, then it wouldn't hurt to check out the kingdom.

"Alright, I'll go with you."

"Fantastic! Now, we have to find Samson. Oh, he's my horse. He should be around here somewhere! Samson!"

At the call of his name, a white horse stepped out and trotted towards his owner, Phillip. Like the gentleman that he is, Phillip helped Ignis climb up the back of his horse before climbing up himself, taking off into the direction of the castle. Vanitas, who had been watching everything patiently, decided to take a Dark Corridor to reach the kingdom first, as his Dark Corridors were the fastest transportation than a mere horse ride.

 _'I'm living every girl's dream; riding in the back of a shining white horse with a prince. Eh, I prefer tall, dark and handsome guys, and this guy's already fallen head over heels with Bri, so he's not my type,'_ thought Ignis, hugging Phillip's waist from behind so that she didn't fall off during the ride.

The kingdom seemed large, as well as busy and crowded with many people lining up at the front of the castle, as though anticipating something. Ignis glanced around and saw the kingdom seemed prepared for a festival, like a celebration.

"Uh...Is something special going on with the kingdom?" wondered Ignis as the horse slowed down.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know. You're new here, after all," spoke Phillip. "Today is Princess Aurora's 16th birthday, and she's to return to the castle."

"Return? Did something happen to her?"

"16 years ago, when she was just a baby, a wicked witch who goes by the name of Maleficent cursed her, saying that on Princess Aurora's 16th birthday, she'll die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. Fearing for their daughter's life, the king and queen of this kingdom had Princess Aurora taken away by the Three Good Fairies to ensure no harm would come to her. Additionally, to make sure the curse doesn't come to pass, the king had ordered all spinning wheels in the kingdom to be destroyed."

"That sounds real horrible!" said Ignis. "Wait, why did this Maleficent person curse the princess in the first place?"

"It's because she wasn't invited to the christening event of Princess Aurora's birth."

"And why wasn't she invited?"

"Even before Princess Aurora was born, Maleficent was known to cause misfortune and evil deeds within the castle."

"Ah, I see," spoke Ignis, understanding the situation better. "I guess you must be pretty happy since you're going to see your sister soon."

"Sister?" wondered Phillip, confused. "I have no sister."

"I meant, Princess Aurora. Isn't she your sister?"

"Oh, no. You're mistaken. She's my fiancée. We're meant to be married to unite our two kingdom together."

"Eh?!" Now Ignis was confused once more. "But you were totally in love with Briar Rose! Now, you have to marry Princess Aurora? How are you going to break down the news to Briar Rose?"

"I'm not," said Phillip firmly. "I've decided my heart belongs to Briar Rose instead. It's love at first sight! I'm afraid Princess Aurora will just have to settle for someone else."

"...But you just met her. Today, in fact. Isn't that going a bit too fast?" questioned Ignis.

"Perhaps you're right. Still, I do plan on meeting her tonight at her cottage, just as planned," decided Phillip. "I want to get to know her more, then."

"Hey, if you do meet her, do you think you could pass on a message to her from me?" requested Ignis. "Tell her that I hope she's alright."

Phillip nodded. "Very well. Simple enough. Say, are you staying for the celebration of Princess Aurora's return?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay for the celebrations. I have some business here in the kingdom, anyways. Why you ask?"

"I don't mean to be impolite, but you can't celebrate with those strange clothes of yours," commented Philip. "I can arrange some of the maids to help dress you up, if you like."

Ignis would like to start investigating the castle grounds as soon as she could, but disguising herself as one of the guests might help her from being kicked out. Besides, it would be nice to dress up kinda like a princess.

"Sure, why not?" agreed Ignis as the horse came to a halt somewhere in the castle grounds after Phillip was easily granted access. She followed after Phillip as he went up to some maids that were on duty, hurriedly trying to prepare for their beloved princess' return.

"Excuse me?" called out Phillip as the maids straightened themselves and gave their undivided attention to the young prince. "Could you help this young lady dress up for the celebrations?"

"Certainly, Prince Phillip!" agreed the maid, taking Ignis' wrist. "Come, young lady! My, you certainly look messy! You look as though you fought a bear!"

"Er…."

"Never mind! Come along! We'll most certainly clean your clothes! But first, we'll have to bathe you, get you into one of our available dresses, and-Oh! Before we dress you after your bath, you must wear a corset!"

"Ah, sweet! Wait, what's a corset?"

* * *

 **Finished! I hope you enjoy! So yeah, a couple of notes for this chapter! I totally got the idea of the whole "Shaddoll," spell from Shikamaru from Naruto, and the name was befitting of a shadow puppet, as I got the name idea from Yu-Gi-Oh. Ignis will gain control, just...she's at the basics, so this is more of her creation magic at hand.**

 **Also, the Beastcraft spell thing is something I got from Fate Stay Night and Zatch Bell. It's like one of the body enhancement spells, but instead of focusing on the entire body, it focuses on two particular points; the arms and legs, and I plan to name the spells like, "Beastcraft: Fire Style," or "Beastcraft: Wind Style." You get the idea. Yet another one of Ignis' combination creation spells.**

 **I'm doing my best to make this as romantic as possible with Ignis and Vanitas, but considering it's Vanitas we're talking about...It's a bit difficult. I don't want to make him sound too OOC, and I'm trying not to make Ignis a Mary Sue. Believe me, I really am not. She still has her weaknesses and advantages, and she'll have character development so I'm doing the best I can to make this good.**

 **If you guys have any ideas for the story and such, feel free to tell me! Otherwise, read and review!**


	15. Enchanted Dominion (2): Sloth

**Hey, guys! Like I mentioned, this will be a very short world, so this is the last part! Yes, I already planned for Ignis' dress, which does involve gloves, so thank you for the suggestion, CT756Rules, but I got it under control! And before any of you wonder, no, there is not gonna be a Star Wars world. I actually haven't seen any of the movies, like ANY of them, so yeah!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Heart series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"AAAH! GAH! GODDAMNIT! AAAAH! IT HURTS! AAAAH!"

Ignis' screams filled the entire castle, making the celebratory atmosphere a little...uncomfortable. Although the screams would only be temporary, the painful screams still downed the mood a little, but the citizens and servants still continued onto their business, knowing the reason behind the screams.

Vanitas was leaning against the rooftop with his arms crossed, wondering what was it that was making Ignis scream so badly. He was tempted to find out for sure what torture she was undergoing. Using the power of darkness, he glided upwards slightly to check out the room Ignis was in through the window, careful not to let anyone spot him.

What he saw was definitely unexpected...and disappointing.

"AAAAAAH! STOP IT!"

"You can do it, Miss! Just a few more tugs and we're done!"

"I'LL DIE BEFORE THEN! WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO WEAR THIS STUPID THING ANYWAYS?!"

"Language, Miss! This is a corset! It's a necessary tool for women to maintain their physique and natural figure! You should be proud of such a thing existing!"

"Why would I be proud of something that's killing me?! This is the very definition of torture! This is something that should belong in a dungeon or so-AAAAH!"

"Hold her down more, ladies! She's one of those stubborn types!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"AAAAH! STOP I'M GONNA FRICKIN' DIE!"

"I doubt anyone's ever killed by a corset, Miss. Now, hold her down more! The last few tugs are going to be more troublesome with her squirming around!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

From Vanitas' perspective, Ignis was wearing a strange...clothing item tightly around her waist area. She was currently being held down by six or so maids and frantically squirming as the head maid was pulling on some strings attached to the clothing item they called a "corset." Screams escaped from Ignis and she ended up banging her fists against a nearby table, trying to endure the pain.

 _'...Why was I even worried about the idiot for nothing?'_ thought Vanitas, leaving and ignoring the cries and screams coming from Ignis once more.

Around an hour later, Ignis was seen wandering around the castle gardens with an unpleasant expression on her face. She was unaware that in order to dress up formally, one had to wear something as painful as a corset, and the slippers were really uncomfortable! If she had known that it would be this painful, she would have turned down Phillip's offer and investigated on her own terms!

Ignis was currently wearing a strapless red dress with a darker red waistband with a yellow ribbon attached to the waistband. Orange frills were added to the lower portion of her dress and she wore black dress gloves to match the somewhat sunset-themed dress she wore. Despite the painful contraptions of the corset, it greatly showed off her curvaceous figure, making her more attractive. Because she was required to take a bath before dressing up, her long red hair held a strong rose scent and appeared a lot more smoother and silkier than before thanks to the help of professional maids.

And, wrapped around her neck, was her blood red Wayfinder, acting not just as a good luck charm, but also a necklace accessory for her dress.

Vanitas spied on her from behind some trees, watching her enter deeper into the castle gardens. She...actually looked decent. If Ventus was here instead of him, then he'd fall in love with Ignis a hundred times over. Knowing him, he'd probably fidget and be all shy-like around Ignis.

"This...is...the worst...! Pain!" complained Ignis, gritting her teeth as she continued walking. Every step she took was painful for her, not just from her feet, but around her waist area as well. She only had to endure the pain for one day, or at the very, a few hours, and then, once the celebrations for the princess' return finished, she was going to get her freshly cleaned clothes back and never wear a dress again!

One good thing was when the maids weren't looking, Ignis managed to sneak a couple of things out of her bag and hid them away where they wouldn't think of looking. The things she managed to snatch in a short time were one Potion and Ether, her Unversed Cleanser, and most importantly, her Keyblade Armor sealed and tucked away in the form of pauldron.

Taking out her pauldron, she attached it to her shoulder just in case. In her current clothing, she can't fight Unversed, but with her armor, it would be a different story. Her friends like to wear their armor only in important battles, but for her, she preferred to use it whenever she wished, whether it was just for fun or during battle for defensive purposes.

"Hmm...I like this, but I feel like something's missing..." muttered Ignis, pondering on her appearance while constantly checking her Unversed Cleanser for any Unversed. The number of Unversed had barely decreased, so there was a chance there was still some around the area. Still, Ignis couldn't help but be conscious of her new look, even if it was temporary.

Recalling the handkerchief Briar Rose gave her before, Ignis took it out and her face fell upon seeing the juice stains on it. Oh yeah, she gave it to her to clean her face off from the berry juices. Luck was on her side though, as there was a fountain not far from her position. Walking up to it, she drenched the handkerchief in the fountain's waters, doing her best to clean and rub off the juice stains to the best of her abilities. Once she finished, she twisted the handkerchief to squeeze out the water and used a little bit of both wind and fire magic to dry it.

 _'What's she doing?'_ wondered Vanitas after witnessing her use wind and fire magic to dry clean a handkerchief. What could she possible be planning with the handkerchief?

His answer came sooner than expected when Ignis tied the back of her long hair into a low ponytail, using the handkerchief as a replacement hairband that also acted as a ribbon. The handkerchief was already silky and long enough to be crafted into a ribbon hairband, which Ignis took advantage of. As a result, she had a new and improved look that surprisingly went well with her dress.

"Hmm? Ooh! Roses! My favorite!" Spotting a rose bush, Ignis made her way there and plucked one the biggest rose she could find out from the bushes, taking in the fresh scent of the rose and sighing happily. Walking back to the fountain, she used the reflection of the water to act as a mirror so she could attach the rose near her ear to act as a rose accessory.

Now she truly felt both cute and beautiful, just like a princess.

Vanitas had to look away for a moment, before glancing out just to catch a glimpse at Ignis' appearance. Realizing he was gazing at Ignis like a lover would do, he disgustingly shook his head and looked away, grunting lowly to himself. What was wrong with him, suddenly looking at her so...so... _disgustingly lovingly?_ That would be something only Ventus would do, and he was most certainly NOT Ventus, even if he was the dark part of him!

These feelings of love were only hindering his sight as well as serving as an obstacle in his way! Come to think of it, he wanted to know just how truly strong Ignis was, and that grizzly bear Unversed from earlier wasn't enough. Perhaps now was time for the big guns, say one of his Seven Deadly Sins Unversed might be a suited opponent for her...

Anything just to wipe the stupid idiot out of his head. Anything to get the irritating, warm feeling out of his chest. At first, he felt comfortable with the warm feeling, but then he remembered Xehanort's goal, and that if he forged the X-Blade with Ventus, then no longer would he have to constantly suffer pain and suffering over and over from the Unversed. They arose from his negative feelings, and every time they're taken down, they're returned to him and he feels the time of their death every. Single. Time.

Vanitas was in conflict with his feelings, all thanks to a single look at Ignis' new, attractive appearance. On one hand, he wanted to spare her so that he could come to the answer of why he was so interested in her, but on the other, he wanted to get rid of her as she served as an obstacle to Xehanort's plans and to the end of his constant suffering. It was bad enough when he and Ventus separated from one another, but it was somehow worse as long as Ignis lived.

Either way, no matter what, he was going to determine just how strong Ignis had gotten since the last they met.

The conflicted, frustrating feelings he was having, he focused on summoning one of his Seven Deadly Sins Unversed based on that. He didn't even need to put that much effort into conjuring up a large, powerful Unversed. If Ignis didn't defeat this one, especially considering its powers, she might as well...sleep for eternity.

Hearing a strange sound behind her, Ignis turned around with a startled look on her face as she took in the large shape that emerged from underneath the ground.

The enormous body had a dark green stem about as thick as bulging muscles, and it stood up using its roots, which was split in numerous places thanks to the castle's gardens serving as its homefield advantage. Its skin, like the stem, was dark green, and the head resting above its chest plates resembled a mountain goat, as it had two curved horns on either side of its head with green, glowing eyes locking onto Ignis. Its lower body may be a stem, but it greatly resembled a muscular physique along with its two vines that stretched out from the middle of the stem body. The two vines not only acted as the plant goat Unversed's arms, but also had prickly thorns on them, making them quite dangerous should they come into contact with Ignis' skin.

"...That is the most sickest, most weirdest Unversed I've ever seen," stated Ignis, summoning Phoenix Fairy with a sicken look. "If someone created an artwork with that in mind, then they really have no tack."

Vanitas felt himself twitch in anger before mentally commanding his Unversed to destroy her.

Responding to its master's command, and in response to Ignis' reaction, the plant goat Unversed straightened up and gave a ground-breaking roar before charging at a blinding speed. Thanks to her instincts, Ignis reacted quickly by slapping her pauldron, transforming into her Keyblade Armor before being slammed with great force from the charge. Her body was knocked into the air and crashed hard into the ground several meters away from the plant goat Unversed.

Ignis' body ached heavily from the charged force, but if it weren't for her armor protecting her, the damage would have been greater. Two good things came with her armor; one, with her armor, her dress had vanished inside of her armor, and two, because her armor was more on movement-based, she had more freedom to move around and dodge attacks. It wasn't clear what happened to her dress, but Ignis knew that somehow, she was still wearing her dress inside her armor, along with the damned corset. Magic tended to be strange that way.

The battle further commenced when the plant goat Unversed brought one of its arms downwards. Ignis immediately sidestepped to dodge, and leapt up, ready to unleash one of her fire spells only to be knocked down to the ground by the other arm. Another strike swung down at her without hesitation, forcing Ignis to roll around to avoid the downwards strike before standing up on her feet. This time, both vine-like arms swung at her, forcing Ignis to stand her ground and block with Phoenix Fairy, feeling an impact across her body as the shockwave hit her.

"Gotcha!" shouted Ignis, grinning behind her helmet. "Enfire!"

Her blade lit on fire, and she had expected the fire to come into contact with the vines, which in turn, would wire back to the main body of the plant body Unversed, thus setting it on fire. Plants are all supposed to be vulnerable to fire, and because Ignis' natural affinity was fire, she thought it would be a very easy victory.

She thought wrong.

Not only did the plant NOT catch on fire, but the sight of fire enraged the plant goat Unversed, causing it to suddenly and rapidly hasten its attacks into a full-on barrage. Its vine attacks came at her repeatedly with a crushing might that felt it could take her life at any moment, leaving no room for Ignis to counterattack. She concentrated fully on defending with sidesteps and parries but knew she couldn't keep it up for long, as its attacks were monstrously powerful.

Soon, the plant goat Unversed started noticing a few gaps in Ignis' defense and slashed at her lower body parts, particularly in the leg areas where they seemed less protected. Slash marks from the thorns on the vines started making their mark on Ignis' legs and thighs, causing her to feel the stunning impact and slashes. Finally, Ignis swung as hard as she could to block the vines' next attack and make a break point. She then flung herself to the ground and rolled away, forcing herself to stand despite the wounds on her legs.

The difference between her armor and her friends' armors was that even though Ignis had protection in the upper portion of her body, the lower half consisted of just boots, pants, and the tail ends of a black coat, no armor whatsoever. In terms of movement, it was great, and sometimes, it made her faster than her friends, but sometimes, the mix of more free movement and defense didn't mix in well with Ignis' defensive fighting style, but she had grown to adjust to it. The main problem was that anyone can use the weakness of her lower portion to their advantage, just like now.

As Ignis drank her Potion to recover from the wounds in her lower portion, she suddenly felt tired and fell to one knee. She fought down the urge to vomit as a throbbing headache came to her and pain coursed through her body. _'I...I don't get it,'_ thought Ignis. _'Ugh! My head! I already drank the Potion! My wounds are healed for now, so why...? C-Could it be...Poison? So...tired...Sleep, too? Ugh...Maybe those thorns...They could inflict both Poison and Sleep...Oh, jeez...That's bad...First, it has fire resistance, and now Poison and Sleep? Oh, wait...'_

"Esuna!" called out Ignis, using the white magic spell to cure her from both Poison and Sleep. The healing spell worked wonders for Ignis as she felt rejuvenated and prepared to fight once more. But how can she defeat a strong opponent who, as a plant monster, is supposed to be vulnerable to fire, yet isn't?

The answer all came down to Vanitas. He picked a strong Unversed that had immunity to fire as it had very high fire resistance and could use the earth to its advantage, especially in a garden, where its strength grew immensely from the strong earth itself. Any other location, like a desert, wouldn't bring out the Unversed's potential. Because it had fire resistance, and Ignis would obviously expect to defeat it with her fire magic, it served as a bad matchup for her, which was good in Vanitas' books.

If fire couldn't work, then Ignis had another idea to try and defeat it, or at least try and figure out its weakness. As the vines descended down on her, Ignis glared up at them and chanted, "Earth Clone!" A replica of her body made entirely of earth popped out of her through magic and acted as a shield against the vines. Because it was an earth replica and not a living being, it was instantly destroyed upon being slammed down.

This particular sort of magic was yet another spell Ignis invented with Terra's help. She came up with the idea for a decoy during one of her sparring matches with Terra since physically, without any sort of enhancement magic, she couldn't match his strength. Therefore, she thought to at least decrease his strength by having him attack a sort of a statue version of herself, which really wouldn't move and would serve as both a distraction and defense.

After destroying the earth copy, the goat plant Unversed spotted Ignis not far away, preparing her magic for something grand. Not wanting for her to accomplish her goal, the Unversed stretched its vines and grabbed Ignis' body, tangling and wrapping the vines around her body before lifting her up in the air, immobilizing her.

Ignis' face contorts in pain. With its monstrous power, it shouldn't be hard to crush Ignis. Grunts and painful gasps escaped her lips as the vines wrapped around her legs, arms, and even her armored neck. Because her legs remained unprotected, the thorns pierced through the skin of her legs, ripping through the clothing of her pants and leaving bloody gashes the more the plant goat Unversed squeezed. Ignis grew silent, her face downcast as the poison and sleep effects from the gash wounds that came from the thorns started to take effect.

"Heh, got you," was what Ignis said before magic exploded in the plant goat Unversed's face.

Even after Ignis was captured by the vines, she still concentrated on her magic spell, enduring the pain all the way through. When her spell was complete, which happened to be the Triple Blizzaga spell, three ice pillar-like arrows appeared in front of Ignis and shot out, aiming for the Unversed's face before exploding afterwards, freezing part of the face. Roaring in pain, it released the vines wrapping her so it could use the vines to break the ice around its face.

Landing on her feet, Ignis took out her only Ether potion and drank the contents, as she had to use all of her remaining Magic Power to cast the Triple Blizzaga spell. She wasn't particularly good with water magic, but thanks to Aqua's help, she was able to master such a complex and advanced spell, though in terms of casting time, Aqua fared better than her anyways.

From the screams that came out of the Unversed, Ignis could easily conclude that its main weakness was ice, and depending on the level of spells as well as her limited Magic Power, she can only cast a few more left before she was out. Plus, she had to hurry, as she could feel the poison and sleep effects wearing her down as time passed.

Getting more serious, the plant goat Unversed extended its vine arms and started swinging them around over and over, creating a rotary attack that knocked aside Ignis. The rotary attack ceased, and the Unversed began slamming down its arms onto Ignis to crush her, forcing her to roll around to dodge until she got far into a safe distance. It wouldn't be long until the plant goat Unversed got up to close in on the distance, and if she tried to get in close, it would only use its rotary attack once more.

"Concealment!" called out Ignis before vanishing.

Vanitas blinked his eyes and leaned in a little closer, glancing around and wondering where Ignis went all of a sudden. Was this yet another one of her creative spells that she just casted? Nothing had happened to the Unversed thus far, so it must have been a self-casting spell.

"Blizzard!"

A blade made of ice suddenly swooped down from above and plunged deep into one of the vine arms, pinning it down deep in the ground as the ice froze part of the arm, freezing it in place. The plant goat Unversed shrieked in pain, throwing its goat face back before swinging its other free arm around, accidentally hitting Ignis, who suddenly appeared after being hit and tossed to the ground.

"Crap! Kinda wished the spell hung on a little bit longer!" cursed Ignis, rubbing her arm where it was hit. She may have her armor on, but that didn't mean she was immune to all damage! Would be nice, though.

The spell, Concealment, was yet another spell Ignis created through experimentation and her imagination. Only this time, because of the slight complexity of the spell, Aqua assisted her with the creation of the spell. Concealment manipulates the refraction of light in water vapor, thus making the user invisible to others in terms of sight. Concealment was a spell that required very little Magic Power to activate, and it was a spell combined from both light and water magic. However, while it uses very little Magic Power, it does have it drawbacks.

First, it requires a large amount of concentration, and the user cannot be disturbed or even attacked. If they are, then the spell will instantly wear off. Secondly, the spell has a time limit, so it would wear off by itself. Sometimes, the user may not even notice that the spell would wear off unless their opponent attacks them or they took a look at their visible self.

Ignis' original plan was to use Concealment to hide herself from sight, then pin down the two vine arms before finishing off the plant goat Unversed. Unfortunately, while she managed to succeed in pinning down one of the two, the other vine arm got her, and she only had enough Magic Power left for one enhancement spell. She planned to use this spell to finish off the Unversed, and it looks like she'll have to hasten her plan.

Rushing to the frozen, pinned down vine arm, Ignis leapt on top of it and started running, climbing up towards the head of the plant goat Unversed. Knowing her intentions, the plant goat Unversed panicked, frantically trying to shake its frozen vine arm out while using its free arm to grab Ignis, only for her to dodge and jump each attempt. She started staggering a little as she climbed higher, feeling the effects of the Sleep and Poison dragging her down the more she moved.

Another attempt from the other vine arm was foiled when Ignis moved too quickly for the arm to ensnare her, but not entirely, as one of the thorns managed to scratch her leg from behind, leaving yet another bloody gash and for the effects she was suffering to further increase. Gritting her teeth, Ignis continued forward, feeling blood flowing down her legs as she readied her enhancement spell, placing a palm on Phoenix Fairy.

"Enfrost!" she yelled, engulfing the blade of her weapon with a icy white aura. She moved in closer as the plant goat Unversed's movements became more frantic, and she swung Phoenix Fairy at its neck.

With a single slash, she didn't bisect its head, but rather froze it entirely, leaving the Unversed's expression one of fear permanently. Ignis was seen twirling in the air high above the Unversed's head, slowly descending down. Spinning once more in the air with her ice-elemental infused Keyblade, Ignis delivered multiple slashes all over the Unversed's body; ice sprouting out from its wounds until it was covered head to toe in layers of ice. Unable to sustain its heavy weight, the plant goat Unversed fell backwards, shattering into countless pieces which vanished into the darkness, leaving Ignis the victor.

"Whew!" sighed Ignis, her Keyblade Armor disappearing, leaving her in her dress once more. The effects of the Sleep and Poison status came in waves on her body, causing her to collapse on her knees as she tried to hold herself up with Phoenix Fairy. She had forgotten all about her wounds and the effects until the pain reminded her, causing her to be both drowsy and in pain.

Standing up, Ignis wandered around the castle gardens; her vision growing hazy with each step she took. _'Out of...Ethers...And Potions...Gotta get back to my stuff...More there...!'_

Glittering sparkles filled her vision along with a bright light. Green? Blue? Pink? She couldn't determine what color of the light it was before she fell facedown, meeting darkness in her vision before she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Fairies.

Fairies that came from fairy tales flew out of nowhere and put Ignis to sleep through their frickin' fairy dust. Considering this was but one of many worlds, Vanitas shouldn't be surprised that there'd be stuff that'd normally would be make-believe. Death by fairy dust, now that's be a rather humiliating and funny way to die.

In reality though, the way things were going, if Ignis didn't receive treatment for her wounds and the side effects that came along with them, she really would die in her sleep.

Vanitas didn't care if Ventus and his friends died. Actually, he needed Ventus alive for the forging of the X-Blade, and as for Ignis, well, she earned herself another day to live.

He learned much about her during her fight and now, he was more interested in her than before. It'd be a waste not to figure out why he had fallen for her. If it was just because of her fighting skills, then why hasn't he fallen for Aqua? Was it Ignis' appearance that attracted him? Even though she was beautiful right now, that didn't seem to be the case. No, there was something else that brought his attention to her that only Ignis had that others didn't. Then again, he can't waste all of his time spying on her, as the old man needed him for other things, as well as spying on Eraqus' other apprentices.

Too bad. Watching Ignis was starting to become his favorite pastime.

Then again, he could disobey orders for a little while longer. Disobeying his master's orders wasn't the first time he's done so, though he had to be careful not to make it a daily basis. Despite his master being so old, he was still the strongest Keyblade wielder he knew and could take him down, though he still needed him for his plans. Vanitas only wanted the suffering and pain in his life to end, so he needed Xehanort in turn.

He's expected to return to his master's side in a few hours, so he had some time to kill. After the fairies left, Vanitas walked to Ignis' side, getting down on one knee and turning her body over with ease.

She appeared perfectly normal, if it weren't for her dress covering her wounds from underneath. Her expression was full of twisted pain, her breathing grew heavy, and sweat drippled down from her forehead, having received a fever from the Poison. Vanitas created the Unversed that challenged her, so naturally, he knew all about its abilities, weaknesses, and strengths. He knew that she was inflicted with both Poison and Sleep thanks to being hit several times in the leg areas by the thorns that held such effects. If she didn't get treatment soon, she'd really die.

Vanitas was impressed by her fight, and he wasn't lying to himself when he thought of sparing her for today. That meant that she had to live today, and since she was in no condition to move, and she was in a deep sleep, it was all up to him to save her. If he simply let her die right there and then, it really wouldn't affect Xehanort's plans. Actually, her death would mean one less enemy to deal with.

But it would also mean he would never reach the answer of his warm feelings towards her.

When Vanitas was born, he felt absolutely nothing. He didn't understand anything and was curious about everything, like a child would. Then, he felt sadness for the first time, because he was separated from his other half, Ventus. That sadness quickly turned to what he felt as hatred and contempt because he was ashamed that his other half was so, so _weak._ His very own weakness, Ventus, laying right there, the bane of his existence for all to see.

After Vanitas was "born," he started experiencing more feelings; all of them negative and causing him pain both mentally and physically. The physical part came in the form of the Unversed, which he had at first, created unintentionally. Whenever he slaughtered any one of them, he would feel strong, physical pain throughout his body, and whenever they returned to his body after being slain, the negative emotions would coursed through his mind, adding more negativity and creation of the Unversed. Thus, creating the cycle of Unversed over and over.

But, for the first time, he started feeling a... _positive_ emotion. A warmth called love. The darkest form of love would have to be lust, and while he felt some form of lust towards Aqua because of her more mature body, he felt more comfortable with the positive love he had towards Ignis, and perhaps even a little bit of lust was included as well.

At first, the love came because of Ventus' feelings towards Ignis, which in turn, connected back to Vanitas. Because of Ventus' crush on Ignis, Vanitas decided to make it his mission to see what was it that made her so interesting enough for Ventus to develop a crush on her? Even after all these years, Vanitas came up with nothing. Soon, the feelings of love expanded from Ventus' crush to Vanitas' own feelings for Ignis.

The chances of Ignis falling in love with him? Very slim, considering he plans to hurt her friends. That, and various other reasons, such as him serving Xehanort, controlling the Unversed, him being a form of darkness, and most importantly, the fact that he kidnapped her and took her away from her home.

On the other hand, Ignis did mention several times that she liked the tall, dark, and handsome types, and he did fit that category. Plus, it appears she was quite the rulebreaker, as he had seen her using darkness magic earlier to conjure up that spell she called, "Shaddoll." Eraqus would never allow any of his apprentices to use any form of darkness, including darkness magic, so he had to wonder why she recently started breaking that sacred rule of Eraqus'?

These questions were adding more reason to him wanting to spare her life for the time being. The current question for his conflicting feelings was, should he kill her just to see the despairing and anguishing look on Ventus' face, or should he continue sparing her to figure out his feelings for her?

Hearing her cough brought Vanitas back to Ignis, as her condition was steadily growing worse. Vanitas was good with magic, but wasn't much on an expert on healing spells, such as Esuna. In times like these, the best way to get rid of status effects was through the use of a Panacea.

Taking one out of his pocket, Vanitas tried to adjust the tip of the potion to her lips, but found it difficult for her to swallow while asleep. He'd only end up choking her with the liquid. That left only one option.

Transferal lip-to-lip.

He's never done such a thing before, but he has watched many others in other worlds. All he had to do was drink the Panacea, but not swallow it, and then have her drink it through his mouth through a...kissing method.

Allowing the darkness that covered his helmet to fade away, Vanitas revealed his face to Ignis, as he couldn't exactly perform the transferal method with a mask on. Gulping down the contents of the Panacea, yet taking caution not to swallow, Vanitas overwhelmed Ignis through his shadow, being atop of her. If Ventus were here, he'd probably faint of embarrassment before even coming close to kissing Ignis. Vanitas, however, was different. Wasting no time, he pressed his lips against hers.

His eyes widen from the soft sensation of her lips when his came into contact with hers. It was nothing he had ever experienced before, and the warm feelings he had practically skyrocketed when he kissed her. Snapping back to his duty, he carefully transferred the liquid contents of the Panacea into Ignis' body, pulling his lips back for air. Licking his lips afterwards, he tasted the faint Panacea in his own lips before glancing down at Ignis.

The Panacea seemed to be working effectively and at a fast pace, because no longer did Ignis have a fever, and her breathing seemed to be slowed down to a normal pace. Perhaps it was just out of his own feelings for her, and maybe he wanted to feel such a sensation again, but he wanted a taste of her mesmerizing, soft lips once more. He swooped down and kissed her much more tenderly, and since her life was no longer at risk, he relaxed a bit more into the kiss.

Disappointedly, his second kiss with her didn't cause his warm feelings to skyrocket just like it did earlier, although they have still risen to a...considerate level. His lips hummed against hers, and he felt a desire to touch her even more. His hand rose up to cradle her cheek, and his other hand reached out to gently wipe away the sweat off her face before playfully tangling her frontal strands of hair with his fingers. His nose caught the rose scent her body was emitting, and though she had gone through a difficult battle, not all of the scent of the roses escaped her battered body.

Pulling away in desperate need for air, Vanitas glanced down at Ignis once more, noting she had a peaceful expression on her face. Looking around to see if anyone was around, which thankfully nobody was, Vanitas lifted up Ignis' shoulders, in turn, lifting up her head. He leaned forward, hoping to feel the same feeling again if he kissed her when something dampened his mood.

Ignis snoring.

Ignis was just one of those people who snored in her sleep, and it was a real bad habit of hers. Another bad habit was her drooling in her sleep, which was she currently doing right now with the stupid look on her face. Some of the drool accidentally dripped down to his hand, which Vanitas cried out in disgust before wiping the remnants of the drool against her arm in retaliation.

"Ugh! Gross!" he shouted, releasing Ignis' shoulders and allowing her to drop with a hard thud, not caring even a little if she got hurt from that. Because he was so focused on his feelings for Ignis, he forgot about several things he disliked about her, like her bad habits, and her stupid nickname for him!

Standing up, Vanitas distanced himself from Ignis not too far, but not too close, either. He looked at his hand in disgust, flinging it a couple of times to ensure all drool was gone. Okay, now it was back to hating her now! Normally, he should leave, but because he was still interested in Ignis, he wanted to stay a bit longer and see if anything else would happen.

* * *

 _Around an hour or so later..._

Vanitas was, understandably, bored. He had been sitting around, trying to catch anything interesting on Ignis, but all he could figure out from her was that she was most definitely NOT princess-material.

She looks the part, but her sleeping habits are an entirely different story. She was snoring, twisting and turning in her sleep, and worst of all, drooling. Her expressions during her slumber were no longer that of a peaceful demeanor, but filled with joy and curiosity. She must have had wild dreams, because she kept muttering things like candy, magic, sweets, fighting dragons and demons, discovering treasure, and much more.

The only other interesting thing that happened was that Vanitas could sense the presence of an vile darkness and that of Terra's, meaning that Terra had entered and had gone from this world. He didn't bother checking what he was doing, but it seemed the darkness inside of Terra had increased from whatever actions he committed. It most certainly wasn't from his activity of Unversed slaying, and damnit, Terra's actions hurt him physically just like the rest of his friends!

"Get away from her!"

A familiar voice snapped Vanitas out of his thoughts as he leapt up to dodged a flying Keyblade that returned to its owner like a boomerang; Ventus. Taking advantage of his speed he was so proud of, Ventus utilized it to reach Ignis in a heartbeat, holding her sleeping body close to him with one arm while the other arm held his Keyblade threateningly at Vanitas.

Ventus...of course, he had to come and ruin everything! Vanitas wanted to go over and set him on fire with one of his Dark Firaga spells, but that would mean Ignis would get caught up in the middle. Normally, the villain would take a loved one hostage, but in this case, the hero was taking his loved one hostage in the villain's perspective.

Ventus had just arrived in the world called the Enchanted Dominion, where he landed somewhere in the castle gardens with his Keyblade Glider. While searching for any signs of Terra being in this world, he spotted Vanitas. Before he could confront him about Terra, his eyes led him to a familiar figure who appeared unconscious.

Ignis.

Seeing Vanitas near Ignis made Ventus act hastily, thinking that Vanitas was going to hurt her, or kidnap her again. In a split second, he closed in the distance after sending a Strike Raid with his Keyblade at Vanitas, distracting him while he successfully got Ignis. Glaring at Vanitas, Ventus pointed his Keyblade at him, daring him to come closer.

"What did you do to Ignis?!" demanded Ventus.

"Hey, I didn't harm her or anything. I just got here," replied Vanitas. He knew the last part was a lie, but he didn't want to go to the trouble of explaining why he was here way before Ventus. Actually, he owed Ventus no favors or explanations whatsoever, so why did he care?

Ever since their first meeting together, Ventus had been extremely worried for both Terra and Ignis thanks to Vanitas' threatening warning, especially at the part where he mentioned Ignis a few times. As proof of him kidnapping her, he presented Ventus with the headband he stole from Ignis, further concerning Ventus. However, now that Ignis was safe and sound in his arms, he could finally be relieved that one of his friends was safe and out of harm's way.

Upon looking down at Ignis, Ventus' face exploded like a volcano.

He was...enthralled by her _beauty._ The dress she was wearing complimented the curves and smooth sides of her body, her body smelt of roses which befitted her, her red hair appeared more silky and smooth than before and was enticing to see in a ponytail style with the cute ribbon hairband holding it up, and the rose accessory in her hair truly complimented her.

If it was possible, he had gone head over heels for her a hundred times.

"Ven..."

The sound of Ventus' name being called out pleased Ventus, as well as angered Vanitas.

"Gimme back my cute plushie...or I'm gonna punch you in the face...bam...bam..."

Now it was Vanitas' turn to smirk while Ventus' expression dropped.

Now, Vanitas wanted to test something, a sort of an experiment. He just recalled that Ignis was injured in the leg areas and that he hadn't done anything to treat her wounds. He did cure her using the Panacea, but he didn't do anything about her wounds. Now might be a good time to inform Ventus and have him deal with it.

"Hey," spoke up Vanitas. "When I found her, she was fighting a strong Unversed. She beat it, but she got injured pretty badly. She's all sleepy and peaceful now, but she stays like this, then she's not gonna make it."

Hearing such horrible news shocked Ventus as he turned to Ignis, grabbing her shoulders and trying to shake her awake. While she was injured from her wounds in the leg areas, Vanitas had lied about her life being in danger. If she was left untreated when she woke up, then all she would suffer was the pain from her legs, which she could easily heal with one of her healing spells.

"She got hurt...And you did NOTHING to stop it?!" accused Ventus, glaring at Vanitas.

"...Are you a retard or something? Why would I want to help my own enemy?" questioned Vanitas, frowning. "I have nothing to gain by helping her, and I don't owe her anything." Well, he still had to confirm his feelings for her, so there was a bit of a gain for helping her, as well as her reward for taking down one of his most powerful Unversed, but he didn't need to tell Ventus that.

"If you had no gain helping her, why did you kidnap her to begin with?!" questioned Ventus.

Ah, Vanitas had thought Ventus would have forgotten about that, but his strong feelings for Ignis prevented such an important thing from escaping his thoughts.

"Simple. I needed to lure you out."

"Why?!"

"Is questioning me really that important? More important than saving your precious girlfriend's life?"

Ventus turned back to Ignis worriedly. As much as he hated to admit it, Vanitas was right. What was he thinking, arguing and accusing him when he should be focusing on Ignis? What kind of friend was he, not caring about her first but instead arguing with his enemy?

"...You didn't deny it," teased Vanitas.

"What?" asked Ventus, confused.

"You didn't deny it. I asked earlier if questioning me was really that important? More important than your girlfriend's life? And you didn't say anything about the girlfriend part."

Ventus' face flared bright pink. "S-She's not my girlfriend! We're just really good friends! Ugh, I don't have time to deal with you!"

Looking back at Ignis now, Ventus calmed down and he fell in love with her all over again just by looking at her. Of course, it wasn't just her beautiful and cute-looking appearance that mesmerized him. He spent a large amount of time with her, so he pretty much knew a lot about her. He loved her cheerful and playful attitude, even if she was a bit airheaded at times. He loved how she came up with many creative spells with her imagination, even if she did end up with failed results from her experimentations at first. He loved spending time with her, pulling pranks, having sleepovers together, taking walks with each other and exploring the other parts of the Land of Departure, and so on.

At first, they were just acquaintances when he first arrived. Then she filled his time in the Land of Departure with so many happy memories, that he felt they would overflow and drown him in a good way. Of course, Aqua and Terra along with Master Eraqus helped, too, but he truly felt best friends with Ignis. Then, their relationship changed from best friends to a brotherly-sisterly one where they could trust their lives with one another. Afterwards, that relationship blossomed into a crush, and soon, love for Ignis.

Her nicknames for him, no matter how childish they were, were part of the reason why he loves her. "Venny," "Ven-Ven," and most embarrassedly, "Cinnamon Roll," were amongst his favorites. Sad to say, he didn't have any nicknames for her, aside from, "Strawberry Shortcake," but he was too shy to actually call her that. Plus, she hated the nicknamed, "Iggy," as it wasn't cute-sounding and sounded a little like one of the vegetables she hated; eggplants.

If she were to see him now, with his pink blush, she'd probably call him, "Pinky Venny," or "Cutie Pie," or some other cute nickname that would change his face color from pink to a dark red. Even her sleeping, drooling expression was cute in his books.

Right now, he was just relieved to see she was alright. He was desperately worried for her, perhaps even a little bit more than Terra, because he knew Terra could handle himself, yet that didn't stop him from worrying about his brother-like friend.

Ignis wasn't out of the clear yet, and if what Vanitas said was true, then her life was in danger the more time passed. Ventus pressed a finger against her neck, checking her pulse. It seemed normal. Then, his eyes brought him down to the bottom of his dress, where there were slight signs of faint bloodstains. With a red face, Ventus laid his hand on the bottom and gently lifted it up as Vanitas snickered quietly to himself, finding Ventus' face hilarious.

The redness in his face vanished instantly when Ventus saw all of the horrible bloody gashes all over Ignis' wounds. Letting go of the bottom of the dress, Ventus pulled out a Hi-Potion from his pocket in a flash, popping out the lid. Ventus only knew basic healing spells, so he wasn't confident in his ability to heal her properly. But a Hi-Potion would certainly heal her wounds.

The problem was how to put it in her mouth properly.

Hearing Vanitas snicker, Ventus turned bright red and whirled his head towards him. "S-Shut up! Look away, why don't you!"

"No one's stopping you. The only witness here is yours truly. I wonder, are you going to perform lip-to-lip with her? If so, then maybe you'll even put in some tongu-"

"Lalalalala! I can't hear you! Lalalalala!" cried out Ventus, covering his ears. Still, if he was actually going to do as Vanitas suggested, which seemed to be the only option left. then he wanted to...prepare himself first.

Gently closing Ignis' wide mouth with his own hands, Ventus took a couple of deep breaths; his body trembling with excitement as he was going to do the one thing he never thought of doing; kissing her. Technically, it was transferal lip-to-lip with the Hi-Potion, but it would still be considered his first kiss. With her. His crush.

If it weren't for the severity of the situation, he would have fainted out of embarrassment.

"Tick-tock, Ventus," called out Vanitas, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, watching the scene with amusement.

"S-Shut up! I'm mentally preparing myself!"

Ignoring Vanitas, Ventus combed his hair back, as though trying to make himself look cool and attractive for what's to come, earning a snicker from the masked boy. Licking his lips, Ventus made sure his lips were ready and not dry, although he was certain that such an action made him look like a creep than ready. Finally, to finish his preparations, he took out a breath mint spray from his pocket and opened his mouth, spraying it all over the insides of his mouth to make sure his breath was clean and refreshing.

"Wow," spoke Vanitas sarcastically. "How long have you actually been planning this? You even bought a breath mint spray."

"N-None of your business!" said Ventus, cradling Ignis' face with both hands as gently as he could, as though her face was a fragile piece of glass. He started to lean in closer, taking in the faint rose scent on her body and closing his eyes as he brought his lips down on her face.

"...A kiss on the cheek doesn't count as a first kiss, you idiot."

"S-Shut up! I told you, I'm preparing myself! I got this!"

Ventus drank the contents of the Hi-Potion, making sure not to swallow even a single drop down his throat, before pressing his lips against Ignis'. At first, the kiss was a little rough and hasty because he wanted to hide his embarrassment, but as the transferal procedure continued, Ventus felt himself relax against the kiss. He smiled lovingly into the kiss as he enjoyed the kiss right after feeling the last of the Hi-Potion liquid enter into Ignis' mouth, allowing her to swallow and recover from her wounds.

At first, Vanitas was amused by all the teasing he was delivering to Ventus about the whole kissing procedure, but when he saw the actual kiss happening, he was no longer amused. No, he felt...rather angry and a bit jealous. Granted, Vanitas had somewhat won by taking Ignis' first kiss first, but she would never know that.

Seeing Ventus kissing Ignis...made Vanitas want to kill Ventus. No, he wanted to strangle, set him on fire, break his neck, anything just to end this miserable feeling he had inside of him. A swirling pool of hatred and jealously flooded inside of him upon seeing Ventus kiss Ignis. Was Wrath and Envy clashing inside of him once more? Granted, two of those Seven Deadly Sins had already returned inside of him after Ignis defeated them, so the two might be acting up inside of him. Wrath was the embodiment of anger, and Envy was the embodiment of jealously. How convenient that the two that Ignis defeated in combat were stirring up trouble right now.

With a rough swing of his arm, Vanitas summoned a Dark Corridor, vanishing inside of it and teleporting elsewhere away from the scene, no longer wanting to see anymore of it. That left Ventus alone with Ignis.

In desperate need for air, Ventus pulled out and gazed at Ignis' face. She looked so peaceful and cute, Ventus wanted to devour her lips with his once more. Then, he recalled the reason behind his kiss and knew he had to make sure she was no longer injured. Redness invading his face once more, Ventus gently and carefully lifted up the bottom of the dress to check on the wounds on her legs. To his happiness, there was not even a single trace left, confirming that Ignis was now fully healed and no longer in danger.

Looking around, he was surprised Vanitas wasn't around the area anymore. Maybe he left for some reason? Whatever the case may be, Ventus didn't want him to come back to try and kidnap Ignis again. So, he had to take her to someplace safe for the time being. He actually wanted to investigate the world a bit in search for any Unversed and to find Terra. Plus, if he returned back home with Ignis right now, then his Master would surely lock them in and prevent him from finding Terra. He knew Master Eraqus would only be looking out for them, but being imprisoned for his own good wouldn't be, well, good. He'd be dying out of worry for Terra, after all.

Knowing he couldn't leave Ignis alone, Ventus scooped up Ignis in his arms and started carrying her inside the castle. Her snuggling close to his chest made Ventus flustered as he tried to pay attention to the road ahead of him. Okay, maybe her snoring and drooling dampened his mood a little, but it helped him further concentrate on his walking rather than the drool stain on his shirt.

As he walked inside the castle, he bypassed several sleeping guards and citizens of the kingdom, finding it curious as to why they were all sleeping. Was it the work of the Unversed for some reason? Yet another thing to investigate as soon as he managed to secure Ignis in a safe room.

After a while, he found a room in the upper levels completely empty with a nice, soft-looking bed. Placing Ignis down on the bed, Ventus then pulled the bed covers over her body to allow her to sleep some more. He had no idea what she's been through after being kidnapped, but she must have been so tired. She deserved to have some rest after all she's been through.

Planting a small kiss on her forehead, Ventus left the room with a stupid, loving grin on his face. He couldn't believe it! He had mustered up the courage to finally kiss her! Even if it was in an emergency effort! Maybe, once this was all over, and everyone was back home safely, he would confess and ask her to be his girlfriend! That would be a happy ending in his book!

But right now, he had an investigation to go through. As much as he wanted to stay by Ignis' side and wait until she awoke, the sight of so many people asleep troubled him. Maybe he could find some clues in the castle, starting with the strange power of light emitting from one of the nearby rooms?

* * *

 _Later..._

Sprawled out on the bed in an unladylike manner while snoring and drooling was Ignis as she was having yet another adventurous dream. While she was still asleep, and the sleep spell casted on her from the Three Good Fairies had long past, Princess Aurora had already awoken from Prince Phillip's kiss, and thus, both were currently dancing in the grand ballroom where everyone else was waiting.

Slowly waking up, Ignis yawned and stretched her limbs, getting up from the bed with a somewhat messy bedhead. Looking at herself in a mirror, Ignis took off her ribbon hairband, letting loose her long hair, before using her fingers to comb her messy hair to make it straight once and then tie it up again in the same hairstyle as before.

She had been exploring the Lanes Between and other worlds so often that she barely had time to rest as she had to deal with the Unversed and other problems in the worlds she visited. As such, she must have been very exhausted to have slept for so long, so when she awoke, she felt refreshed.

A few moments after waking up entirely, she recalled what happened to her before she blacked out. Apparently, she was fighting some weird plant goat Unversed and won before falling asleep. Come to think of it, wasn't she Poisoned and had a Sleep effect on her, as well as wounds on her legs? Pulling up her dress, Ignis was both relieved and confused to see that not a single wound was seen anywhere on her legs.

Did someone heal her and carry her to this bed? She did remember collapsing outside in the castle gardens, after all. Perhaps a bit of investigation was in order. And then, after her investigation, which she hoped wouldn't take too long, she can finally get out of the stupid corset and heels she had to wear! She was content with just the dress!

Exiting the castle through another entrance, Ignis made her way towards the castle gardens when she encountered a bunny.

But not just any bunny, but an Unversed called a Hareraiser.

"BUNNY!" squealed Ignis, swooping in and gathering the Hareraiser in her arms, squeezing it tightly against her chest. The Hareraiser let out a squeak as it struggled to break free of her tight embrace, but found itself unable to move. "YOU'RE SO CUTE!~"

Vanitas, who was hiding behind some trees once more, chuckled at the sight of Ignis hugging one of his weaker Unversed. He knew that Ignis would happily embrace the cute-looking Unversed. As the Hareraiser was mentally calling out for its master for assistance, Vanitas almost felt sorry for the poor, weak Unversed.

Keyword: _Almost._

After leaving the Enchanted Dominion world, Vanitas went to the Keyblade Graveyard to cool down his anger by summoning a bunch of Unversed to use as target practice. In his anger, he had forgotten that killing them would only bring more pain to himself, a lesson he quickly remembered. Still, his anger rose more Unversed of anger, and he found he needed some time to calm down without killing anymore of his Unversed.

Later, after he had calmed down, he returned to the Enchanted Dominion world and found that everyone sleeping in the castle was wide awake and celebrating the return of their precious princess and prince. He summoned a Hareraiser to use as both bait and a spy to find Ignis, wanting to see how she was doing. He still hated her, and he still had no idea why he had a crush on her, but the warm feelings he had for her had risen to a new level, and believe it or not, he liked that feeling. He decided keeping her around until he could figure out the answer was probably best.

Frantically, the Hareraiser began spinning its floppy ears, and although it didn't do much harm to Ignis, the attack did startle her enough to release the Hareraiser as it dashed away as fast as it could, prompting Ignis to chase after it in the castle gardens.

"Noooo, come back bunny!" whined Ignis, trying to keep up as fast as she could. It would be a lot easier if she didn't have the painful heels on, though. After a while of searching, Ignis gave up, as she had lost the bunny, never mind the fact that it was an Unversed.

Speaking of Unversed, perhaps she should check the Unversed Cleanser for anymore Unversed in the world. Taking out the Unversed Cleanser, Ignis pressed the button and checked to see how many Unversed were left.

None.

The last Hareraiser had quickly retreated back to its master, Vanitas just before Ignis could use the Unversed Cleanser. Before Vanitas could do anything, the ballroom music coming from inside had slightly increased the volume, meaning it was loud on the inside, but the song being played was faint out in the gardens.

Walking out from his hiding spot, it didn't take him long for both him and Ignis to encounter each other face to face by coincidence.

Vanitas was just as surprised as Ignis when he accidentally exposed himself. He didn't plan to, but whatever. He did recall that he wasn't going to kill her today, so he could either talk to her just to satisfy his own interest, or ignore her and turn around and leave-

"Ah! It's Skirt Boy!"

...Or perhaps he could reconsider killing her.

Feeling an irk mark on his head, Vanitas shouted, "For the last time, it's not Skirt Boy! Stop calling me that!"

"If you don't like being called that, then maybe you shouldn't wear a skirt!"

"It's not a skirt! It's just part of my outfit, okay?!"

"Your outfit would look more badass without the skirt!"

Okay, why did he bother sparing her again? His admiration towards her had quickly changed to annoyance and an urge to strangle her.

"Anyways, you're not taking me alive this time! Again!" shouted Ignis, summoning Phoenix Fairy and ready to activate her Keyblade Armor. "Ooh! I'm still pissed off from our last encounter!"

"Please, I'm not even interested in kidnapping you again. That was just a one time thing," scoffed Vanitas. "Actually, if anyone should be pissed off, it's me! I can't believe you sent me to a river!"

Ignis grinned, placing her Keyblade on her shoulder. "Hehehe! Serves you right! That's what you get for kidnapping me! But now, I'm ready to take you on again!"

Vanitas crossed his arms and asked, "In that outfit? Yeah, you're totally ready to take me on."

"Eh..."

"Besides, you do realize that the last time we fought, not only did I beat you, but I also did so without even using my full strength."

"Maybe so, but that was a long time ago!" declared Ignis.

"That was over two weeks ago."

"Oh...But, still, I experienced a lot over those two weeks! I've grown up! I've become a lot stronger, and now, I'm ready to face you."

"...Meh, not today," said Vanitas.

"Not today? What do you mean?"

"It means what it means, idiot. I'm not fighting you today. Don't feel like it."

"If you're not here to fight, then what are you here for?" asked Ignis.

"...I was bored. Just wanted to wander around the worlds. You know, the usual stuff."

"Okay...Hey, wait a minute! Why did you kidnap me back then, anyways?"

"Sorry, firecracker. Not telling you anything," replied Vanitas. "Important stuff like that are on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know that."

"Considering I'm the victim, I kinda wanna know," said Ignis.

"Yeah, and since I was the kidnapper, I'm not telling. But lemme ask you something. You've got that light power to make portals, right? The light portals, or whatever you call them? Why haven't you used them to go back home?"

"I'm not...really good with them," admitted Ignis. "For short distances, I can use them for that, but for really long trip distances? They're like, completely randomized! I have no idea what world I'll end up, so it takes a while for my friends to find me."

"Kinda explains what happened to the last portal you made. Still pissed off at you for sending me to that river."

Ignis only giggled. "Oops!~"

"You're not sorry, you little-! Ugh! Never mind!" Vanitas grumbled before noticing Ignis was humming to the song being played in the ballroom inside the castle. "Are you...humming?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I guess I am. Sorry, didn't mean to ignore you or anything," apologized Ignis lightheartedly. "I just wanna hurry up and get inside to that ballroom! But, I think I'd rather stay here than inside."

"Why?" asked Vanitas curiously. "...Oh. You can't dance, can you?"

"What?" Ignis looked a bit alarmed. "N-No! No! Nothing like that! Of course I know how to dance! Definitely the best!"

"Please, you can't fool me with that stupid lie," scoffed Vanitas, rolling his eyes. "When you took dance lessons with your blue-haired friend acting as the instructor, you ended up breaking poor Venny-Wenny's foot. Then, you gave Terra a large bruise, and then you were banned from dance lessons from then on."

"...How did you know about the parts you weren't there for?"

Shit, Vanitas didn't think that far ahead. The only reason he knew was because he was spying on them, but he couldn't tell her that. Instead, he came up with the next best excuse.

"Ventus told me. Amongst other embarrassing things, like you two having a burping contest."

Vanitas wished he had a camera to take a picture of Ignis' pink, embarrassed face. "Ooh! That jerk! Ven! You are so dead when I meet you next time!"

Vanitas smirked and said, "You can sing, but you can't dance. How sad."

"Hey! There's a big difference between singing and dancing!" pouted Ignis, pointing to him. "I bet you can't dance, either!"

"Actually, I can. I just don't want to."

"Don't want to? Or is it that you _can't?"_ Ignis lightly taunted, leaning in close to Vanitas. Irritated, Vanitas slammed his fist down on her head, causing her to cry out in pain. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"You were getting too close to me!"

"But was it necessary to hit me?!"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Ugh! Jerk!"

Seeing Ignis pout was somewhat...cute, not that Vanitas will ever admit it out loud. Perhaps, just this once, he could entertain her a bit. He wanted to hold her like he did earlier and see if his warm feelings will react if he started dancing with her.

"...Alright," said Vanitas, speaking up. "One dance. I'll dance you for just a little while. But there are conditions."

Ignis gasped; her expression brightening up. "Really?! Awesome!"

"Hey, I said there are conditions. One, stop calling me by that stupid nickname. And two, you don't tell anyone about this, and I mean, ANYONE. Not your friends, not your master, not anyone."

"Easy enough!" said Ignis. "I'll just give you a new nickname, then! Vanny!"

 **SLAM!**

"OWWW! THAT HURT MORE THAN LAST TIME!"

"Serves you right for giving me an even more stupider, babyish nickname! Fine! New rule! No more nicknames for me! Just call me by my name!"

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, fine, Vanitas!"

Vanitas smirked and patted her sore head. "Good, glad you understand, sweetheart."

"Oh, so you can call me nicknames, but I can't?"

Pretending to be hurt, Vanitas placed a hand over his heart as though wounded. "Oh, I'm sorry, princess. What, you wanted an even better nickname? How about Bitch?"

Ignis twitched in anger. "Never mind, I'll just take the other offers."

"Good choice, firecracker." Grinning roguishly, Vanitas bowed his head like a gentleman and offered his hand. "So, dance, _milady?"_

Blushing red, Ignis placed her hand over his. She let out a yelp when he suddenly pulled her towards him, gripping her hand with his while his other hand was placed on her waist. Her other arm laid at her side uselessly as she panicked, not knowing what the next step was supposed to be. She hasn't been to dance lessons ever since she was banned by Aqua; she didn't know what to do!

"Man, you're hopeless," chuckled Vanitas, removing his hand from her waist to guide her arm towards his shoulder before moving his hand back to her waist. "I know you haven't danced in a long while, but surely-"

"I-I know how to do the rest! It just took me a while to remember!" said Ignis, embarrassed due to how close they were. The closest she's gotten to a boy was either through sparring matches or friendly hugs with Terra or Ventus, but they were like brothers to her! This, was a completely different situation.

Thanks to the faint ballroom music, it helped with their dance as they started moving around the castle gardens, almost in rhythm to the music. Ignis mostly kept her eyes on the ground, focused on her footing as Vanitas grew amused by her reactions and movements. He could feel her hand on his shoulder tightening, as though feeling the strong muscles on his arm. That was further confirmed when Ignis started feeling his arm up and down smoothly, squeezing his arm lightly to feel the strong muscles.

"Like what you're feeling?" teased Vanitas.

A small yelp escaped from Ignis after she had been caught. She was...after seeing his organic suit showing off his muscles, she wanted to see how strong he truly was, so out of curiosity, she started touching and feeling his muscles, confirming he was indeed strong. In terms of appearance, maybe he wasn't as physically strong as Terra, but he was definitely strong to overpower her in terms of physical strength.

As an act of short, playful revenge, Vanitas trailed his fingers on her waist, tickling her a bit. While doing so, he felt the smooth curve of her waist and had to admit, while corsets seem to be tight and painful, they truly did show the curves of a young girl like Ignis.

"Ahahaha! W-What are you doing?!" cried out Ignis, glancing at Vanitas with a red face as he ceased tickling her and resorted to rubbing her waist.

"Oh, just curio-Ack! You bitch, you stepped on my foot!" cursed Vanitas.

"Okay, that one was just an accident," Ignis admitted. "I didn't mean to-Ow! You stepped on MY foot!"'

Vanitas smirked behind his helmet. "Oh, what? Can't handle a little-ACK! That's it!"

Both dancers glared at one another, ceasing anymore movements of dancing whatsoever. Instead, while they still held onto each other, their grips tightened as the seconds counted down for their assault on each other.

The next second later was a mix mash of kicks and stomps as they tried to hurt the other by purposely stepping on each other as fast and hard as they could, making a strange ballroom dance consisting of kicks and stomps. It could barely be seen as a dance anymore as the two were trying to hurt the other.

Eventually, after a while, they stopped; completely out of breath. Their feet were both sore and worn out from their little foot battle earlier, and the ballroom music seemed to be coming to a close soon.

The next thing Ignis knew, Vanitas had spun her around a bit more, dragging her across the gardens before dipping her down gently; an act that surprised Ignis, as well as made her suspicious. Those thoughts faded when she saw Vanitas' helmet up close. She could just imagine him having a roguish grin behind that masked helmet of his, and before she could ask anything-

Vanitas released her and dropped her in the water fountain.

Ignis immediately rose to the surface, fraling her arms around and making splashes everywhere as she tried to resurface for air. Drenched from head to toe, she spat out water and saw Vanitas opening a Dark Corridor to make his escape.

"You-You jerk! Aaaah! You're such an asshole, you know that?!" yelled Ignis, shaking her fist at him.

"Hate you too, fuckface!" called back Vanitas, stepping closer to the Dark Corridor, sending a mocking salute to her. "Until next time, firecracker!" He then passed through the Dark Corridor with an excited expression that he could call "joy," having enjoyed his time with her.

Ignis knew this was probably revenge for her tricking and sending Vanitas to the river. Probably poetic justice for him. Getting out of the water fountain, Ignis squeezed the water out of her dress and proceeded to enter the castle. After getting out of the dress, mainly the stupid heels and corset, she was definitely leaving this world for sure and heading back home! She already spent enough time in this world, and there were no more Unversed, so everything should be fine from here on.

* * *

 **Finally! After endless hours, I finally finished this chapter! Whew! So, explanation time on this world from Dr. Facilier's predictions!**

 **So, this world marks as the third obstacle for Ignis' journey! Dr. Facilier mentioned the Empress, which represents femininity, elegance, and so on, which Ignis will meet. The Empress, if you guys haven't figured it out, is Aurora, also known as her false name, Briar Rose! Yeah, the Sleeping Beauty movie does describe her fake name being Briar Rose. Guess it's fitting for her because she does become "empress." Well, she becomes a queen, with empress being another word for queen.**

 **Another part in the third obstacle was the upside down, reversal side of the Hanged Man card. According to that lore and research, it means apathy, to slow down, and if one's not careful, they may find themselves in a deep position, either through death or a deep sleep. Thus, the Seventh Deadly Sin for this world is the Sin, Sloth. Sloth is the sin known for being lazy, lack of emotion, sleepiness, and stuff like that.**

 **Come to think of it, there were themes of Sloth in the Sleeping Beauty movie. Other than the obvious part where everyone falls into a deep slumber, such as Aurora and the other citizens in the castle, there were other parts of Sloth. Merryweather, the blue fairy, didn't want to give up using her fairy powers when one of her sisters suggested taking care of baby Aurora as mortals, showing signs of slight laziness and sloth. The two kings were only focused on the unification of their two kingdoms, so they never once bothered asking their own children what they wanted in their arranged marriage, showing slight signs of apathy and laziness. Of course, both Philip and Aurora had fallen for each other and hadn't known each others' identities until the end, so everything went well.**

 **For the Sloth battle, I thought of making the animal symbol of Sloth a goat, because goats are known for just eating grass and not doing much other than being slaughtered for meat later on. They just ate grass and slept a lot, being lazy. I got the whole plant power idea from the castle gardens being its primary battleground and homefield advantage and the fact that since goats eat so much grass, they practically show live in it.**

 **Before, in the previous chapter, I had Ignis fight a grizzly bear Unversed, which, coincidentally, is also an animal symbol of Sloth. That's because grizzly bears hibernate in the winter, so they're in deep slumber a lot.**

 **Oh yeah, and Ignis' dress is based off of the dress Serena from Pokémon wore in a ball party episode when she, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie were to dance at a ballroom. Yeah, that episode was one of my favorites in Pokémon! Still gotta catch up on all the episodes, though.**

 **So, no RWBY song this time, but never fear! More will come in the future, depending on the situation that the song will fit in! That said, read and review!~**


	16. Destiny Islands: Light

**Sweet! I'm glad so many people loved the last chapter! It's a big change towards Ventus x OC X Vanitas for certain! Well, let's continue onto the next world, as it's part of Ignis' fate!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "The Guiding Key," sung by Lizz Robinett.**

* * *

 _'Thank GOD I am out of that torture device they call a CORSET!'_ thought Ignis, soaring through the Lanes Between; one hand on the handle of her Keyblade Glider, while the other was still rubbing her waist. _'I'd like to find the guy who invented corsets and put HIM in a corset! That'll show him!'_

Throughout roaming around, Ignis still hasn't had a single clue as to where the Land of Departure, nor has she seen any of her friends and master. In fact, she still has no idea how far away she may be from home. She was fairly certain she was going to die when she comes back.

After all, she's been away for an awful amount of time, and according to Vanitas, the last time they fought, it was over 2 weeks ago, and because the last time they fought was also the day she got kidnapped, obviously, everyone had to have known she was missing for a while. While she would be happy to return back home, she knew she was in deep trouble once she got back. Perhaps she'll be grounded for six months just like the time when she accidentally burned down the kitchen, or maybe she'll be on cleaning duty permanently.

Hopefully, Master Eraqus would allow her to explain herself and go easy on her.

Speaking of traveling through worlds, Ignis felt...a bit uncertain back in the Enchanted Dominion world. She was glad that all of the Unversed was gone from that world, sure, but she felt as thought something had gone amiss while she was asleep. Had something happened while she was asleep? She did sense a shift change with the darkness disappearing in the world right before she left, so she assumed that the last powerful Unversed she defeated, the goat plant one, was the last Unversed in that world. If that were the case, then it would make sense that no more darkness reigned in that world.

Still, she couldn't stop thinking that something had happened while she was out.

Come to think of it, she hasn't taken a break in a long while ever since leaving the previous world. Sure, she managed to catch a few hours of sleep, but only because the effects of the Poison and Sleep status from her wounds forced her to. Come to think of it, someone must have treated her while she was asleep, but she didn't feel any injuries on her legs, nor could she find them. She wished she could thank the person who had treated her wounds, though.

Feeling a bit hungry, Ignis spotted a nearby world, one resembling an island. She decided to go there, hoping there might be a few shops there that might sell food, or at the very least, she could hunt for some fish or anything else in the island world.

Upon landing somewhere on the island, Ignis discarded her armor and Keyblade Glider magically, examining her surroundings. It was a bright, fresh morning in the island beach where she was standing on the sandy grounds. From her perspective, there seemed to be a bigger island not too far from the island she was in, which she suspected to be the main island, as it had a town, docks, several houses, and so forth.

Here on the island Ignis was standing on, though, it seemed relatively smaller. There were sandy beaches, exotic trees and shrubbery everywhere with a treehouse in the back, and wooden constructions such as bridges and a shack. Additionally, there happened to be a small waterfall around the island.

As Ignis was walking, she found a small star-shaped fruit on the ground. Picking it up, she looked around and wondered where it came from until she glanced up and saw a few more of the same star-shaped fruit up on top of one of the exotic island palm trees. She pondered for a moment, wondering where she heard of star-shaped fruit before.

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _They all headed back to the same area they were before following Ignis, staring up at the stars which they thought were different worlds for each. Breaking the silence, Aqua stood up taking out something from her back pocket. "Oh, yeah! Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow! So, I made us some good luck charms!"_

 _She showed her friends star-shaped lucky charms that came in different colors. She tossed the orange-yellowish one to Terra, the light green one to Ventus, kept the blue one for herself, and handed Ignis a blood red version._

 _Ignis squealed when she got hers, bringing it close to her face. "Oh my gosh, I love it! It's so cute! Thanks, Aqua!"_

 _Aqua giggled, knowing Ignis would love it, as well as the rest of her friends. "Of course. One for each of us." As she said this, all four of them revealed their own good luck charms to each other. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit forms an unbreakable connection. So, as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever break you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other."_

 _"Mmm! Star-shaped fruit! When I become a Keyblade Master, I wanna go to that place with star-shaped fruit and eat one!" declared Ignis._

 _"Me too!" said Ventus. "Ignis, let's share one together!"_

 _"Sure! It's gotta be delicious if it's star-shaped!"_

 _"No, I don't think it works like that," protested Terra. "Ah, whatever. If I find some, I'll bring some back to you guys, okay?"_

 _"Wow, really?"_

 _"Thanks, Terra!"_

* * *

"Oh, yeah!" said Ignis, gazing at her star-shaped fruit in her hands. "Aqua did mention something with star-shaped fruit. Huh, I guess this world has those kinds of fruit. Guess I'm the first one here. Was kinda hoping to find these when I become a Keyblade Master, but...eh! Oh, well! Wait...if this is an island, there's gotta be coconuts around here somewhere! I always wanted to try and drink one!"

After a little while later, Ignis was seen sitting on one of the bridges on the small island, dangling her legs around while eating the sweetened star-shaped fruit and drinking the fresh coconut that was sliced in half to acquire the coconut milk inside.

"Ah! So good!" squealed Ignis, smiling. "Definitely going to invite Aqua and the others here much later!~"

"Um..."

"Hmm?" Turning her head, Ignis was about to finish the remainder of her star-shaped fruit when she noticed a tiny, frail-looking child possibly around the age of 4 or 5 looking at her.

This child had short black hair as dark as the night, a lavender dress on with gray-colored flower patterns on the end, and she seemed to be holding a red book in her hands. Her curious, silver eyes gazed into Ignis' brown ones.

Silver.

Ignis recalled a story she was reading in her Magic Creation journal right before she was ambushed and kidnapped by Vanitas. It talked about how there were dark creatures similar to the Unversed called Heartless, and that people were granted powerful weapons called the Keyblades, in which these people became the first Keyblade wielders in history. However, a clan specialized in magic who wanted the power of the Keyblade for their own selfish needs started wiping out Keyblade wielders, even going so far as to torture and use cruel methods to do so until they were wiped out by the remaining Keyblade wielders.

Not much was known about the clan skilled in magic, other than that they were scholars and knew various types of magic. But their clan members were easily identified by the color of their eyes, which appear to be their symbol of their clan.

Silver eyes.

Having silver-colored eyes was indeed a rarity, no matter how many worlds one came across. In a matter of speaking, silver was a color associated with power, such as the material, silver, being valuable in many other worlds. As such, because the clan of magicians were symbolized through their silver eyes, it was only suitable that their clan name would be...

Argentum.

Still, the child with silver eyes posed no threat to Ignis, as she was definitely filled with light. Still, she couldn't help but gaze at the young, little girl as she walked towards the red-haired teen.

"You...You have...silver eyes..." Ignis muttered quietly, awestruck.

The little girl only tilted her head in confusion. "...What?"

Snapping out of it, Ignis smiled. "Oh, sorry! It's nothing! I was just...mesmerized, that's all. So, what are you doing here, little lady?"

"...I saw you eating a fruit."

"Hmm? Oh, are you hungry?" Standing up, Ignis walked towards the little girl and knelt in front of her. "Uh...If you want, I can get some more for you. I'm thinking of having another one before I go, anyways-"

The little girl shook her head. "N-No, it's not that...Um...You're not supposed to eat that fruit. Mama and Papa said not to until you're older."

"Oh, thank God! For a second, I thought it was poisonous or something!" sighed Ignis. "Uh, well, I'm 17, so I'm older than you by...Say, how old are you, little lady?"

For a moment, the little girl began counting her fingers on her hand before holding it up for Ignis. "I'm this many! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5! I'm 5!"

"Eeeek! You are so adorable!~" cooed Ignis. Her squealing startled the little girl, as she backed away a little and hid her face behind the book she was carrying. "Oh, no, wait! Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! Huh?"

On the title cover of the red book happen to be titled, **"Fairy Tales,"** indicating that the book she was holding onto was filled of fantasy childhood stories.

"You like fairy tales, huh?" asked Ignis. "It says so on the book cover."

The little girl shyly nodded. "...Yes. But I can't read all the words. They're too hard..."

"Then, how about I read the book for you? Just point out all the words you can't understand, and I'll tell you what they mean, alright?"

"...I can't," said the little girl, shaking her head.

"Why not?"

"I have to look over my brother. Mama and Papa said it's my re...respo...resp..."

"Responsibility?" corrected Ignis.

The little girl nodded. "Mmm hmm. I have to watch over him, because I'm the older sibling. He's 4, and I'm 5, so that makes me older than him."

"Then, why don't we find him together? Then, we can all read the book together, just the three of us!"

"O-Ok! Sure!"

"Alright, then wait here! I'll go get some more of that fruit and some coconuts for snacks and-"

"Um!" started the little girl, moving a bit closer. "We're not allowed to eat the Paopu Fruit!"

Looking back at the little girl, Ignis asked, "Wait, you mean the star-shaped fruit? They're called Paopu? ...That's a weird name. So, you're not allowed to eat it, because you're not old enough?"

The little girl nodded once more. "Mmm. Also, there's a story about them. If two people share the Paopu Fruit together, they'll stay with each other forever. Mama and Papa said they ate one together because they said that it should be eaten for love, and that's how they got married."

"Huh, so there is a hidden meaning behind the fruit. So, that's what Aqua meant by an 'unbreakable connection,'" muttered Ignis. "Alright, alright. How about I get some coconuts, then?"

"Can you reach it, Miss?" asked the little girl, looking up at the nearest coconut tree. "It's so high up."

Grinning, Ignis started climbing up the coconut tree as fast as she could with ease, plucking three coconuts from the top of the tree before landing safely. "Please! I've been climbing trees most of my childhood! I got this!"

"Oh! Cool! Are...are you okay, Miss?"

Walking up to the little girl, Ignis ruffled her hair, messing it up slightly. "Awww! So cute, worrying about me! I'm fine! Now, let's go find your brother! Oh! I totally forgot! What's your name, little lady?"

"Hi...Hinatsu."

"Hinatsu, huh? That's a peculiar name. Well, mine's a bit peculiar, too. My name's Ignis! Nice to meet you, Hinatsu!"

"Ig...Ig...nis? Ignis?"

"Yup! Come on! Take my hand! Let's go find your brother!" offered Ignis, extending her hand.

Hinatsu nodded and placed her small hand over Ignis' bigger one as the two girls left the area, also leaving behind the unfinished, small remains of Ignis' Paopu Fruit.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Sora!" called out Hinatsu, spotting the little boy playing in the sand, trying to make a sand castle.

Hearing Hinatsu's voice, the little boy named Sora stood up and shouted, "Go away, Hina!"

"Oh..." Upon hearing Sora say that, Hinatsu got sad.

"Hey, that's a little rude!" said Ignis, walking up to Sora with her hands on her hips. "Go apologize to your sister!"

"Who are you, lady?"

"I'm Ignis! You're Sora, right?"

"Yup!"

"Why were you so mean to your big sister, anyways? You guys are siblings! You can't fight with each other! And you can't say mean things to each other, either!"

"But, Hina is so BORING!" complained Sora. "She always wants to read! Reading's boring!"

"Even so, that's no reason to be so mean to your sister!" scolded Ignis. "How would you like if she said mean things to you, too?"

"...I wouldn't like it," pouted Sora, kicking at the sand lightly. "It would hurt."

"See? Now, go apologize your sister, or I'm telling your parents!"

"No! I don't wanna get in trouble!"

"Then, go apologize to your sister and be nicer to her from now on!" Ignis said. "And if you don't...uh...Santa! Yeah, Santa won't deliver presents to a very bad boy!"

"Nooo! I want presents for Christmas this year!" Running past Ignis, Sora ran up to Hinatsu, who hid her face behind her book. "Hina! Hina! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so mean! I'll be nicer!"

"O-Okay...I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry for being so boring...Let's play a game instead of reading, okay?"

"Really? Okay!" cheered Sora. "What game should we play? Hide-and-seek? Tag? Ball? Ooh! Maybe we can build a sand castle together!"

"Um..."

"Nah! We always play those games! Well...I play them all the time with Riku, but Riku's sick today! But I still wanna play them today!"

"Then, how about we play all those games together?" suggested Ignis, walking up to them and placing her hands on their shoulders. "That way, we can all have fun together!"

"Yay!"

For the next hour, Ignis had a wonderful time playing with the two siblings and felt like a child again. Well, she was always a bit childish herself, so she acted more of a child than usual when playing around with the two siblings.

Soon, the three of them were laying on the sand, staring up at the bright blue sky with not a single cloud in sight. They were exhausted, but they all had fun together, playing games and hanging out with each other. Out of all of them, Sora was the most exhausted as he had spent quite a lot of energy over the past hour and looked sleepy.

Hearing Sora yawn besides her, Ignis asked, "Sora? Are you tired? It's okay to take a nap, you know."

Sora shook his head. "No, no...I wanna play more."

"Yeah, you're definitely tired," muttered Ignis, lifting up Sora by his arms and allowing his head to lay down on her lap.

Sitting up, Hinatsu asked, "Um...Is my brother hurt?"

"No, he's just tired, but he wants to play more. I was like him when I was his age. Tired, but wanting to play more," explained Ignis gently smoothing out Sora's hair as the little boy started nodding his head back and forth.

Ignis remembered just how much of a troublemaker she was back when she was training with Master Eraqus when she was just a little girl. Terra and Aqua were definitely the ideal, mature, and more knowledgeable students that any mentor would want. But her?

She was like a disastrous volcano.

She played around a lot, messed around with magic and ended up in several Magic Burst incidents, and so much more that caused Master Eraqus a lot of headaches back in the day. Overtime, she did mature, but she still was a little bit of a troublemaker every now and then.

Sometimes, when it was naptime, and Eraqus had difficulty putting her to sleep, he didn't force her with a Sleep spell or anything, but instead, sang her a lullaby, which was one of her inspirations for singing. As such, Ignis thought it'd be appropriate to do the same thing Eraqus had done for her.

"Sora, it's alright to take a nap. I'm here."

"Nooo...Don't wanna..."

"Well, I'm gonna sing ya a song, so be a good boy and rest, alright?"

"Hmm?"

With Sora's head on her lap, Ignis smoothed out his head once more and started to sing softly as the morning sunlight rays shined down on them.

 **The Guiding Key**

 **Sung by: Lizz Robinett**

 _"Out in the distant horizon awaiting me_

 _There's a new world I yearn to see._

 _Marching ahead, never dwelling on yesterday_

 _'cuz tomorrow's a brand new day._

 _Somewhere, residing deep in my heart,_

 _I feel a power awaken within._

 _With every journey, a brand new chapter unfolds._

 _In these stories yet to be told._

 _Hand in hand, with my truest friends by my side,_

 _We'll adventure into the sky._

 _Somewhere, with every step that I take,_

 _I feel a part of myself slowly wake._

 _Out in the dark, there are people in need of me._

 _And all their lives depend on me._

 _Though it is hard, I just can't leave them suffering._

 _With their souls and hearts slumbering._

 _Trust me, I'll fix the broken mistakes._

 _I'll be there for them whatever it takes._

 _Fighting the darkness and shadows that come our way._

 _Rest assured, it will be okay._

 _Anything's possible when you look to the light._

 _We won't give up without a fight._

 _We'll walk together towards dark unseen._

 _And our hearts will be our guiding key."_

After the song ended, Ignis opened her eyes and looked down, seeing Sora fast asleep with a peaceful expression on her face.

"That was a wonderful song!" exclaimed Hinatsu, astonished with admiration in her eyes.

"Shhh!" hissed Ignis, warning her not to wake up Sora.

"Oops! Sorry-"

Suddenly, Hinatsu stopped short in her sentence and fell to her knees, gripping the area where her heart is and started breathing heavily. Her face grew red and sweaty as well as uneased.

"Hinatsu?" wondered Ignis quietly, gently placing Sora on the sand before hurriedly tending to her. Laying the girl gently on her back, Ignis placed a hand on her forehead and immediately pulled it back. _'She's burning up real bad! What gives?! Fevers don't just come out of nowhere like this!'_

"This...is why..." breathed Hinatsu.

"What?"

"I don't like moving around a lot...I always get fevers all the time...That's why I don't play with Sora and Riku a lot...I hate this...I wanna play with them more...but I don't like getting sick all the time..."

Ignis' heart broke upon hearing Hinatsu' confession. A poor, innocent little girl suffering from fevers when all she wants to do is play with her brother and friend...How heartbreaking was that?

 _'It wouldn't hurt if I use magic to try and figure out what sort of illness she's got,'_ thought Ignis, placing both hands on the sides of Hinatsu's head.

Scan magic wasn't used that often by many mages, but it was definitely a useful kind of magic that told what sort of symptoms a person had. For instance, if the victim was poisoned, then the user would immediately be alerted of such a thing. This sort of magic was useful to a lot of healer-type mages, and they used scan magic to figure out what was wrong with their target.

It didn't take long for Ignis to figure out what was wrong with Hinatsu, but she was completely thrown back by the cause of Hinatsu's fevers. Pulling her hands back, Ignis breathed in and out and stared at the feverish little girl in shock.

Magic Power.

That was the cause of Hinatsu's fevers. Her tiny little body contained way too much Magic Power. There are cases where people were born as prodigies, some with the potential to be a cook, doctor, or firefighter. As such, there are rare cases where one can be born with lots of Magic Power, such as Hinatsu.

However, should that be the case, then it would be much better if a more mature, older body contained such high Magic Power. It was like a glass being poured water from a faucet. Too much water would overflow the glass, and the water in this case would be the large amount of Magic Power inside Hinatsu's body. Because she's a small child, her body couldn't bear to handle so much Magic Power, thus the cause of Hinatsu's fevers.

Normally, to increase one's Magic Power, one would need to grow stronger both mentally and physically, but normally through physical methods, such as training. Because of Aqua's natural talent with magic, and Ignis participating in a lot of physical activity, both girls often were the spellcasters of their group of friends, whether it was for offensive or supportive roles.

Ignis didn't know how to drain Magic Power out of a living being, and even if she did, it would be pointless. Overtime, with rest, an individual's Magic Power would fill right back up, starting the cycle of fevers all over again. She had no idea how Hinatsu was had obtained so much Magic Power, but she knew that she needed help and fast.

"Hey! Sora! Hinatsu!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ignis spotted a couple of kids racing towards their location, waving their arms. One had a red pole, another was wearing a yellow dress, and the other held a ball in his hands.

"Excuse me!" Ignis called out, running towards the kids. "Do you know any adults around here?"

"Adults?" The boy with the red pole wondered before pointing towards the docks. "Well, Sora's Dad just dropped us off around here."

"What's up? Is Sora and Hina sleeping?" wondered the girl in the yellow dress.

"No, well, Sora is, but Hinatsu got a fever!" said Ignis. "Look, can two of you stay with them? Also, can one of you take me to one of the adults around here?"

"I can," offered the boy with the ball. "Follow me!"

A few minutes later, both Hinatsu and Sora were transferred away from the small islands to the bigger, main island where they could be taken home safely. Worried for the two, Ignis requested to join in the same boat as them, wanting to at least see them off safely.

As much as Ignis wanted to explore the main island, she was more concerned for Hinatsu. Sora was alright because he was asleep and in perfect health, but Hinatsu was a different story. If she could, Ignis would like to take just enough of Hinatsu's Magic Power away from her body so that she wouldn't suffer anymore fevers, but she didn't know how to do such a thing.

She knew both siblings needed their rest, and while she wished for a proper farewell towards the two, she thought it best to just leave them be. In fact, it was probably better if she left this current world immediately. In her heart, she wanted to help out Hinatsu with her abnormal issue, but as much as she wanted to, she knew she didn't know the proper methods to curing the little girl.

That's why, the next time she arrived in Destiny Islands, she might find something that could help Hinatsu. Ignis didn't know why, but she felt as though Hinatsu could be of some importance in the future in more ways than one.

* * *

 **Sorry! This is a short chapter, which is why this story got updated so fast! But the next chapter will definitely be a whole lot longer for certain!**

 **This is all part of Dr. Facilier's prediction as well. He mentioned that before the fourth obstacle, Ignis will meet someone with a hidden fire inside of them and represented by the Magician, which is Hinatsu. Hinatsu having so much Magic Power inside of her isn't quite the hidden fire, though, as there's a more importance than that.**

 **Oh, and just to clarify, "Hi" means fire in Japanese, while "Natsu" means summer in Japanese, so combine those two together, and they mean "fire summer."**

 **And yeah, I got the silver eyes idea from RWBY, but don't worry, it doesn't have a power like destroying and turning Grimm to stone, or anything like that. It does have some power, but not much to affect the story, and it'll be revealed later on. For now, it's more of a symbolism.**

 **That said, read and review!**


	17. Radiant Garden

**Hey, guys! Wow, I was kinda expecting a bit of backlash of Mary Sue or something, but no! You guys are awesome! You guys were really cool about Hinatsu being around and how adorable she is! Normally, I would find something like Sora sibling stories to be a bit annoying, but I've recently changed my mind. Like I mentioned, there are going to be changes in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, like Hinatsu's arrival, but we'll get to that later.**

 **Oh, and by the way, in the teamup scene for Terra, Ventus, Aqua, and Ignis, it was a sort of reference, when Team RWBY was fighting against the robot that Roman controlled in RWBY, and originally, I wanted to put in "Die," but decided against it. Oh, and by the way, the Trinity Armor boss fight? Yeah, I decided to use to a different, made-up Unversed to make the fight slightly harder.**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Miracle," from RWBY, composed and sung by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "The Oathkeeper", created and sung by Lizz Robinett.**

* * *

Ignis was once again soaring through space in search for the Land of Departure world, being lost, yet again. She wished that Keyblade wielders like her were granted maps to various worlds, or at least directions. When she got back, she was definitely going to try and construct a magical map that would point to whatever direction the user would like to take.

If possible, she would have already created a light portal to take her back home, but her control of such power was limited. She could only use them successfully in short distances, not long-ranged distances like from one world to another. Should she attempt that, it would only send her to a random location, and she used such knowledge to trick Vanitas the first day she met him, thus resulting in him landing on a river and holding a grudge against her because of that.

While trying to bypass a world, Ignis heard a slight explosion and ceased flying, turning her Keyblade Glider over towards the world. It seemed like there was some sort of trouble, and it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time in that world to figure out what was happening. Once the chaos all ceased, then she could continue her way back home.

Reverting her Keyblade Glider, Ignis blasted off towards the world where she heard the explosion, and as she flew closer, she saw an astonishing sight of a wonderful, peaceful-looking kingdom. But the astonishment quickly changed to shock when she saw what was occurring below.

Aqua, Ventus, and Terra fighting off what seemed to be...a hybrid Unversed.

While the sight of all her friends gathered in one place coincidentally definitely surprised her, the main focus was on the Unversed they were clashing against. The Unversed was a mixed combination of 4 animal parts; the large wings of a vulture, a scorpion's tail, the nimble body of a rat, and the head of a wolf. It was like a Chimera, except with more, unusual animal parts mixed together.

Expression changing from surprise to serious, Ignis readied herself from above, ready to assist her friends when the Unversed took flight with its wings. Opening its wolf-like jaws, the Unversed started charging a green orb with harsh winds all concentrated and swirling around it; the Unversed about to unleash such devastating power to the trio down below.

Things...don't look good.

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus were all panting, trying to regain their stamina as they glanced up at the Unversed having taken flight in the sky. Seeing a charging attack about to come their way, Ventus and Terra held up the blunt sides of their Keyblades to defend while Aqua began gathering her Magic Power for a powerful Barrier spell to deflect whatever attack was going to be unleashed onto them.

Suddenly, a massive Keyblade Glider comes quite literally out of nowhere. Wherever it came from, it was hurled and slammed directly into the Unversed with such force that not only did it stop the Unversed from its charge attack, it also knocked the Unversed from the air and caused it to crash to the ground, leaving a small crater underneath its heavy body. The Keyblade Glider, after making direct contact with the Unversed looked as though it was also about to crash, only to stop short from the ground and levitate gently above.

Its rider follows with a landing of her own, revealing to her friends her appearance fully cladded in armor; armor that her friends have recognized.

Ignis lands, completely intact, battle stance ready, and her ride transforming into her primary Keyblade weapon, allowing her to grip hold of the handle and be battle ready. From behind her helmet, she glared fiercely at the Unversed who was temporarily immobilized from her previous surprise attack.

"Ignis!" cried out Ventus, happy to see her. While, at the moment, he was also relieved to be reunited with Terra and Aqua, it was Ignis' arrival that made him most happiest of all. He wanted to dance and laugh, hug her, anything to celebrate his happiness!

"Ven!" said Aqua, placing a hand on his shoulder. "As much as I'm happy to see all of us together, we have more important things to focus on, right now."

"She's right," agreed Terra. "We'll deal with that monster first, alright?"

"Yeah!" said Ignis, not releasing her armor as she thought it might be of use to her during their fight. "Er...Promise not to kill me after this fight's done? You know, for...uh..."

"You are in so much more trouble than you thought," deadpanned Aqua, giving her a stern expression.

"Damnit. But I really do have a good excuse!"

"Guys, focus!" called out Terra. "That thing's back up, and it doesn't look happy!"

Heeding Terra's warning, everyone got into battle positions, facing the strange, mixed Unversed that seemed to be harboring a bloodlust glare at all four of them. It definitely wasn't too pleased from the surprise attack and seemed more provoked than ever. As though declaring its vengeance, the Unversed released a loud roar and crotched down.

The roar was heard all through the kingdom of the world they were in; Radiant Garden. It was an unnatural, terrifying roar that only a monster would make, and it was the kind that only a monster would make. Hearing such a roar would make anyone terrified, but the Wayfinder Team was not just "anyone."

With Ignis making a surprise appearance and now part of the fray, morale definitely took a turn for the better. With renewed vigor, the completed team of four prepared themselves to combat the deadly beast before them.

 _'I can't wait to show everyone my new fighting skills and the new types of spells I learned!'_ thought Ignis excitedly.

 _'I'm going to protect everyone here, especially Ignis!'_ Ventus swore to himself. _'I couldn't protect her before, but now I can!'_

 _'I don't know how much stronger everyone's gotten, but I hope we'll-No, we WILL win!'_ thought Aqua, determined.

 _'I'm pretty sure that everyone has gotten a lot stronger since I left,'_ Terra thought. _'I can tell Ven and Ignis have. Still, as the oldest of the group, I have to set an example!'_

With everyone's thoughts cleared of anything but battle, both sides were prepared to fight.

The Unversed howled loudly before unleashing a flurry of large fireballs from its jaws, forcing everyone to run around and separate from one another. The places where the fireballs hit exploded, leaving small craters with smoldering fires and smoke, and it didn't seem as though the Unversed would stop.

Seeing a fireball close in on her, Ignis brought up her Keyblade and spun it around, blocking the fireball but still receiving the blunt, burning force of it, enough to send her crashing into Terra, who caught her from behind. Having accidentally bumped into one another, Terra and Ignis glanced at one another before giving a silent nod to each other.

"Earthcracker!" yelled Ignis before she sprung forward with Terra behind her. Thrusting her Keyblade onto the ground, Ignis casted an earth spell as Terra bypassed her, using the earth pillars Ignis summoned to get closer to the Unversed as well as ascend higher and higher above it. As Terra grew closer, Ignis quickly casted an Enfire spell on Terra's Keyblade, infusing it with fire just as Terra raised it above his head and swung it down, attempting to land a devastating blow, combined with both fire magic and his own tremendous strength.

The Unversed must have had such a sturdy tail, because it was about to nullify the blow with its scorpion-like tail. The shockwave of Terra's attack caused the earth pillars to shatter all around them, but the Unversed is unaffected. After the initial attack, Terra is thrown off by the Unversed after it spun around erratically.

Gasping, Ignis glanced up and quickly shouted, "Magnet Grab!" From the tip of her finger, Ignis launched a ball of magnetism, which collided with Terra in mid-air, stopping his body in a frozen-like state before pulling him towards Ignis. Gently, Ignis lowered his body down on the ground and saw Ventus circling around the Unversed as it started firing geysers of sand from its' rat-like claws, trying to hit the speedy teen.

Ventus' distraction allowed Aqua to score a hit with her magic as the distraction had given her time to cast an advanced magic spell; Icicle Mine. A large ice crystal appeared above the Unversed before it was brought down its body, shattering into pieces once it made contact. The Unversed shrieked painfully before freezing in place, granting the team a couple of seconds to an all-out attack.

Kneeling besides Terra, Ignis noticed wounds on his body that hadn't caught her attention before until now. He must have had them before she had arrived in this world, therefore, she started casting a healing spell on him. Seeing both Ventus and Aqua ready to take on the frozen Unversed, Ignis shouted, "Storm Dance!"

Hearing the signature move name, both Ventus and Aqua moved in towards the Unversed with Ventus leaping towards the scorpion-like tail. He swung around it using the end of Wayward Wind before swinging off it to send himself behind the Unversed. Propelling himself off a nearby wall, he bypassed the frozen Unversed, slashing at its side while Aqua did the same. The duo switches back and forth repeatedly, continuously slashing at its sides and breaking off chunks of ice with each pass. Leaping in the air, both Keyblade wielders then struck down from above in unison, finishing off their special move.

While the signature move, Storm Dance, did much to damage the Unversed, it also unfortunately had the side-effect of breaking the Unversed loose from its frozen prison-like state. With less effort, the Unversed broke free, causing Ventus and Aqua to distance themselves as best as they could. From the tip of its stinger at the end of its scorpion-like tail, the Unversed fired a jet of water at Aqua, sending her flying back and leaving Ventus vulnerable.

The Unversed's wolf head turned its piercing eyes towards Ventus; its focus now solely on him. Then, it raised its fangs from its jaws, swiping at Ventus to devour him.

"Barrier Surge!"

Darting past Ventus, Ignis, who was cloaked in a barrier, used one of her best defensive techniques to protect Ventus, saving him from the fate of being eaten alive. However, the Unversed's fangs kept her barrier trapped and in place. Cracks would be seen forming all over her barrier, and it wouldn't be long before even Ignis' normally impenetrable defenses would be worn down.

Seeing Ignis in danger, Ventus sprung into action using a useful, but difficult sword technique called Ars Arcanum. Unleashing a flurry of powerful and swift strikes, Ventus' technique wasn't enough to take down the Unversed, but dealt enough to force the Unversed to release its fangs from Ignis' barrier. Enraged at its prey escaping from its jaws, the Unversed launched fireballs and jets of water at the two, but the two youngest Keyblade wielders started dodging with a series of back-handsprings. Eventually, they were blasted by the long-ranged attacks, sending their injured bodies crashing to the ground near Terra and Aqua, whom the two had recovered from their previous encounter.

"Ven! Ignis!" Both older fighters cried out in worry, tending to their care.

Ven and Ignis were both equally damaged from being hit by the fireballs and water, but Ven seemed to have taken the worst of hits while Ignis was just as badly injured as him, yet still conscious. Ven was nearly unconscious and seemed in no state to fight further unless he received medical attention. Sitting up, Ignis popped out some Potions from her bag and started forcing Ven to drink some. After drinking one Potion, Ven regained some of his consciousness back and sat up, drinking more Potions to heal his wounds.

"I've got this!" Ignis told Aqua and Terra, handing Ventus another Potion before drinking one herself and then fishing out an Ether for herself. "You guys keep that thing back! We'll be right with you!"

"On it!" Both agreed, turning to confront the Unversed.

"Oh, and one more thing! Diamond Breaker!"

Knowing that was the cue for their own move, Terra and Aqua agreed it was best to try that out and rushed forward with Keyblades in hand. This combination move was different than the other combination moves performed earlier, as it required both Terra and Aqua to release into their Command Style forms; Diamond Dust and Rockbreaker; hence the name, Diamond Breaker.

With an icy blue aura and particles of ice emanating from her body, Aqua used the power of Diamond Dust to summon three large ice pillars to trap the Unversed, as well as conjuring a fourth to bring it down the Unversed from above.

Due to the Unversed's immense strength, it started rampaging around to break free, causing the ice pillars to start forming large cracks during the rampage, indicating it wouldn't take long for the Unversed to break free. While doing so, the Unversed's wings shielded its body and head from above in case the large ice pillar in mid-air were to be brought down at any moment.

Glowing with a golden aura, Terra crotched down before flipping into the air as Aqua's final and fourth ice pillar descended down the Unversed, shattering into blade-like ice particles that sparkled like crystals and stuck onto the vulture-like wings, though not that deeply.

As Terra begins to fall, he makes a frontal cartwheel assault and nails his Keyblade against the stinger. The impactful force of his heavy assaulted blow was more than enough to destroy the stinger, leaving the Unversed with a limp, useless scorpion-like tail. Angered and in pain from the loss of its stinger, the Unversed roared and fired a blast of wind from its jaws, sending Terra flying back to Ignis and Ventus' side, where the two were close to recovery. The two younger teens cried in pain when Terra crashed into them.

A one-on-one fight ensures between Aqua and the Unversed, Both started trading blows with the Unversed incapable of hitting her, nor is Aqua capable of doing much damage to it. However, when an opening was presented to the Unversed, it grabbed Aqua by the head and threw her away as hard as it could towards her group of friends.

Being the first to stand up and recover himself, Terra noticed Aqua being thrown towards them and rushed forward, catching her in his arms safely before she could so much as hit the wall headfirst.

"Terra!" panted Aqua, surprised. "T-Thank you..."

Though exhausted, Terra nodded and smiled down on her. "Y-Yeah, don't mention it!"

Helping Ventus stand up, Ignis saw Terra and Aqua and grinned, nudging Ventus. "Hey, Ven! Look! Isn't that so sweet! It looks like our favorite pairing's coming true!"

Looking up, Ventus shared the same Cheshire cat grin as Ignis. "Yeah...Terra and Aqua, sitting in a tree!"

Faces flustered, Terra quickly let Aqua down and the two looked away from each other. Their blushes faded in an instant when they heard the Unversed roar and flap its injured wings. Although covered in icicle shards, the Unversed could still fly, as it took flight and started swarming the skies in a rotational manner.

Regrouping with the rest of her friends, Ignis asked, "So...Uh...While I was gone, think you can tell me its strong and weak points?"

"The tail fires water magic," explained Aqua. "Its claws used to unleash earth magic, but we broke them to ensure it couldn't do that anymore. It can't cast earth magic anymore, but it can still swipe at us with its claws. Most of the time, it fires fireballs from its mouth and sometimes wind magic. The wind magic isn't so hard to evade or block, but, and this is just a guess, if it had continued building up more of its wind magic, then the results would have be disastrous."

"Luckily, you came along and stopped that," replied Terra, patting Ignis on the shoulder. "Nice job."

"Yeah! With a frickin' Keyblade Glider to its face! How badass is that?"

"Er...Not the way I would have stopped it, but it's the thought that counts."

"Guys, it's making a round towards us! What do we do?" wondered Ventus loudly.

Grinning, Ignis pointed her Keyblade at the approaching Unversed in sight and shouted, "Elemental Catastrophe!"

With the affinity they were best associated with, the four Keyblade wielders unleashed as many long-ranged magic spells as they could at the flying Unversed; Ignis with fire, Terra with earth, Aqua with water, and Ventus with wind. However, although their spells hit, they do little damage and very little to slow down the Unversed, forcing them to scramble and run out of the way as the Unversed crashed into the walls behind them, sending flying debris everywhere.

"Barrier!" Shielding all three of her friends, Ignis placed herself in front of them and released a widespread barrier to block the flying debris from hitting them. Still keeping the barrier up, Ignis shouted, "What the hell?! It can shoot fireballs, waterballs, tornadoes, and it even has magic resistance?! Bullshit! Hacks! I call hacks!"

"Yeah, and it won't stay down no matter how many times we slashed at it! How do we defeat something like that?" questioned Ventus.

"It is pretty irritating," admitted Terra. "But, it's not immortal. Eventually, it'll have to come down."

Aqua nodded. "That's right. If we keep pressing on, eventually, a weak spot will expose itself. One of Master Eraqus' teachings was that everything has a weakness, even if it's just one. Just like the darkness' weakness is light."

Surprised by Aqua's last comment, Ignis pondered about that. Ever since her teachings with Merlin, and strengthening her use for darkness magic, Ignis had been growing more and more...doubtful towards Eraqus' teachings. Granted, many of them were extremely useful, but the ones she had the most doubt of was the ones with light being the only good in the universe.

Terra's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "It's coming! Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

Glancing ahead of her, Ignis saw the Unversed flying towards them in yet another attempted charge like before. Her friends had already scrambled out of the way, but Ignis wanted to try something after thinking something through. If the Unversed they were fighting was highly resistant to their previous elemental spells, which consisted of earth, wind, fire, and water, whereas the Unversed also had the same elemental attacks, then what would happen if it was attacked with a different element?

For example... _Darkness?_

"Shaddoll!" cried out Ignis, plunging the end of Phoenix Fairy into the ground, initiating her creation darkness spell. She grunted as she felt her own shadow extending and expanding, feeling a sort of tingly sensation as she tried to manipulate her own shadow spell.

Because the target was getting closer, the distance between her and the Unversed made it easier for her to use the Shaddoll spell more successfully, unlike the last time because the farther the target, the more Magic Power she had to use. Her shadow rose up from the ground, forming a slender, armless, twisted-like shadow figure. Focusing more Magic Power into her spell, the results of Ignis' strange, darkness-like spell made a single, elongated arm with clawed fingers emerge from the shadow figure.

"Stop it in its tracks!" Ignis ordered her shadow figure, focusing on controlling her own shadow puppet's movements. The shadow-like figure sprouted a sinister grin, crackling as it sprung forward to meet the Unversed's charge. Using its body and only elongated arm alone, it seemed to have possessed monstrous strength, enough to slow down the charge by using its arm to grab its face, gripping and clawing at it before flinging it aside. The attack wasn't enough to destroy the Unversed, and it seemed to have regained composure upon landing and sliding across the ground, but the shadow puppet did startle the Unversed, as there were now visible claw marks all over its face.

"Ignis...What was that?" called out Aqua with a horrified look on her face. Just now...her friend, who was trained under the arts of light, had just used a magic spell of **darkness** , something that was explicitly _forbidden_ by their master!

Ventus and Terra were just as shocked as Aqua, but were forced back to focus on the battlefield as the Unversed decided to target the two boys of the team next, attacking them with a barrage of wind spells and fireballs. During all of this, Terra noticed the claw marks on the Unversed's face, and even though he and his friends have slashed and attacked the Unversed with spells and their own physical techniques, the claw marks seemed to be very deep wounds. That meant that other elements other than the four basic ones could prove effective against the Unversed.

Including darkness.

"Ignis, can you use that strange darkness spell again?" called out Terra, flinging away a fireball with a swing of his Keyblade.

"What?!" exclaimed Aqua.

"Terra, is that okay?" wondered Ventus.

Ignis panted as her shadow returned to her, being both mentally and physically exhausted. Maintaining such a difficult, high-level spell was tiresome, but it seemed to have paid off as her gamble worked; dark elemental spells DO have an effect on the Unversed. While light is the most common weakness for darkness, darkness can override the other four basic elements as well.

"Yeah!" called back Ignis, turning to him. "I can! But it uses too much Magic Power to even control and manipulate it! And the longer I use it, the more Magic Power I have to sacrifice! It's a recently new spell, so I can't control too much of my shadow! I need some time to recover some of my Magic Power!"

"Alright!" said Terra, getting a basic understanding of her situation. "Drink more than one Ether, then! When you see an opening, attack with that spell again!"

"Terra, are you nuts?!" questioned Aqua, turning to him. "We're not allowed to use-"

"It doesn't matter right now!" argued Terra. "I figured out that monster's weakness! It's weak to elements other than earth, fire, water, and wind! That means that darkness will work against it!"

"Wait, wouldn't that mean light would work, too?" wondered Ventus.

Terra nodded. "It could. We have to try! We'll dodge its attacks, and counterattack with as much light and darkness spells as we could! We don't have any other option here, Aqua!"

"...Fine!" agreed Aqua, still uneased upon seeing Ignis' new spell. She glanced back at her red-haired friend who was gulping down Ethers as fast as she could to recover her Magic Power, before charging forward, intending on using light elemental spells, instead.

Fangs met stone and air, Keyblades clashed against wings, spells of various elements flew through the air in the area that had turned into a battlefield.

This was a battle between light and darkness.

Or rather, the light side was using both light and dark techniques to vanquish the evil darkness in the battlefield.

 **Miracle**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _Time and time again it seems_

 _We've reached the point where all our dreams_

 _Are crumbling all around us!_

 _Every outcome unjust!_

Sensing it was slowly being backed into a corner by the four opponents before it, the Unversed started to step up its game, attacking more swiftly and fiercely. Whenever it defended itself, it used its large wings to shield itself; the frozen fractals embedded in its wings have long since shattered into nothing during the midst of the battle.

While Ignis was resting and storing up her Magic Power, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus were both distracting and taking offensive measures against the Unversed, trying to bypass his defenses with any means necessary. Aqua was trying to cast and fire light spells as quickly as she could while Terra and Ventus took up short-range duties, being on the frontlines as they tried to break down the Unversed's defenses.

"Ignis! You finished?!" panted Ventus, sliding back after blocking a hit from the Unversed's fang attack.

"Almost!" called out Ignis, throwing aside another Ether while plucking another one out of her bag. "Gale Crusher!"

"What?!"

"Gale Crusher! You and Terra's combo move! Do it!"

"Rgh-! Might as well!" agreed Terra, stepping back and dodging a swipe from the Unversed's wing.

Beginning the first step of their combo move, Ventus raised his Keyblade in the air and casted Tornado, right beneath the Unversed, sending it straight up in the air. Controlling the wind-based spell, Ventus sent the tornado towards Terra, making him fly up in the air to fly higher than the Unversed as it used its wings to regain momentum in the air.

Descending downwards, Terra performed three heavy slashes, which the Unversed countered by blocking with its hard, feathered wings, although the third and final slash was the hardest, as it just had enough strength to slam down and sent the Unversed crashing on the ground, damaging it as it crawled out of the large crater it came from.

Meanwhile, Ventus, with the remaining time the Tornado spell can be put up, used the spell to have Terra spin around and land gently before the two boys gave each other a high-five for a successful team effort.

Unfortunately, because they let their guard down for that one instance, the Unversed retaliated by flapping its wings fiercely, sending a strong gust of wind that sent Terra and Ventus flying and rolling around the ground after hitting the nearby walls.

 _Every step it seems has led_

 _Us further from our goal instead!_

 _Our triumphs haven't mattered!_

 _We're drifting ever backward!_

Trying to buy time for her friends, Aqua used the power of her Keyblade to fire chains of light to bind the Unversed. Gripping the handle of her Keyblade tightly, Aqua started moving around, trying to keep the Unversed occupied and trapped within its chains before being flung back once the Unversed broke free; her plan wasted and effortless.

 _And we're running out of time!_

 _Nowhere near the finish line!_

"Now?!" called out Terra to Ignis, who stood still and was gathering her Magic Power into her Shaddoll spell from earlier.

"Just a little more!" True to her words, Ignis stabbed Phoenix Fairy onto the ground and focused as best as she could. Admittedly, she had not mastered the Shaddoll spell, but she could still use it effectively. Her shadow shimmered and slowly started to take form into a shadow puppet-like figure just like before, but the process was slow, as Ignis was focusing her Magic Power to stabilized her shadow puppet's form and to keep it under control so it doesn't rampage or go berserk because of lack of concentration and control.

Ventus, Terra, and Aqua paused and ceased fighting the Unversed, stepping back and watching Ignis' dark elemental spell being shaped into her own imagery; the shadow puppet-like figure rising from Ignis' own shadow.

While Ventus and Terra were astonished to see her shadow merging into the same deadly shadow figure that fought off the Unversed just like earlier, Aqua looked away worriedly. She was unwilling to accept that yet another one of her friends held darkness within them. First Terra, now Ignis?

Their Master, Eraqus, explicitly taught all of them never to use the power of darkness, and that, in turn, meant they must never use darkness elemental spells, but now, Ignis was breaking that taboo, twice! As much as Aqua didn't want to be a snitch, as soon as she met up with her Master, she had to inform him of both Terra and Ignis' wrongdoings-!

 _And it's growing ever clear_

 _That a reckoning is near!_

 _And we'll have to make a choice!_

Terra watched Ignis' shadow puppet manifest itself, and although he was no magic expert like Aqua, he could tell that this spell was both recent and new, as well as incomplete, as the shadow puppet had only one clawed arm.

He remembered Master Xehanort's words about instead of erasing the darkness in his heart, he must _channel_ the darkness. In a way, he has to control it to ensure that no harm comes to anyone and even himself. He was already tricked and manipulated by that Maleficent person to steal an innocent girl's heart, so he knew he must make amends to ensure nothing like that ever happens again.

But Ignis? He never expected the cheery girl full of light to take up darkness elemental spells. He remembered that Eraqus taught them that taking up such elemental spells was a clear sign of them allowing the darkness to take over them.

But...was that true? Or was there a misunderstanding in Eraqus' part? Perhaps so, because he and Master Xehanort had grown up together, and since Xehanort was both a wise and experienced Keyblade Master that had traveled to many worlds, whereas Eraqus had not done so much, perhaps it would be better to listen to him?

The darkness inside Terra...he could sometimes feel like it was taking over him, just waiting to burst out and take complete control of him. But for Ignis, she didn't seem to be inhibiting any negative signs for the darkness taking over her body, since she was using darkness spells. Still, the path he was taking, whether it was right or wrong, he didn't want anyone else to share the same burdens as him.

Ven, Aqua, and Ignis...he wanted all three of his friends to be safe and trust in the light. As for him, he's still trying to keep the darkness in control, and with his part experiences in other worlds, learning more about good and bad people, he feels as though he's getting a bit better with controlling the darkness.

Still, how was it that Ignis seemed to be controlling the darkness within her much better than him?

 _Is this path right?_

 _Or is it made of lies?_

 _We're looking in ourselves_

 _And trusting in the light!_

"Shaddoll!" cried out Ignis, letting her Magic Power flow into her shadow puppet. The shadow puppet figure, although having only one arm out, was still a threat to the Unversed as its weakness was, ironically enough, the element of darkness itself, in which Ignis' Shaddoll spell's element was made of.

Recalling her fight with the snake Unversed she faced in the New Orleans world, Ignis manipulated her shadow to attack in a similar fighting style as the snake Unversed's shadow, forming its claws into blades before the shadow puppet figure pounced towards the Unversed. It started slashing with its one blade arm, piercing through the Unversed's hardened defenses because of its element advantage.

The assault didn't last long, as Ignis collapsed to her knees since her Magic Power was running low already. The shadow puppet figure retreated back to her own shadow, returning back to normal and leaving her exhausted from much Magic Power usage and trying to control the advanced-level spell.

Ignis may have failed in taking out the Unversed, but she did weaken it a lot just like before.

 _A miracle is all we need_

 _But there isn't one in sight!_

Confirming furthermore that darkness is much effective against their foe, Terra started unleashing darkness-related techniques he had been learning throughout his journey, joining in with Ignis as she pulled herself together to assist him in taking on the Unversed.

Ventus was downright terrified when he saw darkness elemental magic and techniques coming from Ignis and Terra, but slowly started to relax when they didn't start being all crazy evil from using the power of darkness. While he still felt a bit queasy from seeing his friends using darkness, he was at least a bit relieved when they finally found some weakness with the toughest Unversed they've faced thus far.

As much as Aqua was just as pleased as Ventus to finally find some weakness in this tough battle, she preferred if Ignis and Terra didn't have to resort to using darkness. Darkness is meant to be evil, hurtful, and cruel, and definitely never something to be used, yet her two friends were using the darkness element to their advantage when the Unversed had another weakness; the element light.

She'll deal with their issue of darkness later, but for now, they all had a common enemy to defeat. Using a light spell, Aqua fired six beams of light energy towards the Unversed as soon as Ignis and Terra got out of the way. The beams of light pierced through the air and exploded once making contact with the Unversed, knocking its balance a bit.

 _Each and every passing day_

 _Our world's in further disarray!_

 _Confidence descending..._

 _Where's our happy ending?_

Even after discovering the main weaknesses of the Unversed, the team still had trouble dealing with the Unversed, as it had grown more cautious and persistent. The longer the battle waged on, the more exhausted the team of four were becoming, and the Unversed had grown intelligent enough to figure out several of their attack patterns to dodge or counter.

It wasn't just their stamina or injuries that were worsening, but also their own supplies during battle, such as their Ethers and Potions. They used up quite a bit during their battle and had only a few helpful supplies left. Even though they dealt damaging blows, the Unversed still refused to go down, and if things continued this way, they were going to be in one heap of trouble!

"Gah!" yelled Ignis, thrown back by a wind spell by the Unversed as Aqua was healing Terra's wounds.

Gasping, Ventus rushed forward with the speed he was proud of and caught Ignis in his arms. Remembering the last time he had done so back in the Enchanted Dominion world, Ventus' face changed into a cheery pink color as he looked away, asking, "A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Thanks!" panted Ignis exhaustedly, bouncing out of his arms and patting the dust off her skirt before grabbing Ventus' hand.

Ventus' face exploded in redness as he turned to her. "W-What are you doing, Ignis?!"

"Let's go! I got an idea! Let's use Pyre Tempest!"

"Oh! O-Okay!"

Both rushed forward just as the Unversed was charging a fire-based attack from its wolf-like jaws. The duo proved faster and slid across the ground. Ventus then grabbed onto Ignis' arm and spun her around before tossing her up in the air as high as he could. In mid-air, Ignis, having a bit of an understanding with her Beastcraft spells than with her Shaddoll spell, activated the Beastcraft: Fire Mode spell, imbedding her arms and legs with the blazing element of fire.

She jumped high into the air, and at the apex, she waited for gravity to pull her down while sporting a grin behind her helmet. Her expression, though hidden, was like that of a bird glaring down at its prey. She then slammed a fiery fist down onto the center of the Unversed's body, sending a ripple of fire through the air.

The Unversed threw its wolf-like head back and let out a painful howl before trying to shake the intruder off its back. As much as it wanted to use its' scorpion-like tail to grab or attack her, it was dangling around uselessly, being no more than an hindrance. Ventus began circling and moving around the Unversed, dodging its stomps, claws, and jaws and trying to help Ignis in any way he could.

At last, the Unversed finally threw Ignis off its back, causing Ventus to utter out her name in worry. Spinning around in mid-air, Ignis landed and slid across the glass-like grounds, using her fiery claws to dig deep into the grounds to slow herself down, creating cracked fractures in the places she dug her claws in.

With Ventus, he was trying to hold off the Unversed by himself. He swung with Wayward Wind once more, slashing the Unversed across the throat before swiftly dodging in time to avoid his body being chomped up. He performed an aerial somersault, slashing at one of its wings and thus landing on its back. Reeling his arm around, Ventus felt his Keyblade grazing the Unversed's tough hide. Growling, he started swinging his Keyblade around, sending several more slashes to its back before finally being thrown off, landing rather roughly.

 _On the path but still we strayed_

 _Our aspirations quickly fade!_

 _Desperation's risin'_

 _On hopeless bleak horizons!_

"The Unversed is acting more aggressive!" pointed out Terra, seeing their opponent's movements growing more dangerously reckless. It flew up to the skies and started shooting fireballs and tornadoes from its jaws everywhere, trying to hit them. Some of the spells that missed ended up destroying parts out of the outer streets, allowing the team to hear cries and screams from innocent civilians as they scrambled to safety.

"Ow, ow, ow!" groaned Ventus, drinking a Hi-Potion to restore himself. "That's thing is more tougher than before!"

"We need to ground it!" shouted Ignis, seeing as it was far more dangerous for the Unversed to be airborne.

"And how do you propose we do that?" questioned Aqua, stressed from the prolonged fighting.

Grinning, Ignis announced, "Frigid Blast!"

Understanding what that meant, Terra turned to his friends and said, "Alright. You and Aqua concentrate on your combo spell. Me and Ven will try and draw its attention. Ven, you with me?"

"Yeah!" agreed Ventus. "Let's do this!"

 _Every life is on the line!_

 _Can't wait here for a sign!_

Both boys shot out back into the battlefield, running around all over the place. It seemed them acting as bait worked, as the Unversed was now firing at them. Meanwhile, the two best spellcasters of their team started charging up Magic Power of their favorite attribute. When the time was right, they both flourished their Keyblades, forming magic circles in front of the tips of their weapons before firing and combining their magic together.

Aqua's ice spell was laced with Ignis' fire explosive spell, striking the vulture-like wings of the Unversed as it froze for a moment before exploding a second later. The two of them continued firing their explosive ice combo spell until the Unversed crashed back to the ground. Their combo spell seemed enough to finally make the wings unable to fly furthermore, enraging the Unversed before it started charging at the two girls with only its legs. Because the two had casted spells rapidly, they were too tired to move or think properly at the moment.

 _And just like the blood that's shed_

 _Every cancer's sure to spread!_

 _And the time to act is short!_

 _We know inside!_

Terra suddenly appeared in the Unversed's charging path and brought up the blunt side of his Keyblade, standing his ground to defend the two girls only to be knocked aside when the Unversed swiped at him, leaving the path open for its new targets.

Ignis was about to cast a Barrier spell to protect both her and Aqua when an injured-looking Ventus leapt in the way, confronting the Unversed by himself. Determination to save his friends filled his entire body before he started spinning around; light embedding his body.

"Salvation!" he cried out, ceasing his spinning and raising his Keyblade up in the air before columns of light erupted from the ground and blasted the Unversed with the columns of light. Because one of its weakness was the light element, it was a major blow for the Unversed and Ventus' efforts were enough to destroy the Unversed's vulture-like wings, leaving it wingless and weakened.

 _We're born to do what's right!_

 _Desire to preserve life_

 _Is powering the Light!_

The only ones left still able to stand with both minor injuries and more stamina were both Terra and Ignis, while Ventus and Aqua stayed in the back to rest. They nodded to each other and stood far on opposite sides of the weakened Unversed. One more hit should do the trick.

Terra and Ignis rushed forward while the Unversed was charging a fireball blast from its jaws, and as Terra prepared to use his brutal strength to finish off the Unversed, Ignis decided to enhance her own strength combined with the Unversed's weakness with a spell she learned while practicing dark elemental magic.

Endark.

Darkness consumed and filled the blade of her Keyblade as she grew closer. Dark elemental energy surged within her Phoenix Fairy as she and Terra soared forward and slashed at the Unversed with everything they had. Their teamwork was so synchronized, that their finishing combo move bisected the head of the Unversed and its torso, ultimately defeating it.

 _We're praying for a miracle_

 _But for now we'll stand and fight!_

Though victory was within their grasp, the Unversed, though headless, unleashed one final fireball out of vengeance for its demise before fading away. The fireball was heading straight for Aqua and Ventus, who were both vulnerable to be hit-!

"NO!" yelled Terra, lunging forward in an attempt to take the hit for himself, only to fall down after missing.

 _Every plan_

 _Falls apart!_

 _All of it pointless!_

 _Nothing gained!_

 _All in vain!_

 _Going down!_

 _Under siege!_

 _Sinking fast!_

 _Crumbling quickly!_

 _Fear and shame!_

 _Endless pain!_

 _Floundering!_

Ventus squeezed his eyes shut and looked away, prepared to endure the heated blast of the fireball while Aqua hurriedly tried to conjure a Barrier spell to shield herself and Ventus. It proved unnecessary, however, when the sight of a familiar shadow puppet figure appeared and took the full blast, using its body as a shield to protect the two.

 _Vile abominations all around us!_

 _Thriving- Destroying every hope for justice!_

 _Still, we pray!_

 _Soon, one day_

 _Our faith will be revived!_

 _We wake to see the light!_

Everyone turned to see Ignis on her knees, her Keyblade stabbed on the ground, and her shadow having extended and transformed in a split second to save both her friends. However, using the Shaddoll spell drained the last of Ignis' Magic Power, and should she have attempted to pour more of her Magic Power, she would have suffered the consequences of a Magic Burst.

Since the fight was over, there was no longer any need to hold up her Keyblade Armor any longer, so Ignis had it magically removed right away. However, once she felt the weight of her armor vanishing, she fell over, too exhausted to move.

 _And a miracle_

 _Yeah a miracle_

 _Is waiting there!_

 _I swear it showed up out of thing air!_

 _A miracle_

 _Right in front of our eyes!_

Seeing Ignis collapsing facedown caused her friends to rush over to her side in a hurry. "Ignis!" they all shouted, kneeling down besides her. Ventus was the faster one, as he held Ignis close to his lap and was shaking her while Aqua started applying healing spells to her and Terra stood on guard duty in case anymore Unversed arrived.

"Ignis! Wake up! Please, wake up!" pleaded Ventus. He couldn't lose her! Not after they finally reunited after so long! Okay, maybe it wasn't that long ago, but Ignis probably couldn't remember because she was asleep at the time!

The sound of Ignis' stomach grumbling ceased their worries.

Ignis began drooling as she regained consciousness, muttering, "So...hungry..."

"...So, did anyone pack any snacks?" asked Terra, to break the awkward silence that filled the area.

Hurriedly, Ventus took a half-eaten candy bar from his pocket and stuffed it into Ignis' mouth. Tasting the candy bar in her mouth, Ignis reawaken and sat up, happily eating the candy bar hastily. "Mmm! So good!"

"Don't move so much!" scolded Aqua. "I'm still trying to heal your wounds! Gh-!" Aqua ceased her spellcasting and clutched her injured arm before feeling a hand on her shoulder. "Terra?"

"Hey, let me take over. I'm not as good as magic as you, but I should be able to cast some minor healing spells. Get some rest, and then we'll switch."

"But...alright. I was a bit tired from the fight anyways."

Several minutes later, everyone had regained their strength back after resting and now, they were standing up and facing one another, happy to be reunited with one another.

Well, not all of them were happy.

"Ignis! I can't believe you left home!" Aqua shouted, towering over Ignis in a menacing manner. "Before I left, I wanted to say bye to you, but me and the Master couldn't find you anywhere! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

Ignis anticipated she would be scolded and yelled at, but she still didn't like it, even if she had a good excuse. "W-Wait! Hear me out! There was a good reason why I left! Well, I didn't exactly leave. More like it wasn't out of my own will, but-"

"What do you mean? Ignis, stop dodging around and tell me the truth!"

"Aqua, calm down," said Terra. "You're supposed to be the level-headed one in the group. It's unlike you to allow your temper to flare up like that."

"...Uh, was that a pun, or-"

"Ignis, not now."

Aqua took a deep breath and let it all out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just, I'm happy that you and Ven are safe, but at the same time, I'm angry at you two for leaving!"

"Well, excccuuusse me!" said Ignis. "For your information, I didn't even leave! I-"

Ventus suddenly pulled Ignis into his embrace, squeezing her tightly as he struggled not to let his tears fall. He had been holding himself back, wanting to hug her when they were alone, but his emotions overwhelmed him enough to ignore such thoughts and act on his emotions alone.

"I...I missed you, so...so much, Ignis."

All three were stunned to see Ventus showing his affection so openly right in front of his friends, but, they were also touched, as all but Ignis knew of Ventus' crush on her. Terra and Aqua smiled at the wonderful, touching sight before them, though Terra's smile was more on the teasing side.

Ignis was, at first, surprised with Ventus unexpectedly hugging her, as he rarely ever did that, but she smiled gently and hugged him back. "Yeah, I missed you, too. And not just you. I missed Aqua, and Terra, and Master Eraqus, too."

Terra spoke up next. "I...I didn't hear about you and Ven missing until Aqua told me. In another one of the worlds we visited, that is. I'm glad that you're all safe."

"Yeah, as am I," agreed Aqua.

When he was assured that everything was safe and sound, Ventus pulled back from Ignis, sporting a blush on his face as he scratched the back of his head. "S-Sorry about suddenly hugging you like that...I didn't-I'm sure-I-If you felt uncomfortable, I won't do it again!"

"No, no! It was totally fine!" assured Ignis. "I was just a little surprised, you know! If you wanted more hugs from me, I would have happily obliged! I'm a huggy person, after all!"

Eyes widened and face turning more red, Ventus shook his head. "N-No! It's fine! But...if you're offering, then perhaps...later in the future...?"

"Sure! Okay!"

Aqua and Terra couldn't stop their teasing chuckles no matter if they covered their mouths and turned away, since Ventus heard them away. "G-Guys!"

"Hey, you did this in front of us. Don't blame us," teased Terra, raising his hands. "I guess Ignis must be your ticket to happiness, huh?"

"Gah! Terra, no!" pouted Ventus before recalling something. "Oh! Yeah! I got you these tickets!"

Taking out four tickets from his pockets, Ventus presented them to his friends; one each for the four of them. The tickets read, " **Disney Town Passport."**

"For what?"

"Lifetime passes to Disney Town! The guy who gave them to me-He said to take at least two grownups!"

Glancing back and forth at both Aqua and Terra, Ignis snickered. "Wow, I can't believe the day when my nicknames for you guys are actually appropriate for a field trip!"

"What do you mean?" wondered Aqua.

"Blueberry Mom! Baguette Dad! Cinnamon Roll Ven! Let us venture off into this Disney Town and have fun there!" declared Ignis proudly. "With yours truly, Strawberry Shortcake Ignis, as your guide."

"Yeaaaahhh, no," chuckled Terra, shaking his head.

"Ignis, I thought I told you to cut it out with those nicknames!" said Aqua; a light pink blush on her face. She was embarrassed by the roles that their group of friends had, especially since Terra was the supposed "Dad" of the group, and she was the "Mom."

"No way! Those nicknames are both cute and adorable! I swear, if there was a single word combining those two words together, I would use it!" said Ignis, pondering on what that word might be.

"And why are you the guide? I gave you all the tickets! I should be the guide!" argued Ventus.

"Well, have you actually been to Disney Town?"

"N-No..."

Ignis then placed Ventus in a headlock and lightly started ruffling his hair. "You dummy! Don't declare a role that doesn't suit you!"

"Grrr! That's it!" Ventus slipped out of Ignis' grasp and now had her on a headlock, ruffling her hair. "You've done it now! You messed up my hair! Now you must be punished by having your hair messed up, too!"

"Noooo! My beautiful, soft, long hair! Ven-Ven, you are gonna pay for this!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

"Bleh!"

Both Terra and Aqua chuckled at the childish, familiar sight before them. Some things haven't changed even after all of them have gotten their separate ways and become stronger up until now.

Clearing her throat, Aqua caught everyone's attention before getting serious. "Listen to me, both of you. Ven, Ignis, you two have to come with me. We need to get the both of you home."

Releasing Ignis from the headlock, Ventus turned to Aqua and assured her, "It's okay, Aqua! Trust me, that guy in the mask is history! He'll never bad-mouth Terra and Ignis again!"

Shocked by Ventus' words, Terra suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder. "You saw the boy in the mask?!"

"Y-Yes...?" spoke Ventus, unsure why Terra was suddenly so uptight.

Turning away, Terra muttered under his breath, "Vanitas..."

Hearing him, Ignis looked surprised. "Wait, that guy? The badass, attractive-looking guy who kidnapped me?"

"Wait, what?!" This was the first Aqua and Terra were hearing of this, as they now turned to Ignis upon hearing the key word, "kidnapped."

"Ignis, what are you talking about?! Explain!" said Aqua, now fearing what had happened to Ignis.

"Yeah," said Ignis nonchalantly. "On the day of that exam, after the exam was done, I wanted to take a walk and explore the forest on my own. Then Vanitas ambushed me, we fought a bit, I got knocked out, and he kidnapped me and took me to some weird, wasteland canyon. Then, I tricked him and escaped on my own. So now, I've been exploring worlds and trying to find a way home. And that's how I got here and reunited with you guys."

"I don't understand, why would he kidnap you?" asked Terra.

"Hey, I tried asking him myself the last time but he wouldn't say."

" _Last time?_!" exclaimed Ventus, feeling a pang of jealously within his heart. "Wait, how many times have you met up with that...that jerk?!"

"One time, actually. We didn't really fight or anything. We just...talked."

Ignis recalled the deal she made with Vanitas. A dance for a promise to never speak of the dance to anyone. Besides, the way the situation was escalating, she probably would have been in more trouble if she actually confessed that she and Vanitas danced when it seemed he currently wasn't in their good graces.

"Oh, no, you have to be lying!" said Ventus. "Otherwise, why would I found you sleeping with Vanitas nearby? He had to have done something to you!"

Ignis knew that she did sometimes lie and trick Ventus, but back then, in their peaceful Keyblade training days, it was all fun and games and pranks, as well as some teasing. But Ventus should have known her by now that she wouldn't lie about what she said earlier. Well, she was somewhat lying, as she didn't even mention the dance part, but it still hurt to hear Ventus not having faith in her testimony.

"Ven...I wouldn't lie about what I said in a situation like this," Ignis pointed out, her feelings hurt. "...Wait, how would you know I was sleeping with him nearby?"

Ventus looked away, embarrassed. If he explained himself, he might accidentally blurt out the truth that he had kissed Ignis to save her life! He wanted to confess his feelings for her, but not like this!

"...He told me everything. I met with him, and we fought, and another Keyblade apprentice named Mickey came to my rescue and helped me fend him off," said Ventus. Well, it wasn't a total lie. He did fight with Vanitas, but that was after the Enchanted Dominion world, but Ventus had known a bit about Ignis' situation. He wasn't going to reveal HOW he knew, though.

"Wait, he told you EVERYTHING?!" Ignis had misunderstood Ventus when she heard him say that and assumed that "everything" also meant the dance. "That lying, little-! He goes and makes that promise with me, and yet he blurts out-!"

"Enough! Both of you!" barked Terra, having heard enough. If Vanitas did indeed kidnap Ignis as well as meet up and fought Ventus, then it was all the more reason why the two youngest Keyblade wielders should return back home. "Ven, Ignis. You two let Aqua take you guys back home."

"No way!" protested Ventus. "I wanna go with you guys!"

"I honestly thought you guys left to look for me," admitted Ignis. "Huh, guess I got the facts wrong."

Terra shook his head at Ignis before looking back at Ventus. "You can't. We have a dangerous task ahead of us. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"And what is this dangerous task, Terra?" Aqua questioned suspiciously. "It doesn't sound like the Master told you to do."

"It may be a different route, but I'm fighting the darkness," swore Terra solemnly.

"I'm not so sure," said Aqua, voicing her doubts. "I've been to the same worlds as you and I've seen what you've done. You shouldn't put yourself so close to the darkness!"

Surprised at Aqua's accusation, Ventus cried out, "Listen to yourself, Aqua! Terra would never-!"

"You mean, you've been spying on me?" Terra asked, surprised with a hint of anger in his tone. "Is that what he said to do? The Master's orders?"

"He was only..." Aqua looked away, unsure whether or not to give him the proper answer while Ignis and Ventus remained confused and worried. But Aqua's unfinished sentence clarified Terra's suspicions.

"I get it..." Hurt and angry, Terra turned around and started walking away.

"Wait, where are you going?" called out Ignis.

"Terra!" called out Ventus, about to run after him.

"Just stay put!" yelled Terra. "I'm on my own now, alright?"

"Terra, please! Listen!" called out Aqua pleadingly. "The Master has no reason to distrust you! Really! He was just worried!"

But no matter what Aqua said, Terra either ignored it, or didn't care. Either way, he continued walking away, leaving Aqua alone with Ventus and Ignis.

Glaring at Aqua, Ventus softly spoke, "You're awful, Aqua."

At Ventus' response, Ignis turned to him. "What?! How can you say such a hurtful thing, Ven? Aqua didn't do anything wrong!"

"She was spying on Terra! Our friend! Friends don't just spy on each other like that! She should have had more faith in him!"

"Look, I don't know the full picture here, but while I do agree that spying is pretty bad, spying and keeping an eye on things are two different things!" argued Ignis.

"Enough, both of you!" shouted Aqua, clutching the blue Wayfinder in her hand tightly to hold back her sorrowful emotions. "So, now you know the truth. But the Master loves Terra, and you both know that."

"...Were you also...'ordered' to take me back home?" asked Ventus.

"..."

Aqua's silence gave Ventus the disappointing and hurtful answer. "Aqua, now that you're a Keyblade Master, you've let it go to your head."

Now Ignis was even more confused. "What are you talking about, Ven? I don't think she overstepped any boundaries of being a Keyblade Master! All she did-"

"-Was spy on our friend! She said it was because she and the Master thought that Terra was corrupted by darkness!" said Ventus. "But he wouldn't do that! Terra's too strong for that! ...And so are you, Ignis."

"Wait, what are you trying to imply?" wondered Ignis.

"...Never mind. I'm gonna go find Terra!" Avoiding Ignis' question, Ventus ran off to the same direction Terra went to, leaving Ignis alone with Aqua.

"Ugh! What the hell is going on?!" complained Ignis, frustrated. "I mean, I don't know much because I was kidnapped and had to go to other worlds, but still-!"

"Ignis," said Aqua, turning to her. "What was that earlier?"

"Uh...care to be specific?"

"I mean, during that battle earlier! You used **darkness** magic! That was something Master had forbidden us from using! Why did you disobey his orders?"

Ignis sighed, having expected this reaction. "Right...Kinda expected this. I just...Well, I thought it would be good to balance things out."

Aqua shook her head. "Ignis, darkness magic is part of the darkness we're meant to fight! Those that use such magic is evil! Master Eraqus made sure to drill that into our minds!"

"Darkness magic isn't evil!" argued Ignis. "Look, you know me! I'm not evil, yet I'm using darkness magic!"

"And I'm telling you to stop! It's not too late for you, Ignis! If you stop now, then I might reconsider telling Master that-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!' interrupted Ignis. "Were you...were you seriously going to tell Master Eraqus about me using darkness magic? Jeez, talk about a tattletale..."

That last comment stung Aqua, but she knew her actions were considered to be that of a "tattletale," so she let it go. "It's for your own good, Ignis! I don't want to inform our Master, either, but you know his teachings! You know we're not allowed to use powers of darkness! Darkness is always evil, no matter what! And as Keyblade wielders, we must use and preserve the power of light!"

"Yeah, I know that! Trust me, I've been fighting off these Unversed ever since I escaped from being kidnapped!" said Ignis. "I'm still using the power of light through my Keyblade! But, it's not so bad, using darkness magic. I mean, it was hard at first, but I've been getting the hang of it! I even produced that awesome shadow spell I call, 'Shaddoll!' Get it? It's like, a combination of both shadow, and doll, because I use my shadow to control it like a puppet do-"

"Ignis!" yelled Aqua, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Stop it! Don't you see?! One of Master's teachings is that the more darkness you use, the more corrupted you get! Once you get corrupted, there's almost no going back to the light!"

"I'm not getting corrupted, Aqua!" said Ignis, lightly placing Aqua's hands off her shoulders. "This whole light talk is really ridiculous! Besides, Terra's right. If he's trying to control the darkness, that's good! Don't you trust him to make the right call?"

Aqua looked down at the ground. "I...Before, I would have trusted him, but like I said before, I've been to the same worlds as him, and I've been...disappointed with the stuff he's done."

Ignis sighed. "Aqua, how long have you known me and Terra? 10 years? Maybe more? We've been through so much together that we practically know each other inside and out...Okay, part of that sentence came out wrong, but the point is, you can trust us!"

"Ignis, YOU'RE missing the point!" said Aqua. "Yes, I do trust you and Terra, but the Master's teachings have been engraved into us ever since we became his apprentices! Darkness is evil, and it plots to destroy all life and hurt innocents! And he was right! Everywhere I went, Unversed have been attacking innocents, with the sole purpose of destruction! And just earlier, they were ganging up on a innocent little girl full of light! How can you go ahead and say that darkness can be used for good?"

"Because it can!" argued Ignis. "God, Aqua, you're such a stickler for the rules! Light and dark-"

"And you always break them! I thought you would have grown up already, but you're still nothing but a selfish child who hasn't matured at all!"

"...What?" Whatever Ignis was going to say had slipped out of her mind as she diverted her whole attention to Aqua.

Even Aqua was shocked by what she said. "I...I didn't...Look, I didn't mean-Just...Just don't use darkness magic any-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! You don't get to just say that and then change the topic!" said Ignis, shaking her head. "What do you mean by that?"

"...You've always been the rowdy type, someone who always likes to play and be so airheaded all the time," explained Aqua. "It was fine when we were young, but as we grew up, you haven't changed. Sure, you grew out of it, but you were still your same self. Honestly, you tended to give me headaches all the time! Sometimes, you didn't take your studies seriously, you destroy yet another part of the Land of Departure, or anything to cause chaos! And now the worst has come. You decided that it was okay to use darkness magic, another rule you broke! If you don't stop, you'll succumb to the darkness!"

"Is that seriously what you think is going to happen?" scoffed Ignis. "Aqua, do you know what your problem is? You're too uptight, too willing to be the 'perfect student' for Master Eraqus. Honestly, that's fine with me, but if we're comparing each other, I'd have to say that some of your own tendencies are annoying. I can handle being jealous of you for being more talented at magic than me, I can handle you being the perfect student, and I can handle pretty much anything. But, what I can't handle is the fact that you're trying to get me to change something that's completely harmless and can be controlled with lots of practice, something me and Terra are trying to do! I mean, come on! That Unversed we fought? If I hadn't discovered its weakness for darkness, then we would have been in a lot of trouble!"

"You also seem to forget that light elemental attacks were also its weakness, too!" pointed out Aqua.

"Light element spells cost way more Magic Power, even the basic spells!" said Ignis. "With darkness magic, it costs less! Besides, I used my Shaddoll spell to save both you and Ven in the end back then, or did you forget?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, but I could have handled protecting both me and Ven!"

"But you didn't!" said Ignis before taking a breath of air. "Aqua, think about it. Don't you think that this is...ridiculous? This whole light talk...Yeah, the Unversed are beings of darkness that have to be stopped, I get it! But you should know something! Darkness has to exist!"

"How...How can you say such a thing?!" questioned Aqua.

"Because it's true! Light and dark, they have to exist, because they make up the balance! If there's too much darkness, that's bad, I know! That'll be the worlds will be corrupted by darkness! But, it's the same with light, too! Light can also corrupt! Personally, I've never seen it myself, but I can guess the results will be disastrous if there's too much light."

"Having so much light is good! That just means that there'll be more good people and less evil! Isn't that part of our duty? To see that evil would be vanquished?"

"Aqua, there are other methods than just light!" said Ignis. "Aqua, there is a good and bad side in everything! Kinda like in a coin where there's heads on one side and the other, tails! It's the same thing with both light and dark!"

"Of course. Light is good and darkness is-"

"No, no, NO! Even light has a bad side, too! I've been taught by someone named Merlin that everything has a good and dark side, even light! Look, just because we've all been taught that light is good, which usually is, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a bad side, either! It can corrupt, too!"

Aqua couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Ignis, there's no such thing as an 'evil' light! You're saying Master Eraqus was wrong?!"

"Uh...I dunno if 'wrong' is the right word. More like...misguided? Misunderstood? Yeah, that."

"Ignis, Master's teachings aren't wrong!" argued Aqua. "I...I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, of all people! You've always boasted and declared yourself a warrior of light when you were young, but here you are, being a hypocrite by using darkness magic!"

"Because I've grown up!" shouted back Ignis. "Because I'm actually starting to understand-"

"No, what you're doing is both foolish and dangerous and stupid enough to get yourself corrupted, or worse, KILLED! You haven't grown up, you haven't learned anything, you were just unfortunate enough to get caught up in all of this mess!" Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Aqua was still angry, but calmly spoke her words. "When I was reunited with everyone, I was so happy because I feared for the worse. I still am, but not that much. And then, I go and see you using darkness magic, and Terra using techniques full of darkness! I was both shocked, horrified, and scared for you two! I don't want you two to end up on the wrong side and start harming people! I...I don't want to have to put you two down if the time comes when you two become corrupted, which I hope will NEVER come."

"Aqua..." Ignis walked forward and was soon in front of Aqua, placing a hand on her cheek. "I'm not going to be corrupted, and neither is Terra. But, no matter how much you deny it, everyone has darkness inside of them, even if a little. That's unavoidable. But, no matter what you say, I'm still going to use darkness magic. And Terra is trying to control the darkness within himself, too. Aqua, maybe if you had some experience with understanding darkness, maybe you'll understand-"

"Stop. I've heard enough."

"But-"

"No, Ignis!" snapped Aqua, slapping Ignis' hand off her cheek and glaring at her with disgust in her face. The glare startled Ignis enough for her to take a step back. "What I've been hearing so far is just some crazy nonsense! You're just the same as ever! You're-You're just an airheaded, naïve, idiotic girl who just does as she pleases! You haven't grown up, and you're too much of a childish idiot to see that!"

Ignis' thought process stopped. Deep down, she had always known that she wasn't the smartest amongst her friends and she was always a bit childish, but to hear such words from one of her best friends, in a cruel manner...

No longer was there the fierce, playful fire user that always cheered up her friends, but simply a hurt and shocked girl who grew silent.

Aqua did feel bad for the things she blurted out, but she pressed on, as though no longer considering Ignis' feelings with the next set of words she spoke.

"Do what you want. But, this path you're going... I'm absolutely certain that Master Eraqus would be _**disgusted and disappointed**_ with you. _ **...I know I am**_."

Aqua walked forward, roughly bumping into Ignis out of the way while doing so. The sudden impact was the only thing moving the shocked girl as her mind slowly started to process the words that just came from Aqua.

With Aqua gone, that left only Ignis alone, abandoned as the words of her being a disappointment continuously repeated itself in her head like a recorder on rewind.

* * *

Ignis didn't know how long she was walking for, but when she came to, she found herself wandering around the Outer Gardens. She must have been so lost in thought, that she barely noticed herself walking like a zombie. Her thoughts were still lingering back to her conversation with Aqua, and she was certain she would never forget what just happened.

"Ignis?"

Hearing her name, Ignis looked up and saw Terra walking towards her. Turning around, Ignis lightly slapped her cheeks to get herself focused back on the present before facing Terra with a forced, weak smile. "A-Ah! Hey, Terra! How are you feeling today? I mean, I know you just left before because you were all angry and angsty and-"

"You know I've been watching you wandering around this area for a few minutes, right?"

"Ahh...Yeah...Was planning on using an excuse, but...never mind."

"Are you okay?" asked Terra.

"Yeah, totally! I mean, physically, I might be a bit tired from that fight earlier, but I'll be alright!"

"I'm not so sure," Terra said, shaking his head. "When I watched you, you had an expression I never on you before. In fact, it was the same blank look Ven had when we first met him. So, what happened? Something big must have happened if you looked like that."

As much as Ignis was tempted to tell Terra the truth, she thought it would only make things worse. Terra was already angry at Aqua for spying on him and not having faith in him, so if he were to learn of their conversation earlier...well, it'd be real bad.

"Ah...I was just making a Ven impression! Yeah, totally what you said earlier! That blank stare he had? I was totally imitating it!"

Ignis immediately regretted her answer, because the next thing she knew, she was sitting flat on the ground with a terrified look on her face after Terra smashed his fist against a nearby wall to quell his rage. Terra wasn't known for his strength for nothing, because the wall now bore a crater with various cracks from the spot where his fist landed, although he seemed to be bleeding from his fist after placing so much strength into the concrete stone wall.

Terror quickly changed to concern, as Ignis quickly stood up and rushed to Terra. "Terra! You're bleeding! Are you o-"

"Stay back!" snapped Terra, trying to further contain his anger before he could regret something he didn't mean to impose on. Squeezing his clenched fist tightly, Terra ignored the wound and the blood drippling from his fist. "Damnit...damnit! I just can't trust anyone but Master Xehanort at this point! First Aqua lied to me, now you! Damnit...DAMNIT!"

"Ah..." Trying to calm down her best friend, Ignis apologized, "I...I'm sorry?"

"No...No, you're not sorry. You're not sorry at all," said Terra sternly. "You're only sorry you got caught at lying. Ugh! Forget this! I'm leaving."

"...Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Ignis rushed and blocked his path. "You're hurt! Let me heal you-"

"I can take care of myself!"

"You don't have any Potions left!"

"Yes, I do! I-" Slipping his uninjured hand into his pocket, Terra searched around for a Potion, only to find none. "...Fine."

Placing her hands close to Terra's bleeding one, Ignis started casting a healing spell. As she focused, she told him, "Um...So...About what Aqua said earlier-"

"I may have let my temper get the best of me, but I'm not apologizing to her anytime soon."

Ignis sighed. "Look, Terra, the whole spying was really bad, I know, but even you have to admit that the Master won't ever stop worrying about us."

"If you came here because Aqua told you to-"

"Actually, she didn't sent me," informed Ignis, glancing up at him with honesty in her eyes. "We...After you left, me and Aqua kinda got into an argument which ended up really, really bad. I'd...rather not talk about it."

Having known Ignis for over 10 years, Terra knew that whatever arguments that occurred between Aqua and Ignis were usually minor and would resolve itself quickly. But, seeing the blank, somewhat depressed look on Ignis' face, and the fact that she was coming clean about her problem, Terra knew their latest argument truly was..."bad" to have resulted disastrously.

"But...you know, I don't think the path you're taking is wrong," admitted Ignis, having finished healing his wound. "The path to controlling the darkness, I mean. I just..."

 _I just don't know why Aqua can't see that._ That's what Ignis wanted to say. But if she said that, then Terra would further question her on what the argument was all about, and might eventually find out what Aqua said. Knowing Terra, he might confront and end up in a huge argument with Aqua, and she didn't want that to happen.

"How were you able to?"

"Huh?"

"How were you able to control the darkness?" repeated Terra.

"Uh...To be honest, I'm still learning darkness magic," admitted Ignis. "So, I still haven't controlled the darkness. If it's inner darkness we're talking about, then no, I was only using dark elemental magic."

"...It's dangerous for you. You shouldn't take the same path as I am," warned Terra. "I don't know where the darkness within me came from, but I know there's still a chance for you to get away from the path that I'm taking."

"I dunno about that," said Ignis, lifting up a finger and allowing a small flame of darkness to emerge. "I've been using darkness magic, but I haven't been turning evil or anything. Well, I suffered the effects of the usual Magic Bursts, but you know how I am. Always experimenting and trying out new creative magic."

"...Look, you should have Aqua take you and Ven back home. Like I said before, what we're doing is dangerous."

"What are you and Aqua doing anyways?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with that. That's a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know that," said Terra.

"It's the Unversed, isn't it?" guessed Ignis. "If it is, don't worry! I've become a lot stronger fighting them!"

"That's not enough. Ignis, you're not on the level of a Master. Not yet, at least, but you're close. Even I can feel it," Terra informed. "Look, you're just not strong enough."

"Bull! I've gotten stronger!" Ignis argued. "Besides, if we're talking about strength, why is Ven even here, anyways? I bet you guys took him along!"

"No, that's not it," said Terra, shaking his head. "He came on his own volition. He...He had something to say to me, but I dismissed him, and because of me, he's been searching world after world to look for me. It's my fault. If I had just stayed and listened, he would have stayed at home safe and sound."

"Well, what do you think he wanted to say that was so important?" Ignis wondered.

"...I can only guess it had something to do with Vanitas. Come to think of it, you mentioned he kidnapped you?"

"Yeah, but I don't know why," Ignis said. "All in all, I don't think he's that bad."

"...The guy responsible for your kidnapping isn't all 'that bad?' Ignis, do you even hear yourself?"

"Okay, he did kidnap me and took me away from home, but well, let's say the last time we saw each other, we did spend some time together-"

"Ignis, no," Terra nearly groaned. "Don't tell me that you developed a crush on him or something!"

"Wha-That didn't even cross my mind! Why would you think that?!"

"Well, the way you were insinuating that made me think you do have a crush on him! In fact, what did you two do the last time you met?"

 _'Yeah, no way am I telling him about the dance,'_ thought Ignis. "We fought. He won. I escaped."

"The same results as your first encounter?"

"...Yes."

"...I think you're lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"Well, whatever the case is, you can't trust Vanitas, Ignis!" said Terra. "He's...He's not a good person! All he does is hurt people! And he'll probably do a whole lot worse to you if you see each other again! Stay away from him!"

"Hurt people? Dude, I've been with him. He didn't hurt anyone!" protested Ignis. "Now, I'm still not sure why he kidnapped me, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy."

"That's just a trick!" Terra argued. "I thought you'd be smart enough not to trust people in dark clothing and masks!"

"I thought one of Master's teachings was to never judge someone by their appearance. Now, who's forgetting lessons?"

"Damnit, Ignis, listen to me!" Terra yelled. "Just stay away from him and just go back home! He's dangerous, he's evil, and he'll hurt you, Ven, and a whole lot of other people if we don't stop him!"

"If he's so evil, what did he do that was so evil, he needs to be stopped?"

"I...I can't tell you that. I don't want you to get more involved than you already are."

"Terra, we've known each other for over 10 years," said Ignis. "Now, I'm not as strong as you or Aqua, but you can definitely rely on me!"

"...No, I can't," muttered Terra quietly.

"Terra-"

"No, Ignis! End of discussion! You're not helping, and that's final!"

Frustrated, Ignis asked, "Why won't you let me help you?! Ven, I can understand because he's not that experienced and not as strong as us, but I thought you'd at least consider-"

"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND DO WHAT I SAY?!" snapped Terra, part of his arm slowly enveloped in darkness. "God, you've always been like this! Why can't you just listen and obey orders?! You're such a child, and even after 10 years, you haven't changed! Grow up already!"

Although hurt by his words, Ignis' attention was on the darkness that was on his arm. "Terra, calm down! What's your problem?"

"YOU! _**YOU'RE A PROBLEM**_! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM TO _**ME AND EVERYONE ELSE**_! YOU'RE JUST AN ANNOYING PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A **_DAILY BASIS_**!"

As his words echoed in the Outer Gardens, the darkness that enveloped in his arm grew to the point of reaching his chest, which Terra finally took notice of. Gripping his darkness-infused arm, Terra took a couple of deep breaths and focused on controlling the darkness within him. It didn't take long for the darkness to fade, something he was proud of. His proudness quickly vanished when he turned and saw Ignis.

Ignis was staring back at him with a shocked and hurt expression, too stunned to even utter a single word. Her body started trembling not from fear from Terra, but for fear of breaking down right there and then.

Realizing what he said a moment ago, Terra instantly knew Ignis was deeply affected by his words. Like the darkness that faded from his arm, his anger faded away and was replaced with horror and shock over his own words.

Reaching an arm out to comfort her, Terra called out hesitantly, "I-Ignis...I didn't-"

But the damage had been done. With a small, quiet sob, Ignis turned her back on him and started walking away as fast as she could, blinking away tears as it took every ounce of her strength not to break down back there.

Terra could do nothing but watch as she left hurriedly. He was disgusted and horrified with himself. He...He didn't mean anything by what he said earlier, but he had allowed his emotions to cloud his judgement and took all of his frustration and anger out on Ignis, who didn't know anything and was innocent in all of this conflict. As harsh as he may think, it would be better if Aqua had taken the force of his words because she was part of the reason why he left earlier, but not Ignis.

Ignis could never be a problem to him or anyone else.

Pulling his arm back, he clenched his fist so hard, his knuckles started to turn white. "Damnit...DAMNIT!"

Whirling around, he smashed his fist against the same wall he punched at before, this time even harder as it created another crater. Blood dripped from the wound he had inflicted on himself, but Terra was too upset and angry at himself to acknowledge the pain.

Who knew the silence could hurt so much?

* * *

Even after leaving the Outer Gardens, Ignis still kept up the façade of being her usual cheery self, painfully smiling as she skipped down the streets. It was still taking a lot out of her not to cry after what had happened with her and Terra. Still, even she wondered why, when she was all alone, was she still trying to act like her usual self?

There was no need to. Nobody was around, and she didn't believe that Terra and Aqua would be looking for her. Their last conversations made it pretty clear, after all. She didn't realize she was that much of a troublesome burden to anyone else, but then again, it did make sense. She does tend to cause trouble ever since she was a little girl. She just didn't think of herself as a problem until now.

But what about Ventus? Was she a nuisance to him, as well? She didn't hold any romantic feelings for him, as their close relationship was that like siblings. She would often be the older sibling, while he was the younger one, and it made more sense since they were one year apart. Even when they got into arguments, they were usually childish ones and never serious. She took care of him, and he would do the same, too. But even if they were close, she wondered if she was ever a bother to him, just as she was a bother to everyone else back home?

Hearing some loud crying, Ignis perked up and looked around, wondering where the crying was coming from. She then found a little girl trying to wipe her tears away, looking around with a lost expression on her face.

Deciding to forget what happened with Terra and Aqua for the moment, Ignis decided to approach her. Walking up to her, Ignis knelt down and spoke kindly, "Hello, little lady. Are you okay?"

"I-I miss my Grandma! I don't know where she is! I-I'm scared! Waaaah!"

"Hey, there, there," said Ignis, trying to comfort the little girl by patting her on the head. "I'll help you find your Grandma, alright?"

Even though the girl nodded, she still was upset and crying. Ignis wondered what to do to cheer her up, then thought of a wonderful idea. Normally, she shouldn't show magic in another world unless that world's inhabitants were used to the concept of magic, or unless in the midst of battle, but perhaps it would be okay to use a little bit of magic to distract and amaze the girl. Nobody would believe a little girl saying that another person used magic to cheer her up, anyways.

Snapping her fingers, Ignis got the girl's attention. "Hey, little lady! Check this out! Water!"

A small orb of water sprouted from her palm and she started moving it around her body, hearing the girl gasp at the sight of magic. Knowing she had the girl's full attention, Ignis decided to change things up by manipulating the water's liquid form. First, it was a flower, then a butterfly, and then a snowflake.

"Wow, that's amazing!" No longer was the little girl crying. Instead, the sadness within her was replaced with joy and surprise. "Do more!"

After manipulating the water forms, Ignis decided to finish it off by creating a water version of a unicorn before casting a simple Blizzard spell on it, incasing the water into ice, making a small unicorn ice sculpture that one could easily hold in their hand.

"A simple, small present for my little audience!~" said Ignis, handing the unicorn sculpture over to the girl.

"For me?! Thank you!" said the little girl, hugging the unicorn sculpture to her chest. "So cold!"

"Well, it's ice. It's supposed to be. Now, take my hand. Let's go find your Grandma, alright?"

Nodding, the little girl placed her hand onto Ignis' and allowed the older girl to begin escorting her; swinging their arms together as they did so. "Thank you, Miss! My name's Kairi! What's your name?"

"Kairi? What a cute name!" cooed Ignis. "My name's Ignis! Nice to meet you, little Kairi!"

Kairi giggled. "Yup! Hmm...But I wonder how Grandma is doing...?"

"I'm sure we'll find her. She's probably just as worried as you," assured Ignis. "Hmm...Oh! I know something that'll help ease your worries! Kairi, do you like singing?"

"Yeah! Grandma always sings me a lullaby before bedtime! I like all of the songs she sings for me!"

"Then, would you like to hear a song from me?"

"Okay! But I still think Grandma is the best singer in the world!"

Ignis giggled. "That's fine with me. Ready?"

Skipping up and down the streets as they continued holding hands, Kairi nodded. "Okay! Go ahead!"

Ignis nodded before humming a hymn to initiate the start of one of her favorite songs.

 **The Oathkeeper**

 **Sung by: Lizz Robinett**

 _"Gazing at the sky, I'm searching for a star_

 _To lead me back to you,_

 _Wherever in the world you are._

 _I'm waiting by the shore_

 _And clinging to an oath_

 _We made so long ago_

 _A promise that someday you'll come back home._

 _Listening to waves crashing against the shore._

 _I long to know the name_

 _I can't seem to recall anymore._

 _Was it all a dream? Did you ever exist?_

 _I know within my heart,_

 _The two of us had made a promise._

 _Destinies connected,_

 _Our hearts intertwined._

 _Once more, we'll meet again,_

 _To stand against the darkness,_

 _Bathed in light!_

 _We'll fight, into the night._

 _We'll walk together, side by side."_

When she finished, Ignis glanced down and smiled when she saw Kairi looking up at her in awe. "Wow...That was a really beautiful song! What's the name of that song?"

"...The Oathkeeper."

"Oa...Oak tree? It sounds like 'oak tree!' I learned from my Grandma what an oak tree is yesterday!"

"Well, it's not an oak tree. The song name, I mean. It-"

"Kairi!"

Both girls glanced forward and saw an elderly woman walking towards her with...surprisingly, Ventus, guiding her. Happily, Kairi released her hand from Ignis and rushed over to her Grandma, who hugged her upon her arrival.

After pulling away, Kairi's Grandma looked at Ignis and asked, "Young lady, were you the one who found my granddaughter?"

"Yup! I found her lost and crying, so I offered to help find her Grandma. Are you her?"

"Yes, I am Kairi's Grandmother. Thank you ever so much for finding her for me." Turning to Ventus, Kairi's Grandma bowed her head. "And thank you, too, young man, for helping me reunite with my granddaughter."

"Oh! It was really no trouble! I'm just glad we were able to help. Would you like us to escort you back home?"

"I appreciate the offer, but you two have done more than enough," assured Kairi's Grandma. "Come along, Kairi. I'll make you your favorite dish tonight."

"Oh, boy! Yay! I can't wait!" As the two walked away, Kairi began humming the song Ignis sang for her until they were out of sight.

"So...what's up with you and that lady earlier?" asked Ignis, turning to Ventus once they were gone.

"Oh, she was looking for her granddaughter and was asking around when I decided to help out," explained Ventus. "Coincidentally, you found her, and everything went well."

"Yeah, I guess it did. ...So, uh...you mind explaining what happened earlier? Like, back after Terra left and all?"

"Ah...Yikes...I..." If this was anyone else, Ventus would have tried to change the subject, but this was also his best friend/crush, and besides, he thought he did owe her an explanation. "I guess we do have to talk about it eventually."

"What was that? About your treatment towards Aqua?" wondered Ignis. "What makes you think she was letting her duty as a Keyblade Master get the best of her?"

"Well, she was spying on Terra!"

"Under Master's orders."

"She could have said no!" protested Ventus. "I mean, did she really think that he was going to be evil or something? Friends talk to each other, not spy on each other! I know Terra! She knows Terra-You know Terra, too! In fact, both of you knew each other way before I came along! Actually, how are you not mad that Aqua did that to Terra?"

"Because I understand why she did it!" answered Ignis. "Look, I'm a little mad, too. While I do understand why she did it...I just...I wished she didn't."

"I wished she didn't either," admitted Ventus sadly.

"That's why, next time you see her, you're going to apologize to her."

"What?! For what?"

"Seriously, dude?!" exclaimed Ignis. "For being a jerk! For saying she was awful! For saying she was letting her duty get to her head! Those things!"

"Well...I mean...I did say those hurtful things-"

"No, you don't have any excuses! You can't just excuse yourself for saying those awful things! ...Did you know that when you said those things, I felt as though...Aqua was real close to crying back then."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, really! You really hurt her feelings back there, you dunderhead!"

"Oh...Shoot. Now I feel like a total jerk now." Looking at Ignis, Ventus nodded. "You're right. I guess I did go too far. I'll apologize when I see her next time."

"Great!"

"But now, I'm more worried about you, Ignis."

"Huh?"

"We all saw Terra displaying signs of darkness, which is really bad, I get that," Ventus started explaining. "But I believe that he can overcome that and become a Keyblade Master for sure!"

"Okay...?"

"But you, Ignis! How come you've been showing the same signs of darkness, too? You're the purest, kindest person I know! You'd never use darkness! Are...are you being forced to? Did someone hurt you?"

Ignis sighed. This conversation was probably going to turn out similarly like Aqua's, wasn't it? "Ven...Nobody forced me. I chose to wield the darkness out of my own will. Or, more specifically, I wanted to use darkness magic even though we're forbidden to."

"Ignis...why? Master, he said that darkness magic was evil and-"

"Oh, jeez! This again?!" groaned Ignis, facepalming herself. "Ven, light and darkness has to keep a balance. During my travels, I learned about this! That it was important to maintain the balance between the two!"

"Why?" asked Ventus. "Master always said it was important that light conquers the darkness."

"Yeah, and I get why. Normally, light is good and darkness is bad, but I've been using darkness magic since I left, and I've...become more comfortable with each and every use of it. It still kinda terrifies me a bit, but I've been getting more control over my darkness magic. You saw me use that Shaddoll spell earlier, remember?"

Knowing she was referring to the shadow puppet she struggled to control with, Ventus nodded. "Yeah, but...Look, Ignis, I want to believe in you, but...you still shouldn't mess around with the darkness! If you've been using darkness magic, then what about light elemental spells?"

"Uh...I don't think I've used much of those, to be honest."

"See? Ignis, I don't want you to be taken over by the darkness!" pleaded Ventus, clasping her hands with his. "So...please! Return back home!"

"Wait, aren't you coming with me?"

"I...I don't think I can," Ventus admitted. "I just have this bad feeling, that's all! Terra...he might need me! I can't let him get close to the darkness! So, please go on home alone! I-"

"No way! YOU go back home, Ven!" argued Ignis. "I-"

"I'm not letting you get kidnapped by Vanitas again! I refuse to let that jerk touch you again!"

"...Wait, what?!" exclaimed Ignis. "What do you mean, 'touch?!'"

"Er...N-Nothing! Forget what I said!" sputtered Ventus, pulling away his hands with a red face.

"...Come to think of it, you knew something about him, didn't you? You said before that you saw me sleeping with him!"

"N-Not in a sexual way!"

"Ha! So you do have information that I don't know!"

Ventus sighed, his shoulders slumped. "Alright, fine! You were asleep and injured, and Vanitas probably did that to you! I thought he was going to hurt you so I saved you from him and healed your wounds before moving you to a bed where you'd be safe!"

 _'Huh. So that's why I ended up in a bed when I woke up,'_ thought Ignis. "Why'd you hide this sort of information from us?"

"Um...He...told me not to because if I did, he would hurt you!" Ventus was really going all out to make sure she didn't find out that he had kissed her in her sleep.

"Huh. Weird. Why would he tell you that?" wondered Ignis. "Well, he did kinda break his promise with me, so-"

"Wait, what promise?"

"I-It's not important."

"...Ignis, I'm worried," said Ventus. "You were kidnapped because he wanted me, so I don't want-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" interrupted Ignis. "Sorry, but you know the reason why he kidnapped me?!"

"Y-Yeah. He wanted to draw me out, so he kidnapped you. He told me the first time we met."

 _'That would have to mean he met up with me first before going to Ven,'_ Ignis thought. "Wait, why did he want to do that? Does he hold a grudge against you or something?"

"Honestly, I don't know, but probably," said Ventus. "But it was the first time we met! Unless...It had to do with something about my amnesia."

"Oh, yeah. You had amnesia before you came to the Land of Departure the first time, so maybe you met Vanitas beforehand?" suggested Ignis.

"...Still, if he kidnapped you just to get to me...then it's all the more reason why you should go home, Ignis!" cried out Ventus, concerned. "If he's only after me, he might attack you again! Not just you, but Terra and Aqua as well!"

"...But he didn't attack me. And he didn't try and kidnap me last time," said Ignis. "Actually...we had a pleasant conversation."

"...What?"

"The last time we met, I was looking around, trying to find any Unversed and then I happen to bump into him. But he didn't attack me or anything. We just...talked."

"About?" asked Ventus, curious.

"About why he kidnapped me. But the stupid jerk refused to tell me anything! He just happened to be around in the world I was in because he was bored! Ugh! I wished I smashed his foot even harder! That'll teach him not to piss me off while dancing!"

"Wait, dancing?! Are you saying you danced with that guy?!"

"Uh..." said Ignis, looking away.

Ventus knew full well that her looking away was yet another bad habit of hers as well as a clear sign that she was lying. He could just see it now, her beautiful and cute self, in that lovely dress he saw in her earlier, dancing with-

"NOOOOOO!" Ventus fell to his knees and threw his head back in anguish at just the thought of it. "THIS...MEANS...WAR...!"

"...Dude...Are you okay?" asked Ignis awkwardly.

"Ignis! Please tell me you're lying!" pleaded Ventus, quick to get up and grab her by the shoulders.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, you knew all of this beforehand!"

"What?! No, I didn't!"

"Then, how do you explain how you knew I was sleeping near him? You said Vanitas told you everything! Why are you so surprised like this is news to you?"

There was no way Ventus was actually going to tell her everything that actually happened. "Wait a minute! I don't have to explain myself to you! Ignis, I just...I don't want you to get hurt, so just return home without me, alright?"

"Without you? What are you going to do?" asked Ignis.

"I...I'm going to...Look, I just don't know! All I know is that you'll be safer back home with Master! If I go with you, Vanitas might kidnap or do something even more worst to you! But if I'm the one he's after, he won't go after you! Plus, you have Master, the most strongest Keyblade Master we know! He'll help protect you!"

"...I don't know about that," Ignis said. "I...I'm real happy that-" Actually, she'd be lying that she was happy after her previous encounter with Aqua and Terra, so she rephrased her sentence. "I'm... _relieved_ that we got to reunite with everyone, but I can't go home yet. Something just doesn't feel right...Plus, if I go home, there's no way I'd be able to practice more of my darkness magic!~"

"Ignis!" yelled Ventus, grabbing her shoulders. "You have to stop! The darkness, it's corrupting your mind! I think...the more you use more of its magic, the more-"

"Would you guys just knock it off?!" yelled back Ignis, pulling back from Ventus. "First, Aqua, then Terra, then you! God, you guys can't even acknowledge that darkness is something that has to exist!"

Ventus looked shocked. "Ignis...how can you say that? How much darkness have you been exposed to-"

"Nothing! Nobody exposed me to darkness!" shouted Ignis. "I told you already, light and dark both need a balance of each other! Otherwise, one side tips over and overwhelms everything! If darkness takes over, everyone succumbs to it!"

"Then, why-?"

"But! It's the same for the light! Too much light can be bad, too! Look, I've been testing darkness magic over and over and over again, but nothing's happened! Sure, there were struggles and it was hard to control it, and there were times where I got scared that it nearly took me over-"

"Then, please! Stop!" cried out Ventus. "I get that this is just another one of your magical experiments to test out new spells, but this is darkness we're talking about! Why do you even feel the need to use darkness?"

"Shouldn't you be questioning Terra, too? Apparently, the reason why he didn't become a Master was because he lost control of the darkness."

"Terra's strong. He knows as well as the rest of us that darkness is bad and that only evil people uses it! He's strong enough not to be tempted over the darkness! You are, too! So, don't let the darkness take you over!"

"Of course I won't!" said Ignis. "And at the same time, I won't let the light take me over, too!"

"What...?"

Ignis sighed. "Ven, I...For a while, I've always felt something was wrong with the Master's teachings. Vanitas actually did me a favor by kidnapping me. He gave me a chance to explore my horizons in other worlds, and I learned a lot in the other worlds."

"Vanitas..." Ventus was starting to develop an unnatural hatred for him just as the other had hated him for an unknown reason. "Of course he'd be involved in all of this! It's probably his fault that you decided to use darkness magic!"

"You can't blame Vanitas for this. I chose to do it out of my own will!" argued Ignis. "What is with you and Vanitas, anyways? Every time I mention him, you seem to get all riled up! Look, I get that it's probably because he kidnapped me and tried to hurt you-"

"Then, let me ask you something!" said Ventus. "Why are you defending him? He hurt you! He kidnapped you! He hurt me, too! I can handle him trying to hurt me, but I can't handle letting him hurt my friends! Just what is it about him that's so admiring?!"

"...When someone's in need for help, you help them. It's just natural," explained Ignis. "Is it so wrong to help someone from the darkness if they need help? Or is it just 'natural' for us to eliminate someone that needs help even if they're from the darkness? Is that really the correct route to becoming a Keyblade Master?!"

"I..."

"I...I don't know the answer to that to be honest," admitted Ignis, looking down. "That's why I can't go home yet. If I just go home right now, I'll just...I don't think that'll be a good idea right now. I'll lose my opportunity and who knows when I'm allowed to get out to see other worlds once I become a Keyblade Master?"

"Master Eraqus said that you're ready in a couple of months!" protested Ventus.

"I...I just...I can't. I'm too impatient."

What Ignis really wanted to say was that she was afraid. She didn't want to lose her view on darkness. She loved her Master and he treated his students as though they were his own children, but Merlin was right. The more she thought of their lessons, the more she came to realize that he was too full of light. Yes, he was strict and sometimes demanded perfection in the light side for his students, but he loved them nevertheless. Everything was peaceful in the Land of Departure, but...

There was so much light, it felt nauseating.

Before, the old her would have never thought of such a thing and would just enjoy life, enjoying training, magic experimentation, having fun with her friends, and so on. She would continue life in the Land of Departure like a naïve girl.

But now? Even she had to admit she was still naïve. She had grown stronger and smarter, and it was Merlin, one of Master Eraqus and Xehanort's teachers, who introduced her to the truth of balance. Of course, she still thought light was good, but the more she used darkness magic, she found it less harmless and more controlling. Because she wasn't allowed to use such a dark element before, she was naturally curious and excited to learn more.

She still respected her Master, as well as her other friends, but she was starting to find too much light to be...nauseating. She'll still continue using the power of light to defend against enemies like the Unversed, but there are so many other methods than just the power of light, like magic. Before Keyblades were made, according to history, people have resorted to using other means such as magic, so this was no different.

"...I'm still confused. You still haven't answered my question," said Ventus, frustrated since it seemed that their conversation was getting both of them nowhere. "Just why are you so interested in Vanitas? Why help him? Why him?"

 _Why not me?_ Ventus wordlessly spoke, looking at his crush with sorrow in his eyes.

"Something about him just...makes him interesting to me," explained Ignis, rubbing her arms subconsciously. She unknowingly allowed a faint smile to form on her face. "For a skirt-wearing, strong badass like him, he looked...Okay, honestly, I dunno what he looks like under that damn mask of his, but...he seemed...sad. Just...sad. I wanna know him more. Just when I got more answers, I've got even more questions and-"

"You'll never know."

"W-What?"

"Vanitas. You'll never know more about him. It's over, done. He got what he wanted. In a way," said Ventus, trying to hide in his anger and jealously as proof of his strong emotions lied in his trembling fists. "He doesn't have anymore need of you. He-He's not going to bother you again, so just...go home."

"Ven...Just why do you keep insisting-"

"BECAUSE-!" As much as Ventus wanted to blurt out his love for her, he stopped in time and resorted to taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Because...I'm just trying to protect you, Ignis! I don't want you to get hurt! I don't want anything happening to you because of that jerk! It-It's like you love the guy or something!"

"...W-Well..." Ignis' turned away, thinking back on the times she and Vanitas spent together, when the last memory of them together was them dancing. Such a happy memory caused Ignis to blush lightly. "I said I was interested in him, but n-not in that way or anything!"

Unfortunately, Ventus had seen Ignis' blushing, obviously thinking about Vanitas. This just clarified that perhaps Ignis did really have a crush on him just as Ventus had a crush on her! It wasn't fair! What did Vanitas have that he didn't? The jealously and anger pooled over Ventus as he tried to contain himself, and then he spoke words that he could never take back.

" _ **I hate you."**_

Those simple, yet powerful words snapped Ignis back to reality. Although the breeze was blowing, the only sound Ignis heard was the sound of cracking, like glass.

"...What did you say?"

Even Ventus was shocked by his own words, but before he could attempt to apologize, it was like his own, true emotions was clouding his judgement and speaking out the words for him, and he found himself unable to stop. Actually, he felt comfortable with what he said afterwards, like Ignis needed to hear what he needed to say.

"You've _changed._ And for the worst, too. Light is corrupted? Darkness needs to exist? What crazy belief caused you to think like that?! And how can you be that interested in Vanitas?! He's hurt and kidnapped you! He's just using you! He wants to use you to gain what he'll get! He's not interested in someone like you! If you think for even a second that he has the slightest interest, then, you... _ **You're just a Fool."**_

The area they were in was empty and devoid of any noise or people, and there remained silence between the two. Even if in reality, there was silence, all Ignis could hear and feel were cracks forming all over her insides, slowly, but effectively.

Like a zombie, she started walking, moving past Ventus without uttering a single word. Her expression was that of a mixture between blankness, shock, astonishment, and great sorrow. Ventus remained still where he was, having collected his thoughts and feeling repulsive towards himself.

 _'What...did I JUST SAY?! God, I'm such a stupid idiot! Why did I say all those horrible things?!'_ thought Ventus. _'I had the perfect opportunity! I could have confessed to her about my feelings instead of blurting out all those hurtful things! What's wrong with me?! I need to apologize, right now!'_

"Ig-! ...Ignis?" Glancing up, Ventus saw an empty spot where Ignis used to stand. She must have left while he was contemplating on his own actions. Wherever she went to, he had to hurry and find her before she left this world, or worst, Vanitas.

* * *

Each step Ignis took, it was like a crack was forming in her heart. She looked like a zombie; shoulders slumped and movements slowed. She was so lost in thoughts, she barely noticed herself leaving the previous area she was in, or wherever she was going.

She didn't know what to do. All she wanted to do was cheer up her friends and help them reconcile with each other, but all she did was make it worse. Additionally, they must have spoken their true, honest opinions about her that she hadn't known.

No, perhaps deep down, there was a tiny part of her that knew, but refused to acknowledge it because they were horrible opinions.

After walking aimlessly for a while, her body found itself in front of a wooden door, just moving but not proceeding forward because the door was closed. She didn't care as she continued walking into the door with no path forward. She could hear her...close acquaintances final messages the last time they met.

 _"Do what you want. But, this path you're going... I'm absolutely certain that Master Eraqus would be_ _ **disgusted and disappointed**_ _with you_. _ **...I know I am**_."

" _YOU!_ _ **YOU'RE A PROBLEM**_! _YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM TO_ _ **ME AND EVERYONE ELSE**_! _YOU'RE JUST AN ANNOYING PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A_ **_DAILY BASIS_**!"

" _ **I hate you."**_

And just like a chain of fate, the cracks that formed in her hearts connected with each other and shattered into pieces.

Hands reaching the surface of the door, as though wanting to cling and grip onto someone for comfort, Ignis finally broke down, collapsing as tears started streaming down her cheeks and loud cries screamed from her lungs.

She was...such a fool, just like Ventus said. She wanted to dazzle and impress her friends with her newfound power and other skills she developed from battling the Unversed, but all she received were not compliments or praise, but heart-crushing insults that her friends said to put her down. She thought they'd be amazed and impressed, but they weren't.

Ray, the fly friend she made in New Orleans, once mentioned that if she had true friends, they would listen and support her. Ignis had to agree with that concept and though her friends fit the description.

Shockingly, to her, they didn't.

They didn't listen. They didn't want to hear more about the balance they found it as nonsense and wouldn't support her decisions. They berated her for thinking such thoughts, because, like their Master, they thought light should exist, and darkness should be vanquished forever.

Because Ignis accepted that darkness needed to exist to balance the light, all she had done was isolate and make herself a stranger to her friends.

No, not a stranger. A _bad guy._

Deep down, she knew her friends were only upset after their reunion and weren't thinking straight, but such treatment hurt a more than having one's own heart torn to pieces.

The door she was clinging onto suddenly swung opened, and Ignis fell forward on her face. She didn't care about the pain that came from falling facedown, as she was still sobbing her heart out. She didn't care about anything at this moment.

"Ignis?" spoke a familiar, gentle-sounding elderly wizard that stood over her.

* * *

 **Wow, finally finished! "Miracle" the full version is finally out, and I love the song! Now it's edited into this chapter for all to enjoy!**

 **Read and review!**


	18. Hundred Acre Woods (1): Gluttony

**Hey, guys! So...This World is one of my favorites! EEEK! I'm sure Ignis would have WAY too much fun in this World, too! I've always loved Winnie the Pooh! The series was so adorable! I mean, I haven't seen too much of it when I was a kid, but I'm starting to understand a bit more of it, especially with the Kingdm Hearts franchise also focusing on it!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

Ignis giggled as she finished telling the end of her adventures, which was around when she played with Hinatsu back in Destiny Islands. It was thanks to Merlin's kind hospitality that had her calm down when she was upset from the beginning.

Merlin finished sipping his tea, amused by Ignis' tales. He especially loved her singing, which also helped cheered her up and distracted her from whatever miserable experience she faced before she came right to his doorsteps. It seemed she had been through a lot ever since the last time they met, and it was clear that she had grown much stronger and wiser than before. He could feel it; she was growing VERY close to being a Keyblade Master.

"Aaaannddd...I came here to Radiant Garden, totally kicked ass by throwing my Keyblade Glider to an Unversed's face, and that's how I wounded up at your place!~" finished Ignis before snatching a cookie off a plate and chewing on it. "The end!~"

"Interesting tales...But, might I ask what exactly caused you to be in such a crying state when I found you in that state?" asked Merlin.

The sweet taste of the cookie in Ignis' mouth suddenly tasted foul and sour as she had lost her appetite and looked away. "...It's...well, it's complicated. I...I kinda got into a huge fight with my friends. Like, real huge. It was...It was really bad."

"Ah...a fight between friends. I remember having those back in my younger days," sighed Merlin. "Now that you've relaxed and calmed down, how do you feel?"

"...Like I've been trampled by a horde of Unversed a hundred times and that I ate poison," said Ignis with an uneased, upset look on her face as she recalled the painful memories of her last encounters with her friends. "Sorry if I was interrupting your day or anything. I didn't mean to-"

Merlin shook his head. "No, no. You weren't disrupting anything. You looked upset, so naturally, it was up to me to help you. Do you want to talk about what happened or...?"

"Sorry...but no. I don't really feel like it."

"Understandable. Then, why don't we change the subject for a bit? How's your training going? Have you become more adapt to darkness magic?"

Ignis smiled, nodding, though her smile seemed a little sad, considering the subject of darkness being the main issue and part of what caused her to argue with her friends. "Yeah...Hey! You know, ever since then, I've invented a few new spells myself! One of them included darkness magic, and it's awesome! Although, it takes up too much Magic Power, and it's a bit hard to control. But I'm getting the hang of it!"

"I see! Hmm...How's your process with light magic, then?"

"Uh...Well.." Scratching her cheek, Ignis looked away. "I...I've been so invested with darkness magic and other forms of magic, that...I...don't really use light magic that muc-"

Suddenly, Merlin slammed the end of his staff down on Ignis' head, causing a anime-like bump to form on the spot where he hit her. "Idiot!"

"OWWW! What was that for?!"

"I told you, balance is KEY! You can't just focus on darkness magic alone! You'll be overwhelmed by the negativity of darkness as a result!" scolded the old wizard. "Try focusing on light magic from now on! Not just darkness!"

"But light magic costs a lot of Magic Power..." pouted Ignis before being hit on the head again. "OW!"

"That's because you use so much magic during a fight! I keep telling you to tone it down! Your Magic Power is not limitless!"

"Well, I've been improving my sword skills too, so it's not all bad-OW! Why do you keep hitting me?! What did I do wrong this time?!"

"Just because you've been improving doesn't mean you can grow overconfident! Overconfidence can be the downfall of someone even as strong as you! You must keep a rational, calm, and smart mind in the midst of battle!"

"Eh...Maybe you have a spellbook on light magic, then? Might help me with my 'balance,' then," suggested Ignis, rubbing the sore spots on her head.

Merlin sighed. "Perhaps it's for the best. I did tell you that balancing between the two is good for you. You can find a bunch of spellbooks over there." He waved his hand over to the various piles of books he had that had filled the entirety of the other side of the room.

"...Couldn't you use your magic to locate it for me? Or bring it here?" asked Ignis, turning to Merlin.

"Nonsense! I said this before, and I will say it again! Magic can't solve everything!"

"And yet, you use it to clean up and move your stuff around."

"There's a time and place for everything, but not now, young lady!"

"...Why do I get an inkling feeling that's a reference to something?" wondered Ignis before shrugging her shoulders as she headed towards the maze of books. "Oh, well."

Ignis started roaming through the stacks and piles of books everywhere, digging through them and tossing aside any other book in hopes of finding the spellbook she was searching for. Some were heavy, so she didn't bother putting any effort to tossing them aside, only pushing them away. It was easy to identify the type of books she found, but it was such a hassle sorting through them, especially since there seemed to be a countless amount of them.

One curious title that caught her eye, however, was, **"Curse Magic."**

Opening the spellbook, Ignis found...she couldn't understand many of the spells enlisted within several of the pages. It was a mixture of both English and a different language she's never seen before. However, there was one page containing the details of one spell that she could read and understand well.

"Stigma...?" read Ignis, taking a few minutes of her time to learn the spell in the page. Her mind took in the details of the unknown spell that seemed to be part of this "Curse Magic," until she managed to get the gist of the spell.

It wasn't until Merlin's voice calling out for her that snapped her back to reality. "Ignis! Are you alright? Did you find the spellbook you're looking for?"

"Not yet! But I think I'm getting close!" called back Ignis, putting away the Curse Magic spellbook. She started resuming her search for any light magic spellbooks until she found two interesting spellbooks aligned next to each other. **"Light Elemental Spells,"** and **"Summoning Magic."**

 _'Ooh! The Summoning book sounds a lot interesting! I should take it with me! Maybe Merlin could give me a few tips!'_ thought Ignis, snatching it along with the light magic spellbook she had been searching for.

Just as she was heading back, however, she had tripped over an object hidden amongst a scramble of books and fell facedown; the pile of books cushioning her fall. Unfortunately, that very same object happened to be as sharp as a knife, so when she tripped, she had accidentally scrapped part of her leg on the object, causing blood to spill out and splat on the object.

"Ow!" cried out Ignis, her cry alerting Merlin.

"Oh! Are you alright?" Merlin asked, rushing up to her aid. He removed some of the books out of the way and helped her up before noticing her scraped leg. "Oh, dear! It appears you've been wounded! Here, let me fix that for you!" With a single wave of his hand, a simple healing spell closed the wound on Ignis' leg and the blood splatter on her leg vanished.

"Thanks, Merlin!" thanked Ignis, glancing around the area in search of the object that had tripped her. "Just what was it that I tripped over...?" From the corner of her eye, she spotted a spiky crystal ball that had splatters of blood on it. Automatically assuming the object to be the cause for her previous injury, she picked it up with her free hand and gave it to Merlin.

"Oh! I have been looking for that thing all day-Oh. Oh, dear." Merlin's happiness at finding his lost object quickly changed to a frown when he saw the blood on the spikes. "This is...not good."

"What?" wondered Ignis before witnessing the blood that was on the spikes suddenly vanish after the spiky crystal ball itself glowed for an instance. "Whoa! What happened?"

Merlin sighed and waved towards the table. "Come, come. Let us sit so that I may explain what had happened." After the two of them had done so, Merlin pointed to the spiky crystal ball and began explaining, "This is my latest new invention called the Chrysalis Historia. It holds the memories of a single individual and plays them like a recorded movie. It was a little fun side project I have been working on for a while, but the materials to create something like this are very hard and rare to find."

"It has a very odd, but cool-looking design!" praised Ignis, lightly poking it. "But wait, that doesn't explain why my blood on it suddenly disappeared after it glowed!"

"Yes, well, I was getting to that," replied Merlin. "I did mention that this crystal ball would hold the memories of a single individual, meaning that it can only view the memories of only ONE person. And, the memories can trailed to that single person through blood. I had planned on using the Chrysalis Historia on an important occasion, but...well..."

Realizing that she was the reason why his memory invention would be invalid to anyone else's memories but hers, Ignis felt awful. "Uh...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, no. This was all my fault. You couldn't have known about this. I should have been more considerate to my belongings. Maybe, if I had cleaned up my mess properly before you came, none of this would have happened. This isn't your fault, Ignis."

"Yeah, but...thanks to me, your crystal orb-"

"Like I said, it was entirely my fault. I should have looked after my own belongings more properly," replied Merlin.

"So, how does this crystal thing work, anyway? I mean, can it work right now and we can view my own memories?"

"Not quite. I still have to do some adjusting and improvements to do with my invention. It will take time for the Chrysalis Historia to be active, but it has officially registered you as the sole bearer of the Chrysalis Historia."

"...So, it's mine?"

"Heavens, no!" laughed Merlin, swirling his finger to make the Chrysalis Historia vanish. "I still need it for research purposes! My side project isn't quite complete yet! However, I would like to view your memories after you've gone on many more adventures! Perhaps you and I can pop up some chairs and eat some popcorn together as we watch your adventures!"

"Yeah! I'm totally down for that!" giggled Ignis. "Sooo...I picked up the light magic spellbook, but I also picked up another interesting spellbook, too! I thought maybe you might help me with that type of magic!"

"What type?" wondered Merlin before spotting the other spellbook she was referring to. "Ah, yes. Summoning magic. One of my most favorite kinds of magic, I do quite say!"

"Think you can teach me? Or, give me the basic run-downs of summoning magic? I wanna summon a cute kitty!~"

"Focus!" said Merlin, hitting Ignis hard on the head.

"OWWWW!"

"We shall postpone your light magic training for the time being. While I do think that summoning magic may be beneficial to your training to becoming a Keyblade Master, I will not encourage your childish behavior!" scolded Merlin. "Magic training is to be taken seriously! I believe I have told you this many times over when you underwent magic training with me back at young Arthur's castle home."

"Oh! I'm such an idiot!" said Ignis, bonking herself on the head. "How's Artie doing? Sorry, I don't know why he slipped out of my mind! That should have been the first thing I should have asked!"

Merlin shook his head, smiling. "Not to worry. You were upset and in tears when you came to my doorstep. It was only natural for you to forget in that sort of state. As for Arthur, he's doing extremely well, learning the ways of a proper knight and a king for a boy his age! Although, he does keep asking for you, wondering when you'll ever visit. The poor boy does miss you a lot, you know? Why, I even caught him crying a few nights over you."

Placing a hand over her heart, Ignis looked hurt, but touched at the same time. "Dude! Don't say stuff like that! Are you trying to guilt trip me?! Now I really want to see Artie again!"

"Well, you have to grow both smarter and stronger for his sake then, now don't you?" advised Merlin, a little smug. "Arthur is doing the same, so you have to put just as much effort as him the next time you want to see him. He's growing into a fine, young man, you know."

"Fine..." pouted Ignis, knowing he was right. "Wait, where's Archimedes? Is he with Artie, too?"

"Yes. I left him with Arthur to help him with his studies. The old owl misses you dearly as well, and-keep this a secret the next time you see him, but he says he loves the way you ruffle his feathers every time you pet him!"

Ignis giggled, sporting a wide grin. "Then, I'll be sure to give him the best pets an owl can have!"

"I'm looking forward to it! Perhaps it wasn't bad for you to be the memory carrier at all. After all, we can view the memory of you petting Archimedes feathers over and over!" chuckled Merlin before standing up. "Now, shall we begin our summoning magic lesson?"

"Yes!"

Merlin nodded and began explaining the basics of summoning magic. "There are two known types of summoning. The first type is easy to cast, yet difficult because while the first type requires very little Magic Power, it does require a strong bond between caster and summoned creature, as well as a vessel."

"Uh...What do you mean?" wondered Ignis.

"This type of summon is simply called Summon. The creatures being summoned are usually good, pure-hearted ones that will aid you in battle and exist in reality. It's quite easy to call on their power, but you need to make an unofficial contract with them."

"Unofficial contract?"

"Normally, when you make a contract with a familiar, it tends to be magical. However, for Summon, you, the caster, should make some sort of agreement with your summoned creature, as well as a strong bond with each other. Additionally, you need a vessel to call upon their power, like a gem or a charm. When you call on their power through the vessel, they'll be transported to your side, but only for a short while. After their time limit is up, they'll be magically teleported back to wherever World they came from."

"Cool! Can you do a Summon, Merlin?" asked Ignis.

Merlin shook his head. "No, but my good friend, the Fairy Godmother, is researching Summon in other worlds in hopes of harvesting their power and using it to fight against the evils of the universe."

"Oh, okay. So, what's the other type?"

"The other type of summoning is called Elemental Summoning. This one doesn't require a strong bond nor a vessel to call upon the summoned creature. However, every time you summon one, you have to pour Magic Power into your Summoning. The strength of your summoned creature varies depending on how much Magic Power you pour into. If you pour very little, then your summoned creature will be weak. However, put in lots, and you'll have a very powerful creature at your side!"

"I have a question!" called out Ignis, raising her hand. "So, when you mentioned the first type of summoning, Summon, you said the summoned creature returns back to their world, right? Is it the same for the Elemental Summoning?"

"Actually, no. The summoned creature manifests from your own Magic Power, thus we call that sort of summoned creature a Familiar. A Familiar is created from your own Magic Power and can evolve and be more powerful the more Magic Power you pour in. Unlike the first type of summoning, the Familiar won't have a world to return to. There are three ways it'll vanish."

"Vanish? You mean, Familiars can die?"

"In a sense, yes. But they can be regenerate given time and Magic Power. First, they can disappear if defeated in battle. Secondly, only if their master has no further need for them until the next battle. And lastly, they can truly die if their master dies as well."

"Yikes. So, both types of summonings have both pros and cons," muttered Ignis. "Summons are easy to cast, but the conditions to summon them are difficult, whereas Elemental Summoning has easier conditions, but the summoning's a bit difficult."

"In all honesty, Summons haven't been used for a long while," admitted Merlin. "Elemental Summoning is more common, but it does take lots of effort and concentration to summon even one Familiar."

"Speaking of, why is it called Elemental Summoning?" wondered Ignis.

"Because the Familiar being summoned is based off one of the various magical elements such as fire, water, wind, and earth. It's not just those elements, but also elements such as ice and light. Everyone's own Familiar is different and depends on the sort of individual they are. In other words, a person's Familiar is based on the caster's personality and elemental affinity."

"Cool! Then, is it possible to make more than one Familiar?"

"No. You can only have one Familiar even if you have more than one affinity. However, if you excel in other elemental affinities, your Familiar's element can change. And no, during battle, you can only summon just one Familiar. You can't summon more than one."

"Awww! It would have been awesome to have an army of Familiars!" complained Ignis.

"Even if you could summon more than one Familiar, I'm fairly certain it would be extremely taxing on the caster, as summoning even a simple Familiar would cost a lot of Magic Power."

"Hey, Merlin? What is your Familiar, anyways?"

"Ah! I suppose it couldn't hurt to show you a small demonstration, then! Very well!" Rising from his seat, Merlin closed his eyes and moved his hand in a circular motion; a magic circle being formed underneath. Emerging from the magic circle, a green-colored baby owl popped out and soared around the room before landing on Merlin's shoulder.

"Awww! So cute!~" squealed Ignis. "So that's your Familiar, huh?"

"Quite cute, indeed. Archimedes likes him as well," sad Merlin, stroking his baby owl Familiar's chin with his fingers. "His name is Hermes, whom I've named after a certain Greek god."

"I can't really feel any feathers. Just...wind."

"Well, in a way, our Familiars are like a spiritual manifestation of our Magic Power. They're not meant to take the full physical characteristics of the animals they're based on. Oh! Did I forget to mention that Hermes is a wind elemental Familiar?"

"Ooh! Now I really want to make my own Familiar!" squealed Ignis excitedly.

"Very well! Now, the first thing you need to know is-"

Suddenly, Merlin's door was smashed open, and a bunch of Unversed started flooding in, destroying anything in their path. Startled and slightly panicking, Ignis and Merlin scrambled and hurried to fight against the Unversed. Because of the unexpected ambush, their formation wasn't so great, especially since they were forced to fight in a crowded one-room house, but they managed the best they could.

Ignis kept them together by protecting Merlin and using both defensive magic and her own defensive sword techniques. Combined with the power of light embedded in Phoenix Fairy, she helped drive them back. Hermes the wind elemental Familiar owl assisted Ignis by casting wind spells of his own, but unfortunately, because he was currently at a weak level, all his wind spells were also basic leveled and the best they did was move the Unversed a little. Merlin turned out to be quite a powerful magician, and thanks to Ignis and Hermes holding back the Unversed attacking them, Merlin had enough time to cast a high-leveled spell to smite all of the Unversed in the room, destroying them all in a flash.

"Awesome, Merlin!" panted Ignis as Hermes disappeared, having no other purpose to remain further. "You wiped them all out in one go!"

However, Merlin seemed distraught. "Oh no...No, no, no!" He rushed past Ignis and hurried to an opened picture book laying against a stand. "This is terrible! Oh, so terrible!"

"What? What's wrong?" wondered Ignis, walking up next to him.

"I believe I know the reason why those dastardly Unversed have come and invaded my home!" said Merlin, lifting up the picture book. "It's because of this."

"...They came. For a picture book?"

"I sensed very powerful light within this book, and much to my shock, it turns out there's actually a world within this book! Amazing what things you can find in the universe!" explained Merlin. "The world was small, but filled with wonderful, peaceful, and rather cute-looking denizens. You can find no darkness in there whatsoever! But, uh...here's the problem. It seems that during our fight, several Unversed have managed to jump into the book and have entered the world within!"

"That's real bad, right?!" exclaimed Ignis, realizing the problem at hand.

"Very terrible, indeed!" agreed Merlin. "Oh, I do hope Pooh and the others are alright! Oh, I should have placed protection charms or something on Terra's book!"

"...Wait, what? This is Terra's book? You met Terra? I didn't even know he had a book like this!"

"Oh, no, you're quite mistaken," said Merlin. "A young lad named Terra found this book outside and thought I had dropped it, so he gave it to me. Thus, I decided to keep it for the time being until he returned to take it back one day. He seemed quite busy. Then, two other people, a young polite lady and a young boy appeared. Just like Terra, they obtained powers simply by opening this book!"

"Aqua and Ven were already here?" wondered Ignis. "Wait, how exactly did they get powers by opening this book?"

"Magic."

"Well, okay, I guess that makes sense, in a way, but how does magic-"

"MAGIC!"

"Okay! Okay! Then, give me a magically solution! How do we get the Unversed out? Do we just burn the pages where they are or something?"

"Heavens, NO!" shouted Merlin, horrified. "Have you lost your mind?! That would destroy the world within as well as the innocent denizens here!"

"Right, sorry. Really bad idea!" apologized Ignis. "How about I go in, then? I'll try and eliminate the rest of the Unversed in there. I'm a Keyblade wielder, so I should be able to take out the Unversed."

Merlin nodded. "Very well. I'll work on trying to find a very strong protection spell within these spellbooks of mine. Just be careful, though. I sense a very powerful darkness within the book. A powerful Unversed must have snuck in, so be on your guard!"

"Of course!"

"Wait! Do you have your Unversed Cleanser with you?"

"Hmm? The Unversed scanning thing? Yeah," said Ignis, fishing the object out of her pocket. "Got it right here!"

"The world you're about to enter in is small, so you should have no problem in tracking down any remaining Unversed inside. Meanwhile, I'll work on upgrading your Unversed Cleanser while you're gone. Do you think you can handle the Unversed without this invention of mine?"

Ignis nodded. "Definitely! I'm really excited to visit this world! I've never been in a world that's trapped inside a book! This is so exciting!"

"Ahem!" coughed Merlin. "Remember, you're only there to take out the Unversed! Not to sightsee!"

"Alright, alright! I'm going! I'll just eliminate the Unversed and get back out here."

"Good!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Well? What are you waiting for?"

"...Yeah...Uh...How do I enter the world, anyways?"

Closing the book, Merlin then handed it to Ignis. "Simply open it and flip through the pages. The magic within this book should take you there."

"Oh, okay!" Doing what Merlin ordered her to do, Ignis waited and saw a flash of light engulf her before she vanished completely, having magically entered the world within the magical book.

* * *

 _Inside the book..._

"What the #%^&& happened here?! The Unversed only entered for a few minutes! How could they caused this much damage?!" exclaimed Ignis, looking around her surroundings. "Wait...am I being censored? ^& ! ^#*! Oh, #%^$#! I am being censored! What, is this world making my swearing censored or something?"

She decided that her new censoring discovery wasn't that important for the moment and decided to look around. The entire world she was in, whatever name it was, was in...ruins. Trees were knocked down with some currently lit on fire, small fragments from pots laid across the road, large slash marks were everywhere from the ground, grass, and trees, and smoke filled the air everywhere. It was a natural disaster everywhere, but what was more disturbing was that there was not a single denizen of the book's world or any Unversed seen everywhere.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Ignis called out, hastening her walking pace while looking around. It didn't take her long to spot a house beneath some tree roots. It seemed to belong to someone named, "Mr. Sanders," as there was a sign written above the door with Mr. Sanders' name on it. Additionally, right next to the door was a doorbell where one has to tug on it to properly ring it.

Like any polite person, Ignis would have rang the doorbell, except that the door was completely gone, and signs of intrusion was evident even outside of Mr. Sanders' home. Worried, she rushed inside the tree home and saw a couple of weasel-like Unversed creeping up towards a stuffy-looking bear sleeping peacefully in his bed.

Hurriedly, and as quietly as possible, Ignis slid across the floor and started to take out the weasel-like Unversed just before they could try and attack the innocent bear creature in his bed. Using one arm to cast a barrier spell over the bear creature to protect him, Ignis engaged the Unversed with her free hand, finding them very quick on their feet, yet weak after they take one hit each.

When Ignis finished taking out the weasel-like Unversed, she glanced back and saw the bear yawning and beginning to wake up. She dropped the barrier spell and glanced around the bear's home. How was she going to explain the mess that the Unversed made?

Rubbing his eyes and getting out of the bed, the bear yawned one more time before looking up tiredly. "Oh, hello there. May I ask who you are?"

"Oh! Hi, I'm...Ignis. Yeah! I'm Ignis. Who are you, little guy?"

"I'm Winnie the Pooh, but Pooh for short. It's quite nice to meet you, Ignis. May I ask what you're doing here in my home?"

As if Ignis could actually explain the Unversed to him. Instead, she decided to tell him a harmless little lie. "Well, I saw that your door was open, so I wanted to see inside!"

"Oh, I see," said the little stuffed bear before his stomach started growling rather loudly. "Oh, bother. It looks like there's a rumbling in my tummy. I think it's time to eat!"

Ignis watched as the plump little bear started walking towards his kitchen cabinets, not minding one bit about the huge mess that laid in his house that was caused by the Unversed. She saw he had trouble trying to reach for the cabinets and decided to help him by taking a stool and standing on top so that she could reach for the kitchen cabinets herself. Taking a few pots labeled, "HUNNY," under her arms, Ignis climbed down and placed the pots on the ground.

"Here ya go, you little fuzzy bear!" said Ignis. "Hey, Pooh? It's...uh...probably best if you go to sleep after you eat some breakfast. You look really tired."

"Oh, but then I wouldn't be able to meet my friends and eat more honey later," spoke Pooh, though he was rubbing his eye.

Not wanting him to explore outside while the book world was still invested with Unversed. Ignis tried to convince him yet again. "I'm sure your friends would want you to be all energized after a quick nap! That way, you can have more energy later!"

"May I ask you something, Ignis?"

"Sure, I don't mind. Although, I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Oh, well, I was wondering, will you play with me and my friends later?"

Kneeling down in front of him, it took everything out of Ignis not to hug the living daylights out of the pajama-wearing, tired-looking, fluffy stuffed bear in front of her when he said those words. Instead, she just rubbed his head. "Awww! Of course! I'd be happy to play with you and your friends! But, I'm a bit busy right now, so maybe later, okay, Pooh?"

"Oh, okay...Then, I suppose I will have to see you later, then. Let's play later."

Ignis smiled and nodded, skipping out of the open door of Pooh's home. Once she was certain she was far enough, she took a deep breath and then squealed very loudly, unable to contain her happiness.

"That was the most adorable stuffed bear I've ever seen! Ooh! I should have hugged him! No! I wanna go back and hug him! I wanna touch his soft-looking fur! He's just too cute!~ I wonder if his other friends are adorable as well? Focus, Ignis! You can't let the Unversed touch even a single thread on Pooh Bear! Just take them out, and that cute, fluffy bear will be safe! Okay! I'm focused! Let's go!"

Unknown to Ignis, Pooh had gone through every single honey pot in his home, but couldn't find even a single trace of honey left. "Oh, bother. There's no more honey left, and my tummy's growing more rumbling. Think, think, think... I know! I shall go get more honey from my favorite honey tree! Then, I shall go back home and take a nap and play with my new friend, Ignis!"

After dressing up, Pooh left his home, still oblivious as to how the insides of his home was a huge mess and that his door was pretty much broken down. Then again, Pooh always left his home a mess in the mornings, so he had thought nothing of it. Even the broken down door.

* * *

"Help! Help! Somebody save meeeee!"

Ignis, who was wandering around some woods, heard the distressed cry from someone in dire need and hurried as fast as she could towards the source of the cry. When she got there, she saw a small, pink pig-like creature trembling in fear as he was surrounded by larger, elephant-like Unversed.

At first, Ignis wanted to coo over how adorable the pig-like creature looked, but after realizing the cute creature was in distress and being surrounded by larger, tougher monsters a couple of times his size, she regained her focus on her objective. Not only did she focus her attention on the elephant-like Unversed, but her anger rose due to their malicious intentions of attacking an innocent denizen of the book world.

The pink pig-like creature, Piglet, saw the strange elephant monsters getting closer. Squeaking, Piglet covered his eyes and cowered in fear, his shaking increased from fear as he silently pleaded for the monsters to go away.

Nothing happened afterwards. Piglet waited and waited, but he didn't dare peek even a single eye out. But, he did hear strange noises. He thought of opening his eyes, but every time he heard another one of those strange noises, he grew more frightful.

As fast as she could, Ignis took out the elephant-like Unversed, being sure to place Piglet in a Barrier spell beforehand to protect him. Her motivation to protect him as well as her anger towards the Unversed helped her defeat the Unversed in the area much faster, and by the end, it was clear that she was the sole victor.

"I am Ignis, and you will fear my love for cute things!" declared Ignis, placing one foot on a rock and raising her Keyblade in the air. Nobody, especially an Unversed, attacks an innocent being under her watch, especially if that innocent being happens to be very adorable.

Putting away her Keyblade, Ignis carefully walked towards the pig-like creature and knelt down to his level. Hearing whimpering sobs coming from him, Ignis' heart easily broke as she couldn't stand cute things crying. "Hey, hey...It's okay, little...guy-girl? I actually don't know if you're a boy or a girl, but I guess that doesn't matter. You can stop crying now, because the monsters are all gone!"

Hearing a soft voice comforting him, Piglet calmed down and looked up to see a human girl looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. But, when the human girl stood up, he grew fearful and intimidated by her tall and large stature, so he ran away and hid behind a nearby tree.

"Noooo...come back, little buddy!" whined Ignis childishly. "I'm not gonna hurt you, honest! Please?"

Feeling both frightened, yet ashamed of himself, Piglet peeked his head out from behind the tree. "I-I-I'm so sorry...I-I-I didn't mean to be so rude..."

"Awww! It's okay, little buddy! You weren't rude at all! I'm sorry if I scared you. My name's Ignis! If it's not too much, can I ask your name, little buddy?"

Slowly walking out from the tree, Piglet was still slightly scared, but did answer her question. "I-I'm Piglet...Oh, what happened to t-those s-s-scary monsters? T-The Huffalumps, I mean!"

"Yeah, I have no idea what a Huffa-what is, but if you're talking about those monsters earlier, then I took care of them. They're gone, so you're safe!" said Ignis. "Piglet? Would you like me to take you home? It's not safe for you here."

"O-O-Oh, yes, b-b-but what about my friends? And Pooh! O-Oh...I'm very worried!" cried out Piglet.

 _'Even when he's scared, he's still worried about his friends! How cute!~'_ thought Ignis, internally squealing inside. "Don't worry! I'll help find them! Plus, I'm friends with Pooh Bear, so you can trust me!"

Piglet relaxed a bit when he heard that. "R-Really? Pooh made a new friend? W-Well, I suppose if you're P-Pooh's friend, then you're my friend, too! Um...Uh...I-I'm sorry! I forgot your name!"

"Ignis. It's an unusual name, I know," said Ignis. "Piglet, do you know your way back home? You can take me there, and if we meet anymore monsters, then just stay behind me while I take them on and protect you, okay?"

"R-Really? Oh, I-I don't want to be such a bother..."

"No, no! It's not a bother at all! I want to do this!"

Piglet nodded and pointed to a different direction. "O-Okay...My home is that way. C-Can we please hurry? I-I'm scared..."

"Of course! Lead the way!"

Luckily, for them, Piglet's home wasn't far, and his home resembled Pooh's, as his was located in a beech tree. So far, they haven't run into any Unversed for the time being, but that didn't stop Piglet's fears of possibly being ambushed. He kept hiding behind Ignis' legs every time he so much as heard even the slightest of noises, like the wind or a leaf falling from a tree.

Despite being safe in his home, Piglet was still scared and was fidgeting around, wondering what to do. "O-Oh d-d-dear! T-Thank you for taking me home, Ignis, but I-I-I'm still scared! W-What if the Huffalumps and Woozles come in? I-I'm so worried!"

 _'Yeah, I'm guessing he must be referring to the Unversed,'_ thought Ignis. "Hmm...Piglet, what's one of your favorite activities to do?"

"O-Oh! I like to draw! A lot!"

Kneeling down in front of him, Ignis asked gently, "Then, why not draw your friends and some pretty flowers or something?"

"O-oh, b-b-b-but what about my friends? The monsters out there could have hurt them or worse! E-Eaten them!" cried out Piglet.

"Pooh's fine," assured Ignis. "As for the rest, well, I'll have to find them and get them back home. Everything will be just fine, alright? I'm sure your friends will appreciate it if you draw them or something."

"O-Okay, then...Do be careful too, Ignis?" called out Piglet, watching Ignis leave through the front door.

"Yeah, thanks!" Ignis called back, turning around. "Just remember! Just stay inside and don't come out! I'll find your friends soon!"

"Oh, yes! Thank you!"

* * *

"AIYEEE! S-STAY AWAY! NOOOOOO!"

 _'I think I just found another one of Piglet's and Pooh's friends!'_ Ignis thought, hurrying towards whoever was screaming. Summoning Phoenix Fairy, Ignis soon found herself in a garden full of...destroyed and half-eaten vegetables and fruits everywhere.

Trying to swat away the Unversed surrounding him was an anthropomorphic rabbit swinging around a broom in fear. None of his attempts worked, only succeeding in further agitating the Unversed until one of them slashed at the rabbit. The rabbit squeezed his eyes tightly and held onto his broom, and luckily for him, the broom protected him, though it was nothing more than a stick now since it was sliced in half.

Ignis arrived in time to witness the rabbit being attacked by one of the Unversed. The rabbit ducked in time, but received a cut on his arm, causing him to cry out in pain. Using magic to enhance her movements and power, Ignis started cutting down the Unversed, taking them by surprise with her unexpected appearance. Because of her ambush on them, as well as her enhancements on herself, she was able to destroy the Unversed much faster than anticipated.

"I'm bleeding! Ohhhhh no! Aaaah!" screamed the rabbit, clutching his arm. "Aaaah! I'm bleeding! Ah, I'm feeling faint! Oh, no!"

"Dude, calm down-Ooohh...Yeah, that is a really nasty cut," commented Ignis, flinching at the sight of such a bloody injury.

"Doctor! I need a doctor here! Oooh! It hurts so much!"

"Yeah, okay, just give me a minute here." Placing her hands above the rabbit's arm, Ignis started focusing on a healing spell, quickly closing up and healing the rabbit's injury until there was not even a single cut left. "There! You're healed! Any other injuries you have?"

The rabbit stared, stunned at the magic he just witnessed before moving his arm. At first, he thought what he saw was a dream, but his arm felt alright!

"Y-Yes...I'm cured! The pain's gone!" gasped Rabbit, examining his arm before taking Ignis' hands and shaking them. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Hey, it's no big deal, but maybe we should talk more inside? I have some questions I want to ask, if that's okay?"

"Oh, certainly! Would you like anything, such as tea and-"

"No, no! I'm alright, thanks!" assured Ignis as they went inside of the rabbit's home. After the two of them sat down at a table facing one another, Ignis proceeded with the questioning. "So, my name is Ignis. What's your name?"

"My name's Rabbit! Once again, thank you for saving me!"

 _'Rabbit the rabbit? ...Eh, I've seen stranger things,'_ thought Ignis, sweatdropping. "You're welcome, Rabbit. Do you...uh...know how long those monsters have been around here for?"

"Oh, they've been around for a while, now! I'm not sure how long, but I've made sure to stay clear out of their way except when tending to my garden! I wanted to check up on Pooh and the others, but I was too afraid! Today was just one of those days when I went out to water my plants, but when I got outside, I saw those nasty monsters tearing up and eating my beloved garden! So, I tried to fight them off with my broom, and...well, you can see how that went."

"Fighting against a bunch of dangerous monsters with just one broom...that kinda sounds a bit dumb," admitted Ignis.

"Well, what could I have done? They were destroying my garden! If they continued, there would have been nothing left!"

"Yeah, but you'd be safe inside your home. You could have just remade a new garden later on. Now, you're stuck with practically no garden at all!" Ignis said. "You're lucky that I came along in time, though."

Rabbit sighed. "You're right. I admit, it was foolish for my part."

"If it makes you feel any better, I did meet Pooh and someone named Piglet. I told them to stay in their homes, so they're safe."

Rabbit looked both surprised and happy. "They're okay?! Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried! B-But what about my other friends? Oh, I do hope they're alright!"

"I'm not sure," said Ignis, standing up from her seat. "I shouldn't waste anymore time here. I'll go look for them and take them somewhere safe."

"Gopher should be safe underground-Eh, can those monsters dig underground?"

"I'm...not sure, but I don't think so."

"Okay, good! Now, I'm more worried about Tigger, Roo, Kanga, Owl, and...Oh! Eeyore! Oh, dear! His home is outdoors! He's in more danger than anyone else!"

Ignis frowned. "Oh, what do you mean?"

"His home is outside and made entirely of sticks! STICKS! Oh, I do wonder how he can stand sleeping outside when it's so cold or hot at times!"

"What are you talking about, Rabbit?"

"Oh, well, like I said, his home is made of sticks! Just sticks! And it's outdoors, too! Oh, I do hope Eeyore and the others are alright!"

"Do you know where he lives?"

Rabbit nodded. "Why, yes! He lives in an area called Pooh and Piglet Corner. There's a sign that says that, so you can't miss it!"

"I see. Okay, I'll go check it out. If it's not too much trouble for you, Rabbit, can I bring this Eeyore person to your home until the monsters are gone?" requested Ignis.

"Y-Yes! Of course!"

"Great, then just stay here and lock the door. You should be sa-Uh..." Ignis found herself staring at a window-sized hole inside Rabbit's house. "What...is that?"

"That's my back door, of course!"

"Yeah, you're going to have to plug that hole up. I mean, if you don't, that's just asking for trouble," advised Ignis. "The Unv-The monsters might get through even if you lock the front door."

"Why, yes! I shall get right to that!"

* * *

"Tigger! Tigger! Please, wake up! Help! Somebody help!"

Roo, a young kangaroo child, was desperately trying to wake up his unconscious and badly wounded friend, Tigger, who had shielded Roo from the monster attacks and was out cold. They managed to get away the first few times the strange monsters attacked them, but their luck had run out as they were out in the open field, surrounded by jaguar-like Unversed ready to eat them alive.

Being unaware of the existence of Unversed, Roo had assumed that the monsters attacking them were jagulars, which, according to his friends, were scary, honey-stealing jaguar-like animals found somewhere in the Hundred Acre Woods. Nobody has seen what a jagular looked like...until now.

Roo squeezed his eyes shut and held onto Tigger. "Please...somebody help us! Please!"

As though his wish was granted, the jagular vanished with a single swing of a odd-looking blade. Roo heard the familiar sounds of rushing water and a fire being lit, felt the cold winds and shivered, and let out a yelp when he heard lightning in the background.

Wait, but it wasn't even stormy today!

Opening his eyes, he saw a tall figure standing over the jagulars, though they were nothing more than wisps of darkness that faded away in seconds. Having his life in peril just moments ago, Roo was, understandable, afraid, but he still mustered up the courage to bounce towards the red-haired figure and tug on their long skirt.

"E-Excuse me?" Roo said.

Ignis, who was heading towards the Pooh and Piglet Corner, heard the cries of someone in need, so she rushed to the scene as quickly as she could. When she arrived, this time, she saw jaguar-like Unversed surrounding a tiger-like creature and a baby kangaroo, who were in dire need of help. Using magic and her sword skills, she found that the Unversed were a little tougher than the other Unversed she faced inside this world, but still took them out in the end anyways with some injuries.

Having claw marks on her arms, some parts of her arm, and one nasty cut on her cheek, Ignis turned and saw the baby kangaroo tugging on the end of her skirt to get her attention. Kneeling down, she asked, "Hey, are you okay, little guy?"

"You're bleeding...you're hurt, just like my friend, Tigger," said the little kangaroo. "Did you stop the jagulars?"

"Jagulars? Oh, you mean the monsters surrounding you guys? Yeah, they're gone, so you don't have to worry," assured Ignis. "I'm Ignis! Are you and your friend...alright?"

"I-I'm Roo! And this is my friend, Tigger! Please, help him! He was protecting me from the mean ol' jagulars! I-I don't want anything bad to happen to him!"

"Okay, let me take a look at him, okay?" Ignis asked the little kangaroo, who nodded and let her pass. She knelt down and placed a hand on the unconscious tiger-like person, who groaned in pain. She still had Magic Power to heal both him and herself, but she decided to heal Tigger first, as he appeared in a worse state than her.

Roo watched in amazement as Ignis placed her hands on Tigger's body and started healing him. Her magic glowed green as she healed Tigger's body, and she must be a magician, because her magic made all of Tigger's injuries disappear! It wasn't just Tigger being healed, but Ignis seemed to be healing herself as well, since even that nasty cut on her cheek was gone.

"Wow! Miss, are you a magician?" gasped Roo. "You used magic to help my friend! Thank you!"

"Eh...Not really. I mean, I can use magic, but...look, it doesn't matter right now. Your friend, Tigger? He's going to be alright, but he might need some sleep. He's still unconscious, after all. Is your home near, Roo?"

Roo nodded. "Yeah! Yeah! It's down that path, but it's a little far! Mama can help when we get home! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Hold on, little guy. I can't just drag your friend by his tail," said Ignis, who was holding Tigger by his arms. "I'll have to carry him, so just give me a sec, okay?"

In the end, though it took a while, Ignis was able to get Tigger in a piggy-back position and followed Roo, who kept slowing and hastening his pace. Slowing, because he wanted Ignis and Tigger to catch up, and hastening, because he was frantic, wanting Tigger to hurry up and get some rest back at his home.

When they at last arrived in front of Roo's home, Roo knocked on the door and called out, "Mama! Mama! It's Tigger! He needs help!"

Upon hearing her son's voice, an adult kangaroo, most notable Roo's mother, opened the door as swiftly as possible; distress written all over her face as it changed to relief. "Roo! Oh, thank goodness you're alright! Come in, all of you! Quickly!"

A few minutes had passed, and Tigger was tucked into a bed, safe and sound. After Ignis checked if Tigger had any additional injuries she didn't know about, she confirmed that he would be fine and walked back to the living room where Roo's mother was still embracing Roo tightly, as though afraid to let him go.

"Mama! You've been hugging me for like, forever!" whined Roo, squirming in his mother's grip.

"I-I'm sorry, Roo! It's just...I was so, so scared for you!" sobbed Roo's mother who was crying tears of happiness for her son. "From now on, as long as those horrible-looking monsters are outside, you are to stay indoors!"

"But-!"

"No buts! I won't hear it!"

Ignis decided to wait until Roo's mother had calmed down and released Roo, as it was understandable that a mother would be terrified for her child's life if monsters were seen roaming outside while their own child was also outside.

After she settled down on a chair, Roo's mother looked up at Ignis. "I'm terribly sorry for making you wait for so long."

"No, it's alright. My name is Ignis. I saw your son and that Tigger guy in trouble, so I saved them from harm. It was your son that helped escort both me and Tigger back to your home."

"Mama! Ignis is a magician! I saw her use magic to heal herself and Tigger! It was so cool!"

"A magician?" wondered Roo's mother. "Well, whatever you did, thank you for saving my son and Tigger. Oh! I'm sorry, I've been impolite! I haven't even begun to introduce myself! I'm Roo's mother, Kanga. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ignis!"

"The pleasure is all mine, Kanga!" said Ignis. "Can I ask how long these...monsters have been around for?"

"Hmm...Well, from my perspective, they've been around just recently. I saw a lot of terrifying monsters from my window as I was cleaning the dishes. Oh, you should have seen them! There were Huffalumps, Jagulars, Woozles, oh, all sorts of scary creatures! That's when I realized that my poor little Roo was still out playing with Tigger! I was terrified for the two of them and wondered if they were alright!"

"Well, you don't need to worry anymore, ma'am. They're safe now," assured Ignis. "Well, Tigger was pretty badly wounded when I found him and Roo."

"Tigger protected me from the nasty Jagulars, Mama! You should have seen him!" defended Roo.

"Then, I shall have to thank him properly when he wakes up, then," said Kanga.

"You all should stay indoors. It's real dangerous outside," said Ignis, getting ready to leave.

"Oh, what about you? You should stay inside too until those monsters are gone!"

Ignis shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, but I'll be fine! I'm actually here to stop those monsters. I'm real strong! So, just promise me you all will stay inside, okay? Like I said, it's dangerous out there."

"Well, if you say so..." said Kanga, still uncertain. "But, if you need rest, you're always welcome in my home."

* * *

"Bees?! Really?! Why'd it have to be frickin' BEES?!" shouted Ignis, swinging her Keyblade around as she found herself surrounded by bee-like Unversed later on.

These bee-like Unversed were definitely much larger than the average-sized bees, as well as much swifter than any other Unversed she fought, even much faster than the jaguar-like Unversed! She would prefer the other types of Unversed in this world than having to face bee-like Unversed because of their stingers! In fact, she hated bees and mosquitoes because of how they tended to leave itchy sting marks after being stung! And she'd be damned if she allowed any of the bee-like Unversed to hit her!

"Okay, that's it!" Ignis said, managing to distance herself from the bee-like Unversed. The bee-like Unversed rallied themselves, and in unison, charged towards Ignis menacingly.

Quickly, Ignis sent a Fira spell towards the Unversed and then casted a Reflect spell onto the bee-like Unversed, which was like a Barrier spell, only it trapped the enemies inside. Finding themselves trapped, the bee-like Unversed tried to attack the barrier trapping them, only to find their own attacks deflecting off the tough barrier. Silently relieved that her supportive spells were still strong, Ignis then controlled the Fira fireball spell and sent it flying around the insides of the Reflect spell, taking advantage of its reflective nature to send fiery attacks against the Unversed, taking them out one by one until there was none left. Afterwards, Ignis let down the Reflect barrier spell and relaxed, knowing another group of Unversed was gone from this innocent world she stood in.

From the corner of her eye, something curious caught her attention, so she decided to approach it. She saw a large owl standing on a sturdy tree branch, trying to tug out the back of a yellow body that was apparently stuck in a hollow hole in the tree.

Walking up to the tree, Ignis glanced up and called out loudly, "Excuse me? Mr. Owl, sir? Can I ask what you're doing?"

Seeing a stranger that could possibly assist him in his predicament, the owl flew down and landed next to her. "Why, hello, young lady! I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before. My name is Owl!"

"Owl the owl...? Eh, I already met Rabbit the rabbit, so this shouldn't be new," muttered Ignis. "My name is Ignis! Nice to meet you!"

"Ignis? A peculiar name! Then again, my other relatives have also had peculiar names! Why, there was Cousin Fino and Uncle Franz and-"

"Uh...Owl? Sorry for interrupting, but just now, what were you doing, up in the tree?"

"Ah! Right! Of course! Pooh!" gasped Owl. "Yes, well, I was just flying around when I saw my dear friend, Winnie the Pooh, stuck in his favorite honey tree! Naturally, it came to me to come save him, but he's stuck in there real tight!"

"Wait...Pooh?!" exclaimed Ignis. "I thought he was back safe and sound in his home! I told him to take a nap or something when he finished eating his breakfast! Gah!"

"Oh, dear. Well, we can deal with that later. Would you help me in freeing Pooh?"

"Of cou-"

Buzzing sounds filled the air as more bee-like Unversed started appearing, flying down towards Ignis and Owl's positions. They ceased in mid-air and started firing stinger projectiles at their targets.

Brandishing her Phoenix Fairy in a flash, Ignis took a defensive stance and deflected all of the stinger projectiles within a blink of an eye, protecting both herself and Owl. She couldn't allow anything awful to happen to any of the denizens of this world, and it seemed that they were going to be in a lot more trouble the more the Unversed showed up.

"Owl! Get Pooh out of the tree and then get out of here! I'll hold off these Unv-monsters!" ordered Ignis before charging in and engaging with the bee-like Unversed.

Stunned over what happened just a moment ago, Owl nodded and flew back up to the tree branch, tugging as fast as he could to get him and Pooh out of there. Owl knew just by looking at the strange bee-like monsters that they were not your average, ordinary bees. No, these monsters seemed more dangerous, and honestly, even though the normal bees were pesky enough, he'd prefer them than these creatures.

When one of the bee-like Unversed switched its interest from Ignis to Owl and Pooh, it started zooming towards them. Performing a Strike Raid technique, Ignis threw her Keyblade at that Unversed, bisecting it in half. Then, Ignis had to block a stinger attack using her armored gauntlet before her free arm caught the returning Phoenix Fairy. With the bee-like Unversed in close range, Ignis slashed at the opponent closest to her, taking it down. Their strikes were deadly, and they were swift, but they were surprisingly frail, as it would take just one hit from her Keyblade to eliminate just one of them.

"Magnera!" shouted Ignis, casting the second-tier spell up in the air. The moment she did, the air shifted around the bee-like Unversed and they found themselves squirming and letting out cries as they were forcibly drawn in towards Ignis.

Ignis opt to cast one of her favorite fire spells at the bee-like Unversed, but decided she did need to work on her light elemental spells. "Holy!" With her Keyblade still in the air, she casted a light elemental spell that brought down several pillars of light towards the ensnared bee-like Unversed, eliminating the enemies in the area.

When she finished, Ignis rushed up to the honey tree and looked up to see Owl still frantically trying to get Pooh out of the tree, indicating he hasn't seen the outcome of the fight. "Owl! You and Pooh are safe!"

Deciding to rest, Owl flew down and wiped some sweat off his forehead with his wing. "Whew! Why, that's a relief! Now we don't have to worry about anymore of those monsters anymore! The Hundred Acre Woods is safe!"

"Hundred Acre Woods?"

"Yes, that's the name of this entire place!"

"Uh...You might want to stop the celebrations for a second," said Ignis. "I hate to be a party pooper, but...there's actually more of those monsters, and it's my job to make sure they're all gone."

"Oh, no! More of those monsters? Well, perhaps you're right," sighed Owl. "I was leaving my home, about to take my daily flying routine while thinking about my family when I quickly encountered those bee-like monsters. I tried to escape into my home, but they caught sight of me and practically destroyed my home! Oh! Including my family tree! Oh, the horror!"

As Owl wept for the loss of his home and belongings, Ignis walked up to him and patted his back, attempting to comfort him to the best of her ability. "I'm sorry..."

Owl shook his head. "No, it's not your fault...Come now, I believe we have a rather plump little bear we must free!"

It took a while, but the two of them managed to free a rather sticky and honey-covered Pooh Bear from the hollow hole inside of the honey tree. Watching him lick his paws, Ignis placed her hands on her hips and scolded, "Pooh! I thought you were going to take a nap and stay away from outside!"

"Oh, hello Ignis. Hello, Owl! I was just enjoying a smackeral of honey because there was no honey at home," replied Pooh innocently.

"No hon-But there were jars of honey back at your place!"

"I opened them up, but there was not even a single bit of honey inside. So, I went outside to get to my favorite honey tree and eat a smackeral or two of honey."

"Pooh," spoke Owl gently. "Right now, there are dangerous monsters outside, like bees. It's probably best if we take you home now."

"Oh, alright, Owl."

"That...might not be a good idea," said Ignis. 'When I met Pooh, his door was already destroyed, and more monsters were going to attack him in his sleep. He was lucky that I was around, but...yeah, his place isn't really the most fortified place in the woods now. It's not safe."

"Hmm...Where to now? We can't simply go to my home, because it's been destroyed by those monsters!" said Owl, thinking. "Ah! Speaking of, when I finally managed to escape those monsters, I found this laying around near Eeyore's home." He took out a small tail with a pink ribbon at the end.

"...Is that a tail?" asked Ignis. "That's...actually a bit disturbing."

Owl tilted his head in confusion. "Whatever do you mean? Eeyore's tail always falls off time after time."

"Eeyore...Oh! There was someone named Rabbit who told me that Eeyore lived in some place called the Pooh and Piglet Corner. I was about to head there myself when I ran into you guys."

"Well, I was the first to arrive there myself," said Owl. "I did see Eeyore's tail, along with Eeyore, who seemed to be heading elsewhere. Something strange was wrong with him today, though. I called out to him, but he didn't call back to me or turn around, so I followed him and found that he was heading towards the Spooky Cave!"

Pooh gasped. "Oh, that cave is spooky! Is Eeyore alright?"

"Well, I wanted to go in, but then I saw more horrifying monsters inside. I wanted to go and get help first when I saw you stuck in the tree, Pooh."

Owl's explanation caused Ignis to make a decision. She needed Owl's help in guidance towards this cave he spoke of, but at the same time, she couldn't expose him to any danger. Additionally, she didn't think she could trust Pooh to go back and sleep safely, especially with so many Unversed running around. Perhaps she needed the two of them for a slight rescue mission.

"Okay, okay! Uh...Owl, can you please escort me to this cave you were talking about?" requested Ignis. "As for you, Pooh, after we get you cleaned up, you're coming with us! I should be able to protect the both of you as we head towards the cave. Just stay clear of the way if you see any monsters, alright? Owl, can I trust you to look after Pooh?"

Owl nodded. "Of course! But, shouldn't we get the others to help rescue Eeyore?"

"No, this is too dangerous even for them. Besides, I told your friends to stay indoors, so they should be fine. Well, let's go!"

* * *

"Yeah, this definitely looks like final boss location material."

Ignis found herself, alongside Pooh and Owl, in front of a spooky-looking cave that obviously appeared too dangerous to enter. According to Owl, the name of the cave had two names; Skull Cave, but more commonly known as Spooky Cave, by Pooh and his friends. Upon approaching the cave, Ignis could be certain of one thing.

Out of all of the places she's visited in the Hundred Acre Woods, this place reeked of darkness the most and contained so much negativity, which was practically a nesting home for Unversed.

"Thanks, Owl, for taking me all the way here, but I think from this point on, you should take Pooh and go somewhere safe," said Ignis. "Do you know someone named Kanga?"

Owl nodded. "Oh, yeah. Kind mother, she is. Also a very good friend. Why?"

"Well, I met her after escorting her son and someone named Tigger to her home. Tigger was injured when I found both him and Roo. Maybe you two should seek shelter at Kanga's home for the time being."

"Oh, my! Tigger was hurt?! Then we must go see him at once! Pooh?"

"Oh, yes. Do be careful, Ignis," said Pooh, waving at her.

Ignis nodded. "You two be safe, alright? Try and avoid any monsters and get to Kanga's safely. I wish I could go with you, but-"

"No, no. Eeyore's help is more needed than ours. We shall be fine," assured Owl.

Deciding to trust in Owl's words, Ignis ventured into the Spooky Cave, illuminating her sight with the light from her Keyblade.

Just as Owl and Pooh were about to head back, however, they quickly found themselves surrounded by Unversed. Before Owl could swoop Pooh up in the air and attempt to escape through the air, the Unversed were quicker than they thought and had knocked out the two of them after pinning them down, ruining their chances of escaping or even crying out for help.

* * *

"Damn! These things are too annoying!" grunted Ignis, using the blunt side of her Phoenix Fairy to block the bloodthirsty fangs of a bat-like Unversed. Quickly, she lunged an arm out and grabbed it by the wings before it could fly away, stabbing it once it was caught before setting it free to watch it disappear into darkness.

For a long while, Ignis had been exploring the deep caverns and many times has she encountered groups of Unversed along the way. It wasn't just jaguar, bee, elephant, and weasel-like Unversed anymore, but also bat-like Unversed. Unlike the Unversed she faced previously in this world, the Unversed within the caverns seemed much more aggressive and powerful, possibly due to the huge amount of negativity inside the Spooky Caves. It was also possible that they were drawn to the light with her; the Keyblade.

While she hated having to face so many Unversed at once, it did make her job of locating each and every Unversed in this world much easier. Plus, battling more Unversed meant more battle experience and training for her, which also means that she would slowly grow stronger with each battle. She's been starting to develop more sword techniques, become more swifter and sturdy with her defensive movements, and her attacks were growing stronger as well.

Still, she did recall some of her master's teachings. She must not grow overconfidence, for overconfidence is the downfall for many warriors in the past. Still, sometimes she couldn't help but be overconfident sometimes due to how strong she has become against the Unversed. That, and she still tended to rely on magic, especially the new spells she was learning and inventing.

She tossed aside a Potion after gulping down its contents; the effects of the Potion healing her injuries that she suffered from her latest battle. She checked her bag for anymore Potions, Ethers, anything helpful during battle, and found that her supplies were very low. If she were to encounter a powerful Unversed later on, then she would have to savor her supplies for battle.

Soon, she found herself deep within the Spooky Cave, in an area filled with ice crystals. The crystals were shimmering with reflective light, so she had no more need for light from her Keyblade as she ceased the light powers and examined her surroundings carefully.

Exhausted and hungry, Ignis laid back against one of the cool ice crystals and slid down. "Maybe I should rest for a bit...A shame that I bring any snacks," muttered Ignis, putting up a Barrier spell around herself. Sure, she was low on Magic Power, but once she rested and the Barrier spell let down, she could just swallow one of her few, remaining Ethers and be on her way.

A strange, loud noise caught her ears as she got up, dispelling her Barrier spell. "Alright, break time's over," Ignis said to herself as she now sensed an enormous amount of darkness from nearby, much stronger than any of the other Unversed in this world. Trying to track down the Unversed, Ignis ran around the area; her eyes roaming around for any sign of trouble.

Hearing the sound of ice cracking, she turned and saw an enormous Unversed that had the fusion appearance of a skeletal dinosaur and a boar. Out of all of the Unversed she faced, this had to be the largest Unversed ever. What was truly horrifying was the fact that three unconscious beings remained in mid-air, held up by the bat-like Unversed.

Pooh, Owl, and...a donkey-looking creature which Ignis presumed to be Eeyore.

The skeletal boar Unversed tilted its head upwards and sprung open its jaws, opening all the way through as the bat-like Unversed that was carrying Eeyore started heading towards the Unversed. Realizing that Eeyore was about to become food, Ignis summoned her Keyblade and pointed it to the air.

"Magnera!" she shouted, focusing on strengthening her magic spell and trying to draw in the bat-like Unversed carrying their captives. Her idea worked, as the bat-like Unversed struggled to break free of her spell. As soon as they were close enough, Ignis had only a split second after cancelling her magnet spell to not only disarm them, but to take them down in one go. Once she did, she performed a Zantetsuken technique, successfully destroying the three bat-like Unversed.

All at once, though, Ignis was smacked into the ground when Pooh, Owl, and Eeyore crash landed on top of her. "Ow..." she groaned, gently pushing the three off of her. She took a good look at them, noting they were still unconscious. What she also noticed was that they were injured, though minorly compared to Tigger's previous injuries.

Glaring at the Unversed that intended to feast onto these cute critters, Ignis laid them against the ice crystal walls and stood up, donning her Keyblade Armor after activating it.

"Oh...Oh, he needs to DIE."

The skeletal boar Unversed reared up, letting out a low growling sound before charging towards Ignis. Being blown back by how fast it could move despite its large size, Ignis was taken off guard, but held up her Keyblade to block an attack. It wasn't enough to block all damage after the Unversed threw Ignis aside, smashing her against one of the ice crystal walls and leaving a crater from her crash.

Ignis fell down to the ground, groaning in pain. If she hadn't blocked with her Keyblade and worn her Keyblade Armor, the damage would have been much worse. Seeing the Unversed charge at her once more, Ignis casted an Aero spell beneath her feet to dodge the charge and land on one of the ice crystals.

Taking off her helmet, Ignis then began drinking a Potion and then an Ether to recover herself. After all, there was no mouth filter in her helmet, so if she wanted to drink something, she would have to take off her helmet. She nearly fell off when the skeletal boar Unversed started ramming itself into the ice crystal Ignis was resting on before she decided to bounce onto another ice crystal.

From above, she was see anything from down below. Right now, Eeyore, Pooh, and Owl were all still unconscious, but they were safe and far away from the skeletal boar Unversed, who was now focusing on Ignis. Preparing herself, Ignis got into a fighting stance and leapt off the ice crystal, quickly closing in on the slower Unversed and slashing at its side with Phoenix Fairy.

Surprisingly, her Keyblade cut through the bone-like body with ease like butter. She thought that the thick-looking fur would make things a bit difficult, but the discovery of the Unversed's defenses being so low was a huge advantage for Ignis to exploit. Thus, a simple and effective strategy was quickly crafted in Ignis' head as the battle commenced.

The skeletal boar Unversed was surprisingly fast, but not as fast as the swift bat and bee-like Unversed. It was possibly due to its skeletal body that made it move fast, otherwise, if it was just a regular, large boar Unversed, it would be much slower due to the amount of "meat" in its body. Whenever it charged towards her, all she had to do was dodge out of the way and hang onto one of the ice crystals to gain higher ground. When she got the chance, she would unleash several sword techniques onto the vulnerable sides of the Unversed, feeling not even a speck of armor or any other defense with the Unversed's body.

And the best part? She barely had to use magic against this Unversed, something that she quite relied on a lot.

Just when Ignis thought she was weakening it, she was dead wrong. Sometime during the battle, the skeletal boar Unversed let out a roar which alerted more Unversed to rush out from one of the pathways into the deep ice cavern and assist the Unversed, forcing Ignis to fight jaguar, bee, bat, weasel, and elephant-like Unversed alike.

Knowing it would take a lot of stamina to defeat more hordes of the backup Unversed, Ignis was forced to use area of effect light spells to extinguish the Unversed. She did need to stop using darkness spells so much and balance herself using light spells. Besides, she had to admit, she was growing a bit rusty in terms of light spells. While light spells did cost a bit much in Magic Power, they were effective against creatures of darkness.

When she was done with the large horde of Unversed, she was surprised to see a couple having survived her attacks and bypassing her for some reason. When she turned, she was more horrified to seeing the skeletal boar Unversed devouring the Unversed it had previously called out to assist it. Afterwards, the wounds Ignis inflicted onto it had magically vanished, healing the Unversed before it charged at Ignis.

Ignis frontflipped over the Unversed, landing on its back before pouncing off it to get to higher ground above the skeletal Unversed. _'I don't get it! He heals after eating those Unversed! Ugh! Isn't that like, cannibalism or something?'_ she thought, breathing heavily while trying to recover her energy.

For the next long while, Ignis continued to engage the skeletal boar Unversed, though her attacks grew more aggressive due to wanting to deal more damage to the Unversed before it had more chances to call upon more reinforcements. Unfortunately, that tactic failed as it still managed to successfully do so. Whenever that happened, a horde of Unversed would split up into two groups; one smaller and one bigger in terms of numbers. The smaller group would distract Ignis, while the bigger group was practically a feast snack for the Unversed as it devoured each and every one of the Unversed, thus satisfying its hunger and rejuvenating its wounds.

No matter how many attacks Ignis pulled through, it still wasn't enough to take down the Unversed. Now, not only was she injured and tired, but she was now done to only a single Potion and Ether left, so she knew she had to change tactics and try to figure out a way to destroy the very bane of this world; the skeletal boar Unversed.

What should she do? Should she retreat with Eeyore, Pooh, and Owl? No, she can't possibly carry three people at the same time, and they would only slow her down. Even if she could somehow managed to get them out of the cave, the Unversed would only chase her down. If possible, she would like to take them along with the other denizens out of the book world for their own safety, but she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. First, she wasn't even certain whether or not they could actually EXIT out of their book world, considering it is a world based on a children's storybook, and even if she could manage that, she wasn't sure if there would be any repercussions towards the denizens for leaving their world.

The main problem relied on the source of the skeletal boar Unversed's power; healing after eating. She attempted many times to try and cut off his food source, which happened to be the Unversed he kept summoning, but they still bypassed her even while fighting them to become food for the Unversed. No matter how much she tried to fight them, be it through her Keyblade or spells, they still kept flocking towards the main Unversed in this world.

With her remaining Magic Power, she could use it to unleash one of her most powerful fire area-of-effect spells, but she knew the end result would be very disastrous. She didn't want Pooh and the others to get caught up in the blast, and she can't guarantee that this spell would actually eliminate the skeletal boar Unversed. The other Unversed, yes, there'd be no escape for them, but she can't be sure with the skeletal boat Unversed. That, and she didn't want to cause a cave-in and get crushed herself.

What could she use to stop the skeletal boar Unversed's power? No matter what spells or attacks she used, it would just recover itself by calling forth more Unversed and eating them to regain its strength. Did she have any magic that could counter that? Fire, water, wind, earth, darkness, light, thunder, ice spells...no matter how much she tried, the skeletal boar Unversed wouldn't stay down. She didn't want to risk using her combination spells since they cost a lot of Magic Power and she had no more Ether left...

But what about the new Curse Magic spell?

Back when she was searching for a spellbook on light magic, she had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and read a spellbook based on some unknown magic called Curse Magic. She couldn't read almost any of the pages, but one of the pages, she was able to decipher and learn the contents of the spell, Stigma.

According to the Curse Magic spellbook, Stigma was a spell similar to enhancement magic such as Boost, Haste, Armor, and even spells like Enfire or Enwater. However, the difference was the power it held, which was once cloaked onto a weapon, it grants that weapon temporary ability to inflict wounds that could never be healed.

A fitting spell to end the ability of a troublesome beast.

Ignis placed her palm over the blunt side of her Keyblade, recalling how to activate the Stigma spell as she channeled her Magic Power into her Phoenix Fairy. The spell required the usage of darkness, healing, and enhancement magic; a total combination of three different types of magic. While this was happening, the skeletal boar Unversed was feasting on yet another group of Unversed to recover its wounds.

Once she finished, Ignis held up her Keyblade, brimming with a dark and green aura, indicating that the Stigma spell had successfully passed through. Now, all that was left to do was test it to see if its effect would work. However, she had to be careful, as the spell's contents did warn it would serve as a double edged blade. If she accidentally cut herself, then her wound wouldn't heal no matter what, so the effect naturally applied to her as well.

A weapon of light infused with magic deserving to be of the dark arts...a true balance between light and dark.

Once prepared, Ignis jumped off the higher grounds of the cavern and landed on the back of the Unversed, plunging in her Keyblade as deeply as she could. The skeletal boar Unversed roared in pain and started rampaging around, knocking down ice crystals with brute force. Ignis held on as long as she could, and once things settled for a moment, she pulled her Keyblade out and started on the offensive against the Unversed, still brandishing the temporary effects of the Stigma spell.

After hearing the Unversed roar for more assistance, Ignis decided not to fight the reinforcements, but rather spy from above and see if the Stigma effect worked. She watched from above as a group of Unversed rushed into the cavern and were being devoured by the Unversed. However, even after eating them, the notable, recent wounds on the Unversed's body didn't fade away, but rather remained there.

 _'It worked!'_ thought Ignis, glancing down at her Keyblade still glimmering with a dark and green aura. _'I can do this! If I play my cards right, I can end this!'_

Taking advantage of the Unversed's confusion over its ability not working, Ignis jumped down and landed safely on the ground before continuing to commence the attacks. Using the skills of the cricket she learned while being an actual cricket, she bounced off walls and ice crystals to maintain speed and to dodge attacks while counterattacking with her Curse Magic infused Keyblade. Her attacks were slow and aggressive, but started to rise up to more quicker attacks. No longer would she have to rely on the defensive as it was all about attacking while dodging.

The Unversed was growing more angrier as time passed, as its healing ability wasn't working no matter how many Unversed it called out. Every time it did, however, Ignis would find a safe spot above to observe and allow the skeletal boar Unversed to eat while she herself was recovering her breath. However, as time passed, not only did the skeletal boar Unversed fail in its healing abilities, but the number of Unversed being called started being reduced until there was nobody to call upon. Ignis took advantage of that to eliminate the number of Unversed inside the book world.

During her battle, Ignis had to continuously cast the Stigma spell on her Keyblade to keep up with the vital effect, as it was only a temporary effect based on a time limit. Each slash and stab grew bigger and deeper, but more importantly, more fatal. Eventually, the skeletal boar Unversed helplessly drooped to the ground, unable to defend itself or fight any longer.

Seeing this, Ignis charged in with everything she had, releasing an onslaught of sword techniques one after another combined with the Stigma spell over and over until finally, she landed one last hit that sent one last roar from the skeletal boar Unversed before it vanished completely into fading darkness.

Stabbing her Keyblade into the ground, Ignis panted as she now decided to rest from her long fight with the Unversed. Once again, she accomplished defeating a very powerful Unversed using a new spell. Still, it was probably best if she didn't use that spell very often, as it was definitely a double-edge sword. One accidental cut from her Keyblade, and she would never recover from that wound.

"Pooh..." panted Ignis, glancing over to Pooh and the others, who were still asleep. Just before she could reach them, she found herself transported out of the book world and back to Radiant Garden.

* * *

 _Back in Radiant Garden..._

"W-What?! What?! Where am I?!" exclaimed Ignis, glancing around.

"Whew! Excellent work out there, Ignis!" praised Merlin. "You have successfully destroyed all of those accursed Unversed inside Pooh's book!"

"Wait, how did I get back out here?"

"Well, I used my magic to force you out, of course!"

"Why?!" said Ignis, standing up. "I have to get back to Pooh and the others! They-"

"Not to worry, my dear! With my magic, it'll be simple for me to deal the damage done inside the world within the book. I can make it so that Pooh and the others will be transported safely back into their homes along with additional healing!"

"Well, that's a relief."

"That, and I will have to erase the residents' memories."

"Huh? Why?"

"Ignis," started Merlin. "This book...this world is full of purity, full of joy and happiness. Pooh and his friends will indeed have to face crisis and simple problems, but they can never face horrible dangers such as the Unversed. Not only would it disrupt the peaceful innocence of this world, but this event would horrible traumatize them. It's for the best that they have their memories erased. At best, they would probably think of it as a nightmare."

"Yeah...when you think about it, it does make sense. I don't want Pooh and his friends to suffer from this, either!" agreed Ignis. "I only wished I could do more to help..."

"Actually, you can. Perhaps you can buy more Ethers for me?" suggested Merlin. "I'm rather low on Magic Power trying to keep the Unversed from entering the book."

"Wait, did more come inside?"

"Yes, unfortunately. They seemed rather interested in the book, possibly due to the light within the book. But before you go, I would like to ask you something."

Ignis nodded. "Sure, what is it?"

"When I had the spare time, I did observe everything from reading the pages within Pooh's book, including your adventures. And then, I came across something interesting. That dark, unknown magic that you casted on your Keyblade during your fight in the cave...That was Curse Magic, wasn't it?"

"Y-Yeah...While I was looking for the light spellbook in your huge maze of books, I kinda came across some sort of Curse Magic spellbook. Sorry for looking without permission."

Merlin sighed. "Well, at least you were honest with me. I would normally reprimand you for that, but in that particular situation, it was good that you learned that spell. And, I did say you needed to balance out both light and darkness, so it was a good matchup in that fight."

"Merlin, you said you despised black magic, and I'm not talking about stuff like fire or water magic," said Ignis. "I'm guessing Curse Magic fits in your category of black magic, so why do you even have a spellbook like this?"

"To be fair, that spellbook used to be Mim's," explained Merlin.

"Mim...Madam Mim…?" Ignis could never forget that name. After all, it was the name of the first human being that she ever killed, even if by self-defense. Back then, she was only trying to protect Arthur and was planning on sparing Madam Mim when she was about to attack Arthur, so she had no choice but to kill her. Even if it was justified in self-defense, it was still technically murder.

"Yes, I am aware that you killed her," said Merlin, startling Ignis, as she never told Merlin this. "But Arthur explained to me already that you did so to protect him. It was quite unfortunate. Mim could have used her magic to help people, instead of causing mischief everywhere. Such a wasted talent..."

"So, after what happened to her, you went to her place and got her belongings?"

Merlin nodded. "I figured she didn't need them anymore, and I didn't want any evil sorcerer to get ahold of them. I did remember that Curse Magic spellbook being one of her favorite books to read. I can't stop you from using that spell you used, but I do advise you to use it wisely and only for emergencies."

Ignis nodded. "Of course! Master Eraqus made sure to drill it to me that I have to take responsibility for my actions!"

"Speaking of which, I do need to have a word with that stubborn former apprentice of mine sometime later...In the meantime, would you mind fetching some Ethers for me?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Ignis honestly didn't know what she was expecting. Vanitas appearing before her, or the fact that he was holding a bouquet of crystalized roses.

Probably both.

After buying more Potions and Ethers from a Moogle Shop, she was just about to head back to Merlin's place when she ran into Vanitas holding roses. That was an image she did not expect, nor would it get out of her head anytime soon.

They simply stood there, staring at each other in awkward silence with nobody around. The two of them weren't sure who might respond first, so they just kept silent, staring at each other awkwardly.

It was Ignis who broke the silence, glancing from Vanitas to the bouquet of crystalized roses. "...Those for a girlfriend?"

"W-what?! No! I don't have a girlfriend!" shouted Vanitas, snapping out of it.

"Then what are the roses for?"

"I...It's..."

Yeah, no way was Vanitas ever going to admit that he actually got them for Ignis. He had been watching her ever since she arrived in Radiant Garden and fought off that huge, messed up powerful Unversed alongside her friends. He was there when they started arguing and split up into different paths.

And then, he saw her suffering.

First, it was with Aqua. Both girls had argued with one another about light and darkness, and honestly, because Ignis had been using more darkness than light, and with Aqua's uptight attitude, Vanitas was on Ignis' side of the argument while he thought of the blue-haired Keyblade Master as nothing more than some strict bitch. He couldn't care less about Ignis, but her reaction to the end result of their argument left Vanitas confused about some twisted, suffocating feeling inside of him, almost as if he felt...bad for her.

Next up, was Terra. He thought the conversation between him and Ignis would go much smoother because of both of them using darkness, but he was wrong. Vanitas was surprised to learn that Ignis trusted him and that he hadn't done anything wrong. Well, perhaps trust wasn't the correct term, but more like she thought that he hadn't done any wrong other than simply antagonize her and her friends. They weren't friends, but saying that they were enemies left somewhat of a strange, bitter taste in his mouth.

Xehanort must have told Terra that fabricated, fake story about how Vanitas was responsible for everything. Well, he wasn't wrong, but Xehanort was also lying because his master was also part of this plot to summon Kingdom Hearts. He knew his master had to keep up the appearance of an elderly man trying to do his best to maintain peace in order to maintain the trust with Eraqus and his students.

Back to Terra and Ignis. Even Vanitas was a little shocked himself when he heard Terra spout out that Ignis was a problem. Honestly, he never expected to hear that from Terra, one of Ignis' best friends that she's known her entire life. Seeing Ignis so close to tears made Vanitas want to punch Terra in the goddamned throat for some reason, but he decided that since Terra was of huge value to Xehanort, he would leave Terra's unfortunate, upcoming fate to his master.

Vanitas didn't know how Ignis did it. How she can contain her emotions after being told off by her two best friends. How she can still keep that goddamn smile and be all cheerful-like after everything that's happened. Who was she trying to impress? Because clearly, nobody's going to be around, praising her for keeping up that annoying, cheerful façade. Not even him.

And then, the worst of the trio had to ruin everything. His other half, Ventus.

Admittedly, it was oh, so, _satisfying_ to witness Ventus' slight breakdown when he learned that Ignis danced with him, Vanitas, instead of with him back in the Enchanted Dominion world. He wished he had a camera or a recorder to capture just that one moment so that he could look over it later and watch it over and over again. Although he never asked for it, it was...rather touching to have someone stand up for him. He didn't know why Ignis would stand up for him instead of agreeing with Ventus that he was evil, indeed.

And then, he learned the reason why Ignis was standing up for him. He felt...confused and conflicted. On one hand, he was annoyed when she stated that he looked sad, because in his opinion, that might come off of him being weak, and he didn't want to be seen as weak! On the other hand, it was nice, knowing that someone actually cared for him. Nobody's ever cared for him, not even Xehanort. He knew Xehanort was only using him for his own means, and he was honestly fine with that. He had no bonding experience with Xehanort, and he didn't even want to.

Then, Ventus had to say just three words that not only crushed Ignis, but also made Vanitas want to kill him over a hundred times ago.

 **I hate you.**

Vanitas could practically hear Ignis' heart shattering and being torn to pieces as she was forced to hear Ventus rant on. It was clear that Ventus was obviously jealous of Vanitas and that he was taking his frustration out on the wrong person. He's never seen a more hurtful expression on Ignis before. That scene to anyone was like watching an army of baby kittens and puppies being trampled and stomped on over and over again. When he saw Ignis' expression, it took everything out of Vanitas not to charge right there and kill Ventus.

He so wanted to do. He wanted to rip out Ventus' lungs and then shove them down his throat. He wanted to thrust his hand into Ventus' chest and then crush his heart. He wanted stab Ventus with Void Gear many times over, then heal him, and then stab him again, and then heal him to continue the torturous process. He wanted to tear out Ventus' liver and force him to watch him eat it raw. There was so many things he wanted to do to his other half that, in no way possible, fit in the category of "friendship."

But, he restrained himself and decided to just watch over Ignis. Seeing her break down and cry after that...well, it left an unknown, twisting feeling inside of Vanitas. He didn't know why he had the nauseating feeling of wanting to comfort her. Why he wanted to do the romantic cliché stuff like comfort and hug her. But, one thing was for certain, and that was that he wanted to see her smile again.

No tears, no façade, just a genuine smile.

He decided to leave Ignis alone for the time being to think of how to actually comfort her indirectly. During that time, he decided to just wreck shit just for funsies and summon a whole bunch of Unversed in Radiant Garden. During this, he had encountered Aqua and found the perfect excuse to utterly CRUSH her not only because she was pretty useless in Xehanort's plans, but also for what she did to Ignis.

However, he had underestimated her, and she proved much tougher than expected. Sure, he lost, but he gained a great deal of knowledge over her fighting style and what he planned on using on against her the next time they fought. When he teleported out of that area in Aqua's perspective, he didn't transfer out of that world, but rather in a different area to not only heal his own wounds, but ponder on what to do for Ignis.

Come to think of it, why is he doing anything for Ignis? She was annoying, selfish at times, and a pain in the ass. But, like he mentioned, there was just something about her that attracted him towards her. He still couldn't figure out what that was, but he knew he didn't want to see Ignis so sad. He wanted...to see her happy.

Which brought him the idea of sending her flowers from an anonymous sender.

What he never expected was to run into Ignis after stealing the crystalized roses in front of the flower shop. Yup, he stole them. Didn't even bother paying for them. He just did it for the fun of it. That, and the roses were surprisingly very expensive.

Now, what was he going to say to Ignis...?

"I stole them."

"What?!"

"Look, I wanted them, but I didn't want to pay, so I stole them!"

"I can't believe you!"

"Well, too late. Can't take them back now."

"Oh, yes we can! Come on, we're taking them back to the flower shop where you stole them!"

"Pfft! Why bother? And what makes you think I'm going back there? You gonna drag me there?"

"Hmmm...something like that."

 **CRACK!**

"AH! YOU BITCH! YOU KICKED ME IN THE SHIN! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Great! Now you can't escape easily! Come on, Vanitas! Let's go, go, go!"

"Ugh...You're gonna pay for this, you know! At the very least, could you hold onto the damn roses?!"

"Well, alright. Let's go!"

When Ignis, who was holding onto the bouquet, and a limping Vanitas, arrived in front of the flower shop, the flower shop owner were outside in front of the flower shop, looking frantic. When she saw the two, she placed her hands on her hips and glared at them accusedly.

"You two! You look suspicious! Did you steal the Crystal Roses that was placed in front of my flower shop?!"

"Well, my friend here has something to say about that," said Ignis, pointing to Vanitas.

Vanitas sighed and nodded, walking forward. "Yes. Well, you see, ma'am, I cannot tell a lie...It was my girlfriend who stole the roses."

"WHAT?!"

"G-Girlfriend?!"

Knowing that nobody could see his expression, Vanitas couldn't stop the smirk forming on his face. Girlfriend...that sounded nice. He continued, "Yeah. You see, it was our one-year anniversary, and she was upset that I couldn't get her flowers. She already demanded so much out of me. I got her some nice presents, but she started nagging at me to get roses. Because I couldn't, she decided to steal them instead. So, I found out and dragged her back to make her apologize for stealing them."

The flower shop owner turned to Ignis. "Is this true, young lady?!"

"I-I don't-I-Vanitas!" Pulling Vanitas aside, Ignis hissed, "Gah! You-! I know you're having some smug smirk on your face! Wipe it off! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Shifting the blame. Oh, and don't worry, firecracker. After you apologize and pay for the flowers, you get to keep them. Isn't that wonderful?"

"You'll never get away with this, you son of a-"

"AHEM!" coughed the flower stop owner. "If that's true, young lady, then pay up! I won't accept any excuses! Do it or I'll have the guards arrest you!"

"Grrrrr…."

* * *

"I can't believe you lied and made me pay what you stole, you asshole!" whined Ignis, now holding onto the bouquet of the crystalized roses formally called Crystal Roses.

"Hey, if you didn't kick me and drag me there, none of this would have happened," said Vanitas, walking alongside her. "Payback's a bitch, after all. Just be glad you got to keep the roses."

"Yeah, after literally paying for your actions! I didn't even realize that these actually cost SO MUCH! It took almost all of my Munny to pay it off, you son of a bitch!"

"Eh, I've been called worse."

"...But still, thank you."

"Hmm? What the hell are you talking about?" wondered Vanitas.

Bringing the Crystal Roses closer to her, Ignis asked, "Well, roses are my favorite flowers, and...You...you bought these for me, didn't you? Well, actually, you stole these for me, right?"

"Wha-I did no such thing! Why would I do that?"

"I honestly don't know. But there's no way that someone like you would just steal flowers, FLOWERS, for no good reason, right? Plus, I kinda have a woman's intuition that these were meant for me."

"...Pfft. Whatever. I'm leaving. Got some stuff to take care of. And, if I steal anything else, I'll be sure to blame you."

"Hey!" cried out Ignis, turning to her just as Vanitas was leaving. "Wait a sec-Vanitas! Wait! I have to ask you!"

"...What?"

"Did...did you really cause trouble for my friends? If so, why?"

"...I'm actually surprised," said Vanitas. "I'm surprised you would even still consider those idiots as your _friends_ after all the bullshit they said about you. If it were me, I wouldn't even associate with those jokers anymore."

"Well, I mean... they...they weren't... _wrong."_

"...I can't tell you anything," Vanitas said as he opened up a Dark Corridor. "But I can tell you this. This path you're taking, the whole light and darkness balance thing...is... _interesting._ It's not bad. Actually, I want to see where it goes, so, like an annoying old man keeps telling, _May your heart be your guiding key."_

"That's-!"

"Oh, and one word of advice. Don't be blinded with so much light. Otherwise, you'll just end up like those three idiots you call your _friends."_ With that said, he left, leaving Ignis alone.

When Ignis returned, she found Merlin resting with the place nearly cleaned up, as though no evidence of any Unversed attack was ever there. When Merlin spotted her, his eyes went wide when he saw the Crystal Rose bouquet, so he shot up from his seat and rushed to her.

"W-Where did you get these?"

"Ah...from the flower shop...?"

Rubbing his long beard, Merlin nodded. "Ah, yes, it IS that sort of season this time around, yes. Ignis, do you know what these are called?"

"Crystal Roses. Why? I mean, I guess they're unique because they're made of crystals, but-"

"Oh, but it's so much more than that! These are very special flowers, growing only in this time of year! These crystalized flowers contain so much Magic Power and can heal your wounds! They're...I suppose they're like the flower versions of Elixirs! But unfortunately, they're very rare, hard to grow, and are very limited. Plus, they wither very quickly in a matter of a few days."

"Huh, kinda explains why they're so expensive," muttered Ignis. "Hmmm...Okay! I guess you need them more than me, so I'll give you them!"

"Are you sure? What about the task I gave you?"

"Ah, don't worry. I still have them, but I think that you deserve the Crystal Roses better! So, just take them!"

After being shoved the Crystal Roses, Merlin conjured up a flower vase to put the Crystal Roses in. "Ah, yes, thank you. Then, you shall keep the Ethers while I keep the Crystal Roses. Is that clear?"

"Sure! Okay!"

"Then, let us dig in!" said Merlin, taking one of the Crystal Eoses and chewing on one of the petals.

"Whoa, wait! They're edible?!" exclaimed Ignis.

"Why, yes. There are some plants in other worlds that are edible, you know. And the Crystal Rose is one of them. It is how we can recover our Magic Power and heal our wounds, after all. Come, you may have one as well."

Taking one of the Crystal Roses, Ignis winched as she bit down on one of the petals, tasting nothing but the bland taste. Still, the more she chewed and swallowed, the more she felt her Magic Power recovering and her wounds closing up.

"You know, these flowers remind me of a fond memory from long ago," admitted Merlin.

"Yeah?" wondered Ignis.

"Back when I used to take in your master as one of my apprentices. Out of all of the flowers in existence, he loved white lilies the most. Do you know what white lilies mean in flower language?"

"Uh...No?"

"They mean purity. White purity. I remember him saying that he wished to grow a garden full of white lilies one day."

Ignis snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah! Master Eraqus actually has that. He keeps a secret garden in the Land of Departure where he tends to that sometimes during his free time! He said that whenever one of us becomes a Keyblade Master, he'll show that person his secret garden!"

Merlin chuckled. "Then, I believe he has accomplished his dream. But, from what I've been hearing, it appears he's been relying too much on purity."

"What...do you mean?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Ignis? I have a proposal for you."

"Yeah?"

"How would you like to revisit the Hundred Acre Woods again?"

* * *

 **Wow, big chapter, I know! I know! And surprise, surprise! Not only do we actually get to see the Hundred Acre Woods World in this version of Birth by Sleep, but we also encounter our Seven Sin of the world!**

 **First things first, the Unversed representing one of the Seven Deadly Sins; Gluttony! I had the Unversed of that world be representing Gluttony because...well, it's Pooh we're talking about. He's always hungry for honey! Plus, I couldn't see any other world representing Gluttony, and since Merlin was in Radiant Garden with Pooh's book, I thought, why not?**

 **Anyways, back on track! Like I said, I did Gluttony because of Pooh, and its ability to heal after eating is part of the sin it's representing! The reason why I chose the Unversed to appear as a skeletal boar is simple. Gluttony's animal is obviously the pig because it eats so much, so I chose a boar. As for the skeletal part, it's because of the Skullasaurus featured in the Winnie the Pooh series. It was some fictional, scary monster lurking in the Skull Cave, aka the Spooky Cave, so I combined that idea with the Gluttony boar Unversed to make a fearsome boss!**

 **As for why I chose the Winnie the Pooh world, well, it's cute and adorable, something Ignis would obviously enjoy! But, not at the moment, as it was invested with Unversed. I know, I know, only certain people can enter the book, but the next chapter will explain why the Unversed, beings of darkness, was able to enter the world, and before you say anything, no, Vanitas has nothing to do with that. This would come in play later with Sora being able to enter. And before you think of anything, this will be the first and last time any evil being will enter the world of Winnie the Pooh.**

 **In all honesty, having things like the Unversed or Heartless entering the world and terrorizing the helpless Pooh and his friends, who are completely innocent and pure, would be both interesting and heartbreaking. I mean, this is a world full of innocence and Pooh and his playful friends that we all know and love. While having a plot like that would be interesting, the fans of Kingdom Hearts would have further motivation to SLAUGHTER every single evil being that entered the book, even if it happens to be Xehanort. After all, they only want to protect Pooh and the others from harm. It's like in Fire Emblem Awakening the chapter after Chrom's eldest sister died, and the Fire Emblem fans were so motivated to fight in that chapter, especially with the rain scene and the OST, "Don't Speak Her Name," being in the background. That would be the same, only Winnie the Pooh style.**

 **Seriously though, Pooh's World is basically a world for cute cinnamon roll characters like Midoriya Izuku or Pikachu, or Eevee, or something along those lines. Not that I'm complaining. But it would be a dream come true if that were the case.**

 **Anyways, here we go with Dr. Facilier's prediction! In the last chapter, which was heartbreaking for you fans, his predication came true! Ignis did meet the Judgement, The High Priestess, The Emperor, and The Tower! Along with the two Magicians, both upright and reverse! Let's start with the High Priestess and Emperor, which are both Aqua and Terra. Ventus represents the upright Magician, while Vanitas is the reversed version of the Magician! The Tower represents emotional breakdowns, tantrums, disasters, while the Judgement represents, well, judgement, like judging someone, so those two combinations represents the situation Ignis was forced it when she was told off by her friends. Dr. Facilier did mention she would meet the High Priestess, Emperor, and both sides of the Magician in Radiant Garden, with reversed Magician representing manipulation and trickery, which is what Vanitas is.**

 **Now that we've got that cleared, up next is his next prediction. This world represents Temperance, which is about trying to find balance, something both Merlin and Ignis are aware of. It also is the manifestation of a wish, and Temperance also has temptation, which is a part of the Gluttony sin as it's always tempted to eat and always does so.**

 **Alright, that's out of the way! Also, Ignis will be learning more types of magic, and I already have it planned out on what her summoned Familiar is going to be!**

 **That said, read and review!~**


	19. Hundred Acre Woods (2)

**Wow! We're way past 100 reviews! Yay for this story! And now, it's the chapter you've all been waiting for! Get ready for some fluffiness fun and cuteness action!~**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Home," from RWBY, sung by Casey Lee Williams.**

* * *

Dilan and Aeleus, two soldiers guarding the front doors of the castle in Radiant Garden, were enjoying the peaceful atmosphere within Radiant Garden. Though their job was simply to guard the doors, they took it very seriously, especially with the recent attacks from the strange monstrous creatures that have been seen around several areas of Radiant Garden. In some cases, they mysterious vanished without a single trace, or it was left to them and the others soldiers to finish them off, although it would take more than one blow to finish them.

Just as they were enjoying their day, they heard a startling, strange squealing noise and brought their weapons up in arms. This noise continued for a little while longer until it faded away.

"Aeleus, did you hear that?"

"I _felt_ that."

* * *

Even, a scientist working on yet another experiment in his lab within the castle, was currently mixing two vials of differently colored liquids separately. Just before he could test them out, a loud, piercing squealing shriek nearly caused him to drop his two vials.

"Gah!" cried out Even, placing the two vials down before covering his ears. This continued until the squeaking shriek came to an end. "Wha...What the devil was that sound?"

* * *

"-EEEEEEEKKKKK! OH MY GOD! YES! I'D LOVE TO GO BACK TO POOH'S WORLD! EEEEEEK!"

"Okay, okay! Settle down, please!"

Merlin attempted to calm down an overenergetic Ignis, who was practically bouncing up and down in excitement with that giddy grin on her face. After hearing the offer of being allowed to go back inside the cute book world, Ignis couldn't help but let out a high-pitched squeal of joy that nearly broke Merlin's eardrums and was heard throughout Radiant Garden.

"I-I'm sorry, but I just can't help it! You're giving me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter a cute, adorable cinnamon roll world!~" cried out Ignis. "I'm living every girl's dream!"

 _'More like every child's dream,'_ thought Merlin. "And what do you mean, 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?' As I recall, you already entered Pooh's world."

"Yeah, but his world was already infested with Unversed at the time, so that doesn't count! Besides, you said you were gonna erase everyone's memories of that horrible event, so it'll be like re-meeting everyone all over again! Only with a clean slat!"

"Yes, well, perhaps you should know the reason as to why I'm allowing you to enter the Hundred Acre Woods to begin with," spoke Merlin, clearing his throat. "There are two reasons. One, it's to help you. To comfort you. I...Well, I'm not very good with comforting others, but I do try my best! Eh...it's to help keep your mind off your...friends."

From hearing Merlin's words, Ignis looked down, being reminded of the last time she saw her friends. Last time did not go so well. Actually, it went horribly wrong. She wasn't sure if she could face her friends again after what happened, but the fact that Merlin was trying to help her in any way he could was rather touching of him.

"And the second reason is, I have found the perfect spell to protect Pooh's world from ever being overrun by evil ever again!"

Ignis immediately lit up. "Really?! That's great! Er...how does this involve me, exactly?"

"Well...this is a high-skilled defensive ritual spell that has a couple of conditions. First, the caster must pour in a large amount of Magic Power, which you have provided me with the Crystal Roses, thank you very much. Secondly, focus is key to controlling and maintaining this spell. And...well, there is a third thing, but it's optional. Still, if it further protects Pooh and his friends, then it's an absolute requirement."

"What is it?"

Merlin grew silent before speaking up. "...A sacrifice. And no, I know what you're thinking-! It isn't like some sort of sacrificial ritual where one must die and sacrifice their life to cast a spell! No, the sacrifice will have to give up half of their lifespan."

"What happens if they do?" asked Ignis. "I mean, I know that they'll probably lose half of their life-"

"It's not like that. For instance, if a person who was to live for 60 years were to sacrifice half their lifespan, then they'd live up to 30 years. So, only their actual lifespan is deducted in half. However, it is possible to cast this spell without the need of the sacrifice."

"Great! Why don't we do that then?"

Merlin shook his head. "Yes, well, if I did that, then no evil will enter Pooh's world for, at most, 10 years. Afterwards, the spell will wear off, and any evil will be able to enter Pooh's world freely. I can try and stop that evil from happening, but...I'm only one person."

"What happens if someone does sacrifice half their life?" asked Ignis.

"Then, the protection spell would be permanent. No evil and no one with evil intentions will ever be able to enter this book, even after 10 years has passed. Pooh and his friends would be safe from harm forever from evil sources outside. That's just how powerful this spell is. Now, I cannot perform as the sacrifice for two reasons. One, I am the caster, and the caster isn't allowed to be the sacrifice. Two, even if that was allowed, I am an old man, and my life span may not even be enough. It's required for a young person to be the sacrifice."

"..."

Ignis knew she had to think this one through carefully. This wasn't a decision to be taken lightly. It wasn't any life-or-death situation, but it did involve life and death. Ignis did want to live for a very long time, but how could she do that if she were to give up half of her lifespan? It wasn't that she didn't want to protect Pooh and the others, but giving up half her lifespan wasn't something she was willing to do, either.

"That's the second reason why I wanted to grant you access into the book world," sighed Merlin. "To explore and have fun with Pooh and his friends. Then, once you're done, you can make the decision. Either way, I won't blame you if you choose not to be the sacrifice."

"...I'll...I'll think about it," said Ignis, her mood dampened because of the new knowledge she just learned.

"...While you're gone, I'll work on updating the Unversed Cleanser and other things, so...just have a good time, alright? Don't think about anything about the sacrifice for the time being, alright?"

"...Okay."

* * *

 _In the Hundred Acre Woods..._

Having landed inside the storybook world, Ignis checked her surroundings and found not the destruction of the world she had first laid eyes on originally, but a peaceful, tranquil forest with not even a hint of darkness anywhere. This is how the peaceful world of the Hundred Acre Woods should be, instead of mass destruction everywhere with the Unversed running amok.

At first, Ignis was excited to enter Pooh's world once again, on good terms this time, but after hearing Merlin's reasons for allowing her to do so, she was a little upset. She didn't blame Merlin, of course, as this was something that had to be said sooner or later. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to protect Pooh, but would it have to be at the cost of half her life? Was it really worth protecting-

No, why was she starting to think of something as horrible as that? Of course she had to protect Pooh, but the thought of actually giving up half her life sounded...wrong and scary. She still had so much to live for, after all. But isn't it also wrong and selfish to consider her own life over Pooh and the others' own safety? Was she actually willing to allow this world to be at risk to danger just because she didn't want to give up half her life? Well, they'd be safe for at least 10 years until the spell's limit wears down, but still...

"Think, think, think...think, think, think..."

Turning around, Ignis saw Pooh sitting on a log, pounding away at his head with one eye squeezed tight as he was muttering to himself, lost in a train of thought. She decided to check up on him and see how he was doing, in case Merlin's magic effects on this world actually worked.

"Hey, Pooh! How are you doing?" asked Ignis once she was close enough.

"Hmm? Oh, hello. Who are you?"

 _'Did he really forget? Well, Merlin did say he would use magic to clean up the mess in this world and erase everyone's memories, so naturally, Pooh should forget memories of me as well,'_ Ignis thought. "Oh, well, I'm Ignis! Nice to meet you, Pooh!"

"Ignis, is it? I'm Winnie the Pooh, but you can call me Pooh," introduced Pooh before resuming his previous activity, which was thinking. "Think, think, think...Think, think, think..."

"Whatcha doing, Pooh?" Ignis asked, sitting next to him.

"Oh, I was just thinking of a gift to Rabbit, to say I'm sorry to him."

"Sorry? What for?"

"Oh, I made Rabbit very upset and angry, so I thought that if I apologized and gave him an apology gift, he'd no longer be mad."

"What happened?" wondered Ignis.

"Rabbit always has yummy honey at his home, so I thought I'd help myself to a small smackeral or two."

"Okay, so...did you ask permission to eat his yummy honey?"

"Permission?" asked Pooh, looking confused.

"Okay, maybe I should ask in a different way...Did you ask Rabbit if you could eat any of his yummy honey?"

"Well, I didn't ask, but he had a pot full of honey with him, so I had a smackeral or two," replied Pooh.

"Okay, now I see the problem," said Ignis. "Pooh, you can't just eat other people's food! If you want to, you have to ask for their permission first! Pooh, what you did was practically _stealing_!"

Pooh placed a hand over his head, surprised. "Oh, my! Stealing is bad. I didn't know that I've been stealing Rabbit's food all this time."

"All this t-How long have you been doing this?"

"Hmm...Think, think, think..." Upon hearing Ignis' question, Pooh went back to thinking.

"You know what? Never mind. How about we go to Rabbit's house right now?" suggested Ignis.

"But...I haven't gotten him an apology gift yet."

"I think it's fine. If you apologize to him with all of your heart, I'm sure he'll forgive you!"

"Really?"

"Well, I actually haven't known him for that long, but...it doesn't hurt to try, right? Come on, Pooh!"

Pooh nodded, getting off from the log. "Okay, then."

"Wait!" cried out Ignis. "Before we leave...Could I get a hug?"

"Oh, okay." Pooh walked towards Ignis with his arms out and, since Ignis was taller than him, hugged her leg. It took everything out of Ignis not to squeal from joy before she scooped up Pooh in her arms and hugged him tightly.

"You are just so adorable and fuzzy and soft and cute and-Eeeeeek!" Ignis finally squealed, twirling around while still hugging Pooh.

"Oh, I think you're warm too, Ignis," said Pooh, unfazed by how tightly Ignis was hugging him due to him being a walking, talking stuffed bear.

A few minutes of hugging Pooh, Ignis took the stuffed honey-loving bear by the hand and started walking with him towards Rabbit's home, which wasn't far from where they were at. Further evidence of Merlin fixing the book world was proven when Ignis saw the once-destroyed and half-eaten garden completely back to normal, fully flourished and ripe.

Rabbit wasn't outside, tending to his garden, so he must been inside his own house. Knocking on the door, Ignis waited alongside with Pooh for the door to open. When Rabbit opened the door, he wasn't amused to see Pooh, but he was surprised to see a "newcomer" he hasn't seen before.

"Oh! Hello! Who are you, young lady?" asked Rabbit.

"I'm...new around here. My name is Ignis," said Ignis, reintroducing herself. The last time she and Rabbit met was for the first time, when he was attacked and injured by the Unversed, which she fixed him up quickly and got information from him inside his home. Hopefully, this time, things would be different for the good kind. "So, I was just walking around and I happened to meet Pooh, who said he was thinking of a way to make up for the situation he caused. Pooh, do you have something to say?"

She lightly tapped him forward, prompting Pooh forward. "Oh, yes. Rabbit, I'm sorry for eating your delicious honey. I didn't mean to get you mad."

Rabbit placed his hands on his hips, wearing an angry expression. "While I do appreciate the apology, Pooh, I'm not ready to forgive you quite yet! This is the last straw! I won't have you eating anymore of my honey, ever again! You ate one too many pots of honey I had, and I'll have to go fetch more honey tomorrow! I was looking forward to having a picnic later today until you and your tummy showed up!"

"Wait, he ate more than one pot?" wondered Ignis, turning to Pooh. "Pooh, you told me that you had a little snack!"

"Oh, yes. I had a smackeral or two of honey today," replied Pooh.

"A smackeral doesn't count as an ENTIRE POT OF HONEY!" shouted Rabbit. "I refuse to lend you anymore honey! Good day!"

"Oh, Rabbit-"

"I SAID GOOD DAY!" With that, Rabbit turned and slammed the door behind their faces.

"Oh, bother. What am I to do?" wondered Pooh, turning around and walking away while proceeding with his thinking pose. "Think, think, think..."

"I mean, you already apologized to him, so I guess we just give him some space," said Ignis. "But seriously, Pooh? A whole pot? I can't believe you ate a whole pot of honey! I mean, I like honey too, but I wouldn't go and eat a whole pot of that sweet, sticky stuff!"

"Oh, do you have a pot of honey, Ignis?"

Slightly annoyed, Ignis bent down and flicked Pooh on the forehead, causing him to flinch. "No, bad Pooh Bear! Bad! No more honey for you, today!"

"Oh...Sooner or later, though, my tumbly's going to be rumbly soon."

"If that happens, then no honey! Don't you have any other favorite foods that you can eat besides honey?"

Pooh nodded. "Yes, of course. But my most favorite of all is honey! But, I do feel bad for Rabbit. He seemed really mad this time. Oh, I don't want to get into a fight with him. Because, fights are bad, and if we fight, we may not be friends anymore."

After hearing Pooh's words, Ignis fell silent, as his words reminded him of her slight depression earlier with her friends. Unlike Pooh's situation, the fight between her and her friends was much more tense than the one with Pooh and Rabbit. Sure, they said awful things, but Ignis was certain that it was entirely her fault. Because of her, they may not even be friends anymore, because Ignis truly believed in the hurtful words her friends said.

Her harsh experience with her...well, she wasn't certain if she could still call them friends at this point, but her experiences made her more resolved to help Pooh out before he makes the same mistake as her.

"Pooh! Is there anything that Rabbit likes?" asked Ignis, placing Pooh's palms into her own. "You said you wanted to get him an apology gift, right? Maybe if we get him something and apologize again, he'll forgive you, and you can be friendly with each other again!"

"Oh, what a splendid idea, Ignis!" agreed Pooh before sitting on the ground and pondering what to do. "Think, think, think...think, think, think..."

"Hmm...what are Rabbit's favorite things?" Ignis asked again.

"Well, I see him with his garden, and reading, and drinking tea, and cleaning!" replied Pooh.

"Okay, that's a start..." muttered Ignis. _'Because Merlin fixed up this world after the whole Unversed issue, I don't think he needs anything in regards to his garden. I don't know what books he likes to read, and drinking tea? Yeah, I'm not really a big fan of tea. It only tastes good if you put in a lot of sugar, but other than that, it's mostly hot, tasteless water most of the time. I...don't think Pooh is the right person to help clean up Rabbit's mess.'_

"All this because I had a snack with Rabbit's honey..." sighed Pooh.

"Ah! Pooh! That's it!" said Ignis, snapping her fingers. "Because you ate Rabbit's honey, he has none left! So, why don't we just get him some honey?"

Pooh nodded. "Yes, but um...how will we be able to bring the whole honey tree to Rabbit's house?"

Ignis giggled. "Silly bear! We're not just going to pick up and carry the honey tree over to his home! Do you have any spare honey pots at home?"

"Yes. I have a lot, but they're always empty for some reason."

 _'I can't imagine why,'_ thought Ignis, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay, then we'll need to carry them all in something. Do you have like, a wagon or something?"

"A wagon? No, but I think one of my other friends do. Maybe Piglet or Christopher Robin! Oh, but Christopher Robin is someplace everyday called...well, he learns from that place everyday."

"School?" guessed Ignis.

"Ah! Yes! School! He goes there everyday!"

"Well, I guess that checks him out for now," said Ignis. "Alright, let's meet your adorable friend, Piglet! Lead the way, Pooh!"

"Okay-"

"Ah! Wait!" Ignis bent down and hugged him from behind, lifting him up to her chest plate. "Okay! Now, point the way, Pooh! And I get to hug you all the way to the end! Eeeek! Go me!"

"You must really love hugs, Ignis. I do love hugs, too," stated Pooh before pointing to another path. "That way!"

 _'Hanging out with a stuffed bear and getting the chance to hug him numerous times!~ Best. Day. EVER!'_ thought Ignis, happily skipping along the way to Piglet's house.

* * *

 _At Piglet's house..._

Using a broom, Piglet was brushing away any leaves and dust off his outdoor property, humming to himself as he was cleaning up. Once he finished, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked up in time to see Pooh and an red-haired girl holding him approaching his way.

Pooh, he was comfortable with, but he was unfamiliar with the red-haired girl who seemed taller and scary in his eyes. Hiding behind his broom, Piglet shyly asked, "H-Hello, Pooh! W-W-W-Who is that with you?"

"Hello, Piglet," said Pooh, waving at him before Ignis placed him down on the ground. "This is my new friend, Ignis."

Kneeling in front of the small pig creature, Ignis looked at him and smiled. "You're Piglet, right? My name is Ignis. It's so nice to meet you! You're so cute!~" She offered her hand to him, motioning him to shake it.

"O-Oh! I-It's a p-p-pleas-Er, Nice to meet you!" said Piglet, taking her hand and shaking it lightly. At first, he was frightened of her, but he did mellow down a little and was a bit more relaxed, seeing how friendly she was being.

"Piglet, do you happen to have a wagon we could borrow? You see, Pooh did something bad to Rabbit, so he wanted to get an apology gift for him. And we decided that we needed to put honey in honey pots to give to Rabbit, but we need something to carry all of those pots with. That's why we came to you," explained Ignis. "Could you help us?"

"O-Oh, sure! O-of course!" said Piglet before retreating inside of his home. A minute later, he came back, dragging a very small wagon with him.

"Hmm...I'm not sure if that wagon will fit the pots in," admitted Ignis. "Sorry, Piglet. Do you have anymore wagons?"

Piglet looked down, shaking his head. "N-N-N-No. I-I-I'm sorry...I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help."

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"I...I can't tell you that. I don't want you to get more involved than you already are."_

 _"Terra, we've known each other for over 10 years," said Ignis. "Now, I'm not as strong as you or Aqua, but you can definitely rely on me!"_

 _"...No, I can't," muttered Terra quietly._

 _"Terra-"_

 _"No, Ignis! End of discussion! You're not helping, and that's final!"_

 _Frustrated, Ignis asked, "Why won't you let me help you?! Ven, I can understand because he's not that experienced and not as strong as us, but I thought you'd at least consider-"_

 _"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND DO WHAT I SAY?!" snapped Terra, part of his arm slowly enveloped in darkness. "God, you've always been like this! Why can't you just listen and obey orders?! You're such a child, and even after 10 years, you haven't changed! Grow up already!"_

 _Although hurt by his words, Ignis' attention was on the darkness that was on his arm. "Terra, calm down! What's your problem?"_

 _"YOU! **YOU'RE A PROBLEM**! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM TO **ME AND EVERYONE ELSE**! YOU'RE JUST AN ANNOYING PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A **DAILY BASIS**!"_

* * *

Hearing Piglet's words reminded her of what Terra had last spoke to her, about her being a problem to everyone, including him. Remembering such a cruel memory left a stricken expression on Ignis' face for only a moment before she shook her head and placed her hands on Piglet's shoulders, trying to reassure him with a forced smile.

"N-No! You didn't do anything wrong! You did the best you could!" said Ignis. "Even though you didn't get us the right wagon, you still did okay!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah! Totally! But, I have to ask, do you know if any of your other friends have wagons? Preferably bigger ones?"

"O-Oh...I don't know..." muttered Piglet. "Oh! Perhaps Kanga has one! But then again, I saw that Rabbit had one, too."

"Eh...this apology gift is meant to be a surprise for Rabbit, like similar to a birthday surprise," said Ignis, placing a finger to her lips. "So, we have to keep this a secret from Rabbit, okay?"

Piglet nodded. "Okay! Then, let me just put back the wagon-"

"Actually, you can keep the wagon out. I have an idea," said Ignis. "We still might need to use it. Uh...Do you have any rope I can borrow?"

"Oh, yes! Be right back!"

After Piglet returned and handed Ignis the rope, she tied the long length to the handle of the wagon since because it was a small sized, the handle was naturally short as well. So, she extended the length of the handle with the rope and started to drag the wagon behind her. She had Piglet sit in the wagon to enjoy a free ride, while she carried Pooh in one arm as they made their way to Kanga and Roo's home.

* * *

 _At Kanga and Roo's home..._

"Tigger! Tigger! Let's have a bouncing contest to see how long we can bounce!" said Roo.

"Oh hoo hoo hoo hoo! What a splendid idea, Roo!" agreed Tigger. "Huh? Say, isn't that Pooh and Piglet?"

Ignis, who was still carrying Pooh and dragging along Piglet, saw Tigger and Roo not too far away, as the two bouncers were bouncing right next to Kanga and Roo's home. She was relieved when she saw the tiger creature happy and alright, unlike the last time when she saw him injured and unconscious. And she was even happier seeing the happy expression on little Roo's face, whereas the last time, she saw him sad and upset over Tigger and the Unversed attacking them.

"Oh! It's Tigger and Roo! Hello there!" called out Pooh, waving his hand at them.

"Wait a sec..." said Ignis, peering her eyes closely. "It does look like they're coming at us, but Tigger seems much faster-Is he about to tackle us-OH!"

Quickly realizing Tigger's intentions, Ignis scot out of the way swiftly, causing Tigger to bypass Ignis and roll around until he hit a tree, crashing headfirst.

"Tigger!" cried out Roo, who stopped bouncing and rushed over to his aid. "Are you okay?"

Shaking his head several times to cease being dizzy, Tigger bounced right back up literally. "Whew! Say, what's the big idea? Ol' Tigger here just wanted to greet ya!"

"Sorry about that," apologized Ignis before putting down Pooh and helping Piglet out of the wagon. "I'm Ignis, a pleasure to meet you!"

Bouncing up to Ignis, Tigger shook her hand while bouncing on his tail. "Hi there! I'm Tigger! That's T-I-double-guh-eer!"

 _'Yeah, I'm pretty sure Tigger is spelled like Tiger, only with an extra G,'_ thought Ignis.

"Hello there! I'm Roo!" said Roo, walking up to Ignis and Tigger.

"Well, nice to meet you, Roo!" welcomed Ignis before turning to Tigger. "Say, do you and Roo...are you two okay? Like, are you two hurt anywhere else or something?"

"What an odd question! I'm just as bouncier as always, because I'm a Tigger!" replied Tigger, jumping high in the air to prove his point.

"I'm alright, too! Me and Tigger just decided to play outside for a bit!" said Roo.

 _'I guess they're telling the truth. If they did remember a bit about the Unversed, but decided to hide it, I would have noticed any hesitation, but there are none. Guess Merlin really did erase their memories,'_ thought Ignis.

"Oh, Tigger and Roo! We'd like some help, please!" pleaded Piglet. "You see, we're trying to get some honey, but we need honey pots to carry. Our wagon isn't enough, so we were hoping that you might have a bigger, spare wagon?"

"Hmm...Don't really have one of those," admitted Tigger.

"Ooh! Maybe Mama knows! Mama! Mama!" called out Roo, hopping to his door and knocking on it. "Mama! Mama! Mama!"

The door opened, and Kanga popped out, curious as to what her son wanted. "Yes, Roo? What is it?"

"Do we have a really, really, BIG wagon? Pooh and the others need it!"

"Only to borrow! We promise to return it back once we're done!" called out Ignis.

"Hmm...Ah! I think I know the perfect wagon!" said Kanga before retreating back inside. A minute later, she returned while holding onto the handle of a much sturdier, bigger wagon than the one belonging to Piglet. "Will this do?"

"Yes, it's perfect! Thank you, Miss!" said Ignis. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Ignis, and I'm sorta new around here!"

"Well, nice to meet you too, Ignis," said Kanga, handing her the bigger wagon. "My name is Kanga, Roo's mother."

"Mama! Mama! Can me and Tigger hang out with Pooh and Piglet and our new friend?" asked Roo happily.

Kanga chuckled. "Of course you can! Just don't get hurt while playing, okay?"

"Okay, Mama!"

 _'Wait a sec...Kanga...Roo...Kangaroo!'_ thought Ignis. "Oh! Now I get! Ahaha! Kanga and Roo!"

"What's wrong, Ignis?" asked Piglet, curiously.

Patting him on the head, Ignis said, "Oh, it's nothing!~ Come on! Let's go! Let's go to Pooh's house!"

"Ooh! What are we gonna be doing there?" asked Tigger, watching as Ignis managed to fit Piglet's small wagon onto the bigger one.

"Oh, just collecting honey pots to get honey for Rabbit as an apology gift," replied Ignis as she helped both Piglet and Pooh sit onto the bigger wagon for a ride along the way.

"An apology gift? What'd you do to Rabbit anyways?"

"Oh, it was all my fault," sighed Pooh sadly. "I made Rabbit angry by eating all of his honey again, so now I want to make it up to him by giving him some of my honey pots."

"That's so sweet and considerate of you, Pooh," said Kanga. "Tell you what, I was just about to make a large batch of cookies, so if you do a good job, I'll give you all some cookies, too!"

Ignis gasped and rushed up to Kanga, surprising the mother kangaroo. "What kind are they? Are they chocolate chip? I love chocolate chip!"

Kanga nodded. "Yes, it's a family recipe. I'm certain you'll enjoy them just like everyone else."

"Whoo-hoo! Come on, guys! Let's go hurry up and get that apology gift!"

"Oh, wait! Can I ride in the big wagon, too? It looks like fun!" said Roo, lifting his arms up for Ignis to carry him.

"Sure!"

After placing Roo in the big wagon alongside Pooh and Piglet, Ignis made extra sure they were safely secure before she dragged the wagon full of small passengers away with Tigger bouncing behind her while they headed to Pooh's house.

* * *

 _At Pooh's house..._

 _'Hmm...everything seems to be in place,'_ thought Ignis, examining around the insides and outside of Pooh's home. _'The door that was broken down earlier seemed to be fixed and everything inside doesn't look like it's been ravaged by wolves. Well, I'm just glad Pooh and the others are going to be safe. For 10 years, at least. I'm not sure whether I should go along with that ritual spell. Still haven't made my decision, but-'_

"Ignis?"

"Huh?" Hearing her name being called, Ignis looked down and saw Piglet tugging on the end of her skirt.

"A-Aren't we going to put the honey pots in the wagon, now?" Piglet asked.

"O-Oh, right! Let's count how many honey pots there are and then divide them by half!" suggested Ignis. "But first, let's gather them all up! Tigger, you and I will get the top cabinets and cupboards! Roo, Pooh, and Piglet will get the lower ones and the closet! Is that okay with everyone?"

"Sure is! I love bouncing more!"

"Oh, of course. Anything to help Rabbit feel much better with a bit more honey!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"Y-yes, that's alright with me!"

When they finally collected all of the honey pots inside of Pooh's house, Ignis was baffled to discover...A LARGE PILE of honey pots. She hadn't expected this many honey pots.

"Jeez, Pooh, how much honey do you eat?" exclaimed Ignis, scratching her head. "Ugh, never mind! Change of plans, guys! I don't think we can fit even half of these honey pots into the wagon, so we'll just have to-"

She was interrupted by the sound of the door knocking. "Who is it?" called out Pooh, walking towards the door and opening it to reveal Owl holding a couple of lollipops in his wing.

"Ah! Pooh! And I see you've got Roo, Tigger, Piglet, and...oh? Who's that young lady?" wondered Owl, surprised to see Ignis.

"My name's Ignis! Nice to meet you!" introduced Ignis, pretending not to know Owl.

"Ignis? A peculiar name! Then again, my other relatives have also had peculiar names!" spoke Owl, though his expression contorted to that of confusion after he said that.

 _'Huh, that's...exactly the same thing he said when he met me the first time,'_ thought Ignis.

"Hmm...Odd. When I said this, it felt...as though I was repeating myself. Ah, it's probably nothing! Anyways, I came because my cousin Beatrice sent me a package full of lollipops, and I wanted to share them with everyone!"

At his words, everyone gathered around him as Owl started to pass a lollipop each to them. Ignis liked sweets, so she would take any chance to get free candy. The last lollipop was in Owl's wing, and it was quickly decided that he would receive it.

While everyone was enjoying their lollipops, Ignis stopped licking hers and glanced at hers before looking at Owl. She was always pondered on something and decided to ask Owl, since he and Rabbit seemed to be the smartest out of Pooh's friends, and well, Rabbit wasn't here.

"Hey, Owl?"

"Hmm?"

"How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?"

"Let's find out," said Owl. "One! Two! Three!" He firmly bit down on his lollipop, only managing to take off a small portion of the lollipop, but not the entire thing. "Huh, I suppose it doesn't take three licks, then. I wonder why I thought that?"

After their lollipop break, the gang explained their situation to Owl, who was more than happy to help them out. With another friend accompanying them, they all headed out towards the nearest honey tree, with Pooh taking the lead. Much to Ignis' discovery and quick dismay, Owl chatted all about his family lineage and stories about his various family members along the way, in which all of the stories were boring, but she didn't dare bring that up.

Once they arrived, they glanced up and saw that the honey tree was very, very tall, and that the hollow hole containing the honey inside was at the very top.

"How do we get up there?" wondered Roo.

"Just leave it all to good old Tigger!" said Tigger, grabbing an empty honey pot from the wagon before proceeding to bounce up and down, rising higher and higher. Just before he could scoop out any honey, he was attacked by bees and ceased bouncing.

"T-T-T-T-Tigger!" cried out Piglet, shaking in fear before Roo and Owl attempted to help him, only to be swarmed by other groups that had split up to attack the ones that dare drew near Tigger.

"Bees! Ugh! I hate bees!" said Ignis. "Aero!" With a wave of her hand, she sent a strong gust of wind at Roo, Owl, and Tigger, knocking the bees away. The bees quickly retreated and zoomed back inside their honey tree home.

"Oh! Are you alright?" Pooh asked.

"I-I think so," said Roo before looking up at Ignis. "Wow! You can use magic? That's amazing!"

"Yes, thank you, Ignis!" said Owl, ruffling his feathers a bit and trying to reorganize them.

"No prob! I hate bees! Their bee stings take forever to get rid of, and they're so itchy!" said Ignis. "Well, I guess we can't use Tigger's method, but nice try, big guy."

"Awww! My bouncing had no effect!" said Tigger sadly.

"Hmm...What should we do?" wondered Ignis. "Those bees are a big problem, and I don't wanna get stung!"

"Ooh! P-P-Perhaps we should c-c-climb?" suggested Piglet.

"Uh...I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, have you seen how high that tree is?"

"I could fly of course, but I, too, don't wish to be stung," said Owl.

"I got it!" said Pooh after thinking to himself. "We shall get some balloons and I shall use them to fly up to the top and gather the honey!"

Glancing at Pooh's body up and down, Ignis said, "I...I mean, you could probably be lifted up in the air for sure, but I don't feel like that's safe, either. If only we had some kind of...bug repellent or something!"

"Can't you use magic to make the bees go away?" asked Roo?"

"Uh...Magic doesn't work like that. Believe me, if I knew the perfect spell to make them go away, I would," said Ignis. "We need a better, safer plan!"

"Why not sing them a lullaby?" asked Pooh. "Sometimes, whenever I want to get honey, I would sing them a lullaby, and they would fall asleep!"

"I...Uh...Does that actually work?"

"Oh, yes!" said Piglet, nodding his head. "I've been with Pooh sometimes whenever he goes honey hunting, and he has such a lovely voice!"

"Hmm...Okay! I think I have a good plan! IF this works, and I'm actually having a few doubts about it, then we may be able to get the honey!" said Ignis. "I'll climb to the top of the tree and...distract the bees. Owl, Tigger, you go and collect the honey once the bees are asleep. After you finish gathering the honey, give the honey pots to Roo, Piglet, and Pooh! Is that all okay with everyone with this plan?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, deciding to go along with this plan. Pooh, Roo, and Piglet got the empty honey pots out of the wagon and placed them on the soft ground, while Owl and Tigger readied themselves to take action once the time was right.

Before Ignis could climb up the tree, she walked up to Pooh and knelt down. "Pooh? I need you to listen to me. Everyone's roles are important, and I know how much you love honey, but this time, it's for Rabbit. I need you to promise me that you won't take even a small 'smackeral' or honey this time. Maybe next time, when we go honey hunting, you can have all the honey you want."

Pooh nodded. "Oh, I promise. I still feel awful. I want to make it up to Rabbit. He's a very dear friend, after all."

"And I'm sure that he'll appreciate your apology gift once we give it to him. If he knows how hard you and everyone else has worked to get this honey for him, then I'm sure all will be forgiven. So just...Here!"

Ignis held up her hand, closing all her fingers save for her pinky finger. "Let's do a pinky swear."

"Oh, silly! Your hand isn't pink! Piglet is pink!" giggled Pooh.

Ignis giggled. "Oh, no. I wasn't talking about the color, pink. I was referring to the my little finger right here. It's called a pinky. Now, let's do a pinky swear."

"What's a pinky swear?"

"A pinky swear is where two people hook their pinkies together and make a promise, starting from, 'I pinky promise.' Now, this is important, Pooh. Pinky promises are very important, and you can't break them."

"W-W-W-W-What happens if you do break them?" asked Piglet fearfully as everyone drew their attention to Ignis and Pooh's conversation.

"If you break your pinky promise, that means you've done a really bad thing! The more pinky promises you break, the more you become a very bad person! You all know who Santa Claus is, right?"

"Oh, boy! Of course! Of course! Once every year, he comes and gives presents to all the boys and girls in the world!" said Roo excitedly.

Ignis nodded. "Yup! That's right, Roo! But, the most important part is that he gives presents to _good_ boys and girls. As for very _bad_ boys and girls...well, they get nothing. Or was it coal? I forget, but the point is, you mustn't be bad, or Santa will not give you presents this year. He knows everything even when you try and hide it."

"Oh, no! T-t-t-that is bad!" sputtered Piglet.

"Yes, she's quite telling the truth," said Owl. "One time, my brother Anthony was very bad, so he received no gifts that year!"

"So...if I make and keep a pinky promise, will that make me good?" wondered Pooh.

"Yup! So, make a pinky promise with me, Pooh. Pinky promise me that you won't eat any of the honey we collected, because they're an apology gift for Rabbit! If you do keep this promise, you'll prove that you're a good Pooh Bear, and Rabbit will be happy!"

Pooh smiled and was about to make a pinky promise when he looked down at his paws and frowned. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't, Ignis. You see, I don't have any pinkies."

"That's alright. Just wrap your hand around my little pinky right here!" said Ignis, inching closer to him. "It'll still count!"

Pooh nodded and did as Ignis said. "I pinky promise not to eat any of the delicious honey that's for Rabbit."

"Not even a smackeral?"

"Not even a smackeral."

Ignis released her pinky from Pooh's hand and patted him on the head for a good job before proceeding to climb up the tall tree. She's climbed trees a lot back when she was younger and still did at her age, but she never did climb a tree this tall before. Even if she slipped and fell, she could always use magic to catch herself.

The plan actually succeeded and went much more smoothly than Ignis anticipated. Ignis began humming a song, and that was enough to get the bees to fall asleep rather easily and quickly, though she was close to summoning her Keyblade to whack the bees away from her. After the bees were secure inside of their bee besides inside the hollow hole, Tigger and Owl did their best to stay quiet and collected the honey. Whenever they did, they would give it to Roo, Piglet, and Pooh and place it inside the wagon before being given another empty honey pot to continue their job. Several times, Pooh fought the urge to eat the honey, but he remembered the important pinky promise and that this was all for Rabbit, so he helped out Roo and Piglet the best he could.

* * *

 _Later, at Rabbit's house..._

"I'm proud of you, Pooh," said Ignis as the entire group were getting closer to Rabbit's home. "You kept your pinky promise and didn't eat even a single little bit of the honey. I'm sure Rabbit will be happy."

Pooh nodded. "Oh, I am ever so hungry, but I suppose Rabbit is more important."

"Allow me!" said Owl, knocking on Rabbit's front door.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming!" Rabbit opened the door and was surprised to see so many of his friends gathered around...though, he was displeased to see Pooh again. "Oh, what do you want now, Pooh?"

Pooh stepped forward with a sadden look on his face. "Rabbit, I'm ever so sorry for eating your honey and making you mad. I don't want to stop being friends, so as an apology gift, I bought you lots of pots of honey."

Everyone moved out of the way to reveal the wagon full of sticky, gooey, honey pots brimming with honey. Rabbit's expression changed to that of delight and surprise as he rushed over.

"Oh! So much honey! Enough to last me at least a month!" said Rabbit gleefully as he picked one up.

"We helped, by the way," reminded Ignis.

"Oh, yes. Everyone here helped gather some honey," spoke Pooh.

Rabbit put down the honey pot and turned to everyone. "Yes, well, thank you, everyone for collecting all this honey for me! Pooh, I appreciate and accept your apology, and...well, I owe you an apology as well. I was too harsh with you, and I can see that I hurt your feelings. Pooh, you could never stop being my friend, and I'm sorry that I made you think that. It's just...I was mad because you kept coming over for more and more honey, always taking it for yourself and all. But, since you worked so hard to make this wonderful apology gift, I suppose...every now and then, it's alright for you to come over and eat some honey."

Pooh brightened up after hearing Rabbit's apology. "Oh, I'd like that very much. Thank you-"

"Ah, ah, ah! But not all the time! Just sometimes, alright? I don't always want to face a shortage of honey in my home!"

"Oh, yes. I understand, Rabbit. Thank you."

Ignis watched Rabbit and Pooh hugging and making up with each other with a smile. While she was happy for them, she frowned and looked down sadly. If only their reconciliation would be the same for her and her friends. She couldn't forget their harsh words at the end, and knew that she was the cause of everything behind their latest argument.

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"Do what you want. But, this path you're going... I'm absolutely certain that Master Eraqus would be **disgusted and disappointed** with you. **...I know I am**." _

_"YOU! **YOU'RE A PROBLEM**! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM TO **ME AND EVERYONE ELSE**! YOU'RE JUST AN ANNOYING PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A **DAILY BASIS**!" _

_"You've changed. And for the worst, too. Light is corrupted? Darkness needs to exist? What crazy belief caused you to think like that?! And how can you be that interested in Vanitas?! He's hurt and kidnapped you! He's just using you! He wants to use you to gain what he'll get! He's not interested in someone like you! If you think for even a second that he has the slightest interest, then, you... **You're just a Fool."**_

* * *

Yeah, no way an apology gift was ever going to get back to their good spirits. This world was a lot more naïve than she imagined, but that wasn't always a bad thing. Naivety belonged to this peaceful world, along with kindness and friendship. Although she's only spent a short time with them, Ignis was starting to create a deep bond and connection with the denizens of this world. In this world, you didn't need to worry about the Unversed or any agents of darkness.

Still, seeing Pooh and his friends having such close bonds with each other...made her sad. She also felt a little envious, but only because of her shattered friendship with Aqua, Terra, and Ven. She didn't mean to make them upset, and while she knew they never meant any of those harsh words, they still hurt a lot. How was she going to properly face them the next time they met?

"...gnis? Ignis?"

"H-Huh?" Ignis saw everyone was staring at her with concerned looks. "W-What's the matter, guys?"

"A-A-A-Are you o-o-okay? You looked sad and ready to cry," spoke Piglet timidly.

"Ah, sorry guys! I'm totally alright!" assured Ignis. "So, what's up? What's next?"

Rabbit cleared his throat. "Well, as I was saying, because you all bought me so much honey, I don't have to cancel my plans to make a wonderful picnic today! So, I need time to cook a wonderful Carrot and Honey Cream Soup. Therefore, if possible, I need all of you to try and bring at least one picnic item to bring to the picnic! It can be anything! Food, blankets, anything to make this a wonderful picnic!"

"Oh hoo hoo hooo! Sounds good to me! I'll definitely find something!" said Tigger before bouncing away.

"I suppose I have just the thing, though I really should have saved those lollipops for later," said Owl before flying away.

"P-P-Pooh? Would you mind helping me find a good picnic item back home?" asked Piglet, tugging on Pooh's shirt.

"Why, I'd love to, Piglet," said Pooh before taking Piglet's hand into his own as the two friends started heading back to Piglet's house, hand-in-hand.

"Wait a sec," said Ignis. "Uh...Where is the picnic location supposed to be?"

"At Pooh and Piglet's Corner, of course!" said Rabbit.

"Yeah...I don't know where that is."

"I do! I do!" said Roo, jumping up and down. "I can show you on the way back home!"

"Well, I can't let a little kid run back home all by himself," said Ignis, kneeling down in front of him. "Okay, I'll escort you back home, Roo. Okay? And you can show me where Pooh and Piglet's Corner is, alright?"

"Okay!"

"Hmm..."

Ignis recalled one memory she had when she was a child. Just like Roo, she was hyper and energetic, a real troublemaker back in the day. But sometimes, Eraqus allowed her to sit on his shoulders just so she could feel taller. And Roo was right around the same age back from long ago, so...

"Roo? Would you like to view things from high above?"

"Are you going to use your magic to make me do that? I wanna fly like Owl!"

"Oh, no. I'm not using magic to make you fly, but I can make you feel taller."

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna do that, then!"

Scooping up Roo, Ignis then placed him on her shoulders and held him close so that he didn't fall. Like she did when she was a child, Ignis heard the little kangaroo gasp in awe as he was very high in the air thanks to Ignis.

"Wow! I can see a lot of things from here!" said Roo. "Like that tree! Or that butterfly! Or these veggies!"

"Okay, Rabbit! We'll meet up at that picnic place later, okay?" called out Ignis, waving goodbye to the rabbit.

"Yes, yes, take your time! Mmm! I cannot wait until I make a huge batch of my special soup to everyone!"

* * *

 _At Pooh and Piglet's Corner..._

"Here we are!" said Roo, pointing to the sign which clearly stated the name of the area; **"Pooh and Piglet's Corner."**

"I see. It is a rather huge field. Do you think I can explore and look around here?" wondered Ignis.

"Of course! And maybe we can even visit Eeyore, too!"

"Eeyore?" Ignis remembered that that person was the donkey-like creature that was captured by the Unversed the last time she came here. "Yeah, I wanna know how he's doing. Would you mind introducing him to me, Roo?"

"Okay!"

It didn't take them long to find a house made of sticks, and laying inside that miniature house was the donkey, Eeyore. Ignis was surprised that anyone could live in a simple yet badly structured house like that, though everyone is inclined to their own opinions. Besides, the house of sticks reminded her of the fairy tale, "The Three Little Pigs."

"Eeyore! Eeyore! Eeyore!" called out Roo happily.

Getting up, Eeyore boredly looked at Roo. "Oh, hello, Roo. Who's your new friend?"

"This is Ignis! She's a nice, helpful girl! Ignis, this is one of my friends, Eeyore!"

"Hello! Eeyore, are you alright?" asked Ignis, wanting to know if he was suffering from any effects from being captured by the Unversed, even though his memories were wiped clean.

Glancing over to Ignis, Eeyore blandly spoke. "Just dandy. Nothing to see here."

"Eeyore! Eeyore! Rabbit's planning a picnic sometime around here later! Please come and join us!" said Roo.

Eeyore sighed. "If you insist. Not like I've got anything better to do anyways."

"Uh...Is he always like this?" wondered Ignis to Roo.

Roo nodded. "Yup, but he's our friend, and we love him for who he is."

 _'If he's always filled with depression, no wonder the Unversed captured him in the first place,'_ thought Ignis. _'Depression is just another way of attracting negativity, and this guy's full of depression!'_

"Soooo..." started Ignis. "That house of sticks is your home, right?"

"That's right."

"Don't you feel...cold sometimes? Like, what if it's winter, or a really stormy night?"

Eeyore shrugged. "Eh, I'm used to the cold. It doesn't faze me anymore." Despite his words, when a cold breeze flew by, anyone could see him shiver before the breeze died down. "See? Nothing."

"Yeah, I don't buy that. Anyways, nice meeting you, Eeyore! I'll see you at the picnic!"

"Alright, then."

While Ignis was leaving, she turned to Roo and said, "Alright, Roo. Does your mother have some blankets?"

"Yeah! Mama knows a lot of things! She can sew, cook, and even bathe me!"

"If that's the case, I'm going to ask your mother if I can have one of her blankets."

Roo tilted his head in confusion. "Why would you want a blanket? Are you cold?"

Ignis shook her head. "It's not for me. It's for Eeyore. Sort of like a surprise."

"Oh! Okay!"

"But you gotta keep it a secret from Eeyore, alright? At least, not until I give it to him, okay?"

"Okay! You're so thoughtful and nice, Ignis!"

"Hehehe!~ Thanks, Roo!"

* * *

 _At Kanga and Roo's house..._

"A picnic? How exciting! Of course me and Roo would be honored to go!" said Kanga happily. "Why, it's a good thing I prepared the cookies, then! In fact, I just made a new batch!"

"Ooh! Can I eat one, Mama? Just a little? Just one?" asked Roo.

"Ooh! Can I ask the same?" Ignis also requested.

Kanga shook her head. "Sorry, you two, but no eating anything until the picnic. You wouldn't want to spoil your appetites, right?"

"Yes, Mama/ma'am," sighed both Roo and Ignis.

Remembering Eeyore, Ignis spoke up. "Um...Miss Kanga? I was wondering if you had a spare blanket I could have?"

"Hmm? Whatever do you need one for?" wondered Kanga.

"It's for someone named Eeyore. I saw that he lived in an outdoor home made of sticks and I felt bad for him. I mean, he must be cold during rainy or winter days, so I figured that maybe a blanket might help keep him warm. I mean, I would prefer if he lived in an indoor home like yours, but-"

"Oh, how thoughtful of you, Ignis!" cooed Kanga. "Why, of course I'll help! I believe I do have some spare blankets around here. Would you mind keeping an eye on Roo while I'm gone?"

"I don't mind, ma'am!" said Ignis, watching Kanga leave for the next room. She spotted Roo trying to bounce up and down to grab one of the cookies that was on top of the tall counter and walked to him. "Roo, you heard what your mother said. No cookies until we get to the picnic."

"Awww!" whined Roo.

 _'Yeah, I was like him when I was around his age,'_ thought Ignis. _'Master Eraqus always scolded me whenever I tried to steal a cookie in the cookie jar.'_

To distract Roo, Ignis decided to play a few games with him until Kanga returned with a few blankets. After helping Kanga and Roo packed up what they needed for the picnic, the trio set off for Pooh and Piglet's Corner. Once they arrived, they found only Eeyore sleeping in his little stick home, but the others haven't arrived quite yet.

"Eeyore!" called out Roo loudly, about to run towards him.

"Shhh! Roo! Eeyore's sleeping!" hissed Ignis.

Kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder, Kanga softly said, "Roo, perhaps we should let Eeyore rest."

Unfortunately, because of Roo's outburst, Eeyore started to wake up and let out a yawn, alerting the trio of his awakening. "No need," assured Eeyore. "Wasn't really that sleepy, anyways."

"I'm sorry for waking you up," apologized Roo, walking up to Eeyore. "But look! We got you some blankets!"

"I hope you don't mind, but I told Kanga that you might be cold while in your stick home, so I thought maybe it's best to get you some blankets," said Ignis.

"Here you go, Eeyore," said Kanga, placing some blankets right next to his stick home.

"Thanks for noticing," said Eeyore. "I do get cold sometimes, but I didn't want to be a bother."

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND DO WHAT I SAY?!" snapped Terra, part of his arm slowly enveloped in darkness. "God, you've always been like this! Why can't you just listen and obey orders?! You're such a child, and even after 10 years, you haven't changed! Grow up already!"_

 _Although hurt by his words, Ignis' attention was on the darkness that was on his arm. "Terra, calm down! What's your problem?"_

 _"YOU! **YOU'RE A PROBLEM**! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM TO **ME AND EVERYONE ELSE**! YOU'RE JUST AN ANNOYING PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A **DAILY BASIS**!"_

* * *

Ignis' hands trembled upon being reminded thanks to Eeyore's words. Biting her lips, Ignis then clenched her fists to stop the trembling and took a deep breath, refusing to break down right there and then. She forced herself to smile and turned to Eeyore.

"No...You're not. You're not a bother. One person helping another is only natural," replied Ignis. "Right? Roo? Kanga? Eeyore's not a problem, right?"

"Of course he isn't! He's one of my bestest friends!" said Roo, hopping up and down.

"Honestly, I was worried for him too, but I didn't know what way to help him, but Ignis provided a heartwarming solution," admitted Kanga. "Besides, you're one of our dear friends, Eeyore. You should learn to rely on us more."

"...I suppose you guys are right," said Eeyore. "Thanks, again."

"You're welcome!" said Ignis, grinning. "But, Eeyore! In exchange for the warm blankets, I want you to promise me something!"

"Ooh! Is it going to be like a pinky swear promise?" wondered Roo.

"Yeah, sure. I guess we'll go with that! Eeyore, pinky promise me something! Pinky promise me that you won't ever say that you're a bother ever again!" said Ignis, holding out her pinky. "Your friends care for you, Eeyore. You have no idea how lucky you are because of that! So...just promise me, alright?"

"...How do I do a pinky promise?" asked Eeyore at long last. "I have no pinkies."

"Just use your hoof, then! Silly donkey!" giggled Ignis, placing her pinky onto Eeyore's hand-like hoof and shaking it. "There! We pinky promised!"

"...Okay."

"Helloooo!" A young boy entered the Pooh and Piglet Corner, calling out for anyone in need. He spotted Ignis and the others and walked up to them, approaching Ignis first since he was familiar to everyone else. "Hello! You must be new around here, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes! It's so nice to meet you!" said Ignis, offering her hand. "Where are my manners? My name's Ignis! What's yours?"

"Christopher Robin! A pleasure to meet you, Miss Ignis!" said Christopher Robin, shaking her hand. "I see you've met Kanga, Roo, and Eeyore! Have you met Pooh and the others?"

"Yup!" said Ignis. "They're all so cute and friendly! Oh! Did you know? Rabbit's planning a picnic sometime today! Would you like to be included?"

"Oh? Okay!" said Christopher Robin. "But...Rabbit's not here yet."

"That just means we have time to play before everyone gets here! Or hang out and talk, whatever you guys want to do!"

"I wanna play! I wanna play! Mama! Mama! Come on and play with us!" said Roo.

Kanga giggled. "It's been a while since I've properly played with you and the others, Roo. Alright, but only until Rabbit gets here. Then, we help him set up the picnic. Eeyore? What about you?"

"You can play. I'll keep a lookout for Rabbit," said Eeyore gloomily.

"Are you sure? I feel like I should be on the lookout," said Ignis.

"It's fine. I don't like playing a lot, anyways."

"Hmm...Okay! Then, I made my decision!" said Ignis proudly. "Roo, Christopher Robin! I'm sorry! Instead of playing with you guys, I'm gonna hang out with Eeyore! At least until Rabbit comes, okay?"

Eeyore, although having a gloomy expression, lifted up his head. "But..."

"Don't worry! I want to do this!" Ignis said, turning to him. "Maybe we can just talk, or just sit next to each other! But, I'm not leaving you alone! Kanga, maybe you can play with those two!"

"Oh, alright."

True to her word, Ignis stayed with Eeyore and the two of them silently watched as Kanga played around with Christopher Robin and Roo around the open field. Both Ignis and Eeyore shared little talk with each other, but mostly kept to themselves.

While Christopher Robin was playing Tag with Kanga and Roo, he accidentally tripped on a rock and scrapped his knee, causing him to cry out in pain. Hurriedly, everyone rushed up to Christopher Robin and immediately noticed the wound on his knee.

"Oh, dear! I'll go get some medicine!" said Kanga.

"No, wait! Let me!" said Ignis, kneeling down and hovering her hand over the young boy's knee. "Cure!"

A simple healing spell was enough to make the wound and pain vanish before Christopher Robin stood back up, as though he was completely unharmed in the first place. "Wow...What was that?"

"A simple healing spell," replied Ignis. "Be more careful where you're running, alright?"

"Wow! Wow! See, Mama? I told you she can use magic!" exclaimed Roo.

"Yes, but only for emergencies, like right now. Christopher, are you alright?"

Christopher Robin ran around a bit before returning, nodding. "Yes, thank you!"

Once Rabbit and the others arrived later on, Ignis and the others helped set up a large picnic table to place all the food everyone gathered in. Pooh brought in honey, Rabbit brought in his promised arge pot of Honey and Carrot Cream Soup, Kanga with her chocolate chip cookies, and basically, almost everyone brought in one food item to put for the picnic and for them to share it with all.

Back in the Land of Departure, Ignis enjoyed her meals with her friends and Master, as though they were all one big happy family. But with Pooh and the rest of the company? It felt like a blooming explosion of friendship and family all around as they ate, chatted, and were even a little playful around the table. Kanga's chocolate chip cookies were the best cookies she's ever had, as they tasted _heavenly._ If she has the chance later, she'll definitely ask for the recipe!

After the picnic, everyone joined together to play games with one another. They explored several parts of the Hundred Acre Woods, played games such as Tag and Pooh Sticks, and did several more activities until it was sundown, where they all gathered on top of a grassy hill to watch the sun rising down slowly while the colors of the skies started changing from mixtures of red, pink, orange, and yellow to the colors of the night.

"Pooh?" spoke up Rabbit.

"Yes, Rabbit?"

"I...uh...I just wanted to apologize again for my awful behavior towards you," said Rabbit. "It was rude and unfair of me to yell at you like that."

"Oh, it's alright, Rabbit-"

"No, no, no! It's not alright! Yes, I do get upset that you eat all of my honey every time you come and visit, but this time, I felt that my comments towards you were really hurtful! And, I slammed the door right to your face! I could have hurt you! Now, it's one thing to yell at you, but I could never wish to hurt you! I...I'm ever so sorry, Pooh."

Pooh, being the gentle soul that he is, moved closer to Rabbit and rubbed his back. "No, no, Rabbit...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I don't like it when any of my friends are upset and sad. I made you sad."

"..." Ignis, along with everyone else, stayed silent during Rabbit and Pooh's conversation. Although everyone was touched by how the conversation was heading, Ignis turned away and pretended that she wasn't listening. Even though she tried to ignore the conversation, her damned curiosity caused her to listen anyways.

Pooh looked down. "I...I'm a very bad bear. A very, very, bad bear."

Ignis placed her hands on her ears, gritting her teeth.

Rabbit shook his head and placed his hands on top of Pooh's. "No, no, no! You're not a bad bear, Pooh! You just...you just cause trouble sometimes, that's all! But that's just like you to cause trouble every now and then! I cause trouble too, though not all the time. But like I said, you're not a bad bear, Pooh. You're a good, good, bear."

"Rabbit?" said Pooh. "If I had a pot of delicious honey, and if you were hungry, I wouldn't share it."

"Huh? Oh..." Rabbit's face fell. "Well, of course. Honey is your favorite-"

"I would let you have it."

"What?"

"I would let you have my honey, because you're my friend. Even if my tumbly starts rumbling, I wouldn't even take a smackeral. I'd let you have a smackeral, or perhaps, more than a smackeral. But...I don't have any honey right now. I'm sorry, Rabbit."

Ignis' eyes began whelming up with tears. Her body began shaking.

"Pooh..." Placing a hand on his chest, Rabbit smiled, feeling touched by his friend's words. "It's okay if you don't have any honey. I'm feel more appreciated that you would give your honey away in that more meaningful manner. Thank you, and I'll try and control my temper from now on."

When she took a single glance at Pooh and Rabbit embracing a heartwarming hug, that was enough for Ignis to break down.

Her cries started off small, but rapidly increased in volume as she continued crying. Tears streamed down in large amounts like a waterfall, and she tried to contain them by trying, and failing, to wipe them away before covering her flustered face with both hands. Her emotions were all in a jumble, as she was feeling all sorts of emotions all at once such as anger, sorrow, happiness, and so forth.

Her new friends noticed and grew closer to her, worried. They didn't understand what was wrong or why she was crying, but instinctively, they knew she needed comfort, and as friends, they were more than happy to oblige.

"Ignis, what's wrong?"

"Ignis! You're crying! Is something the matter?"

"Did you hurt yourself, Ignis?"

"Why are you crying? Did something happen?"

"Oh no! Ignis, what's wrong?"

Knowing that they've seen her cry and figuring there was no point in hiding away her tears away longer or even lie that everything was fine, Ignis turned to them with a regretful expression.

"I...I just realized...That I...am a **horrible** person. No, even before meeting you guys, I was probably already a horrible person," confessed Ignis as more tears poured down the hot, wet lines on her cheeks. "I...I ran away. I got into a fight with my best friends and then I ran away because I was too much of a selfish coward to...to...I just...I made them mad. I made them upset and I...I made them **hate** me. I never wanted to, and I never imagined that I could ever pull off something that horrifying but I made them hate me. I thought that if I had some time alone, I would get passed this, but I was wrong. I was **dead wrong."**

"Ignis...just because you got into a fight with your friends doesn't mean you're a bad person," said Kanga, trying to comfort her.

"No, you don't get it! None of you do!" snapped Ignis; her tears now soaking down to her armor and clothing underneath. "It was my fault! I caused them to hate me! We got into an argument, and I made them **ashamed** to be my friend! When...When I learned Rabbit was mad at Pooh, I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure they still remained as friends, because I didn't want their friendship to be broken up like mine did! I was so, so, happy and relieved when they made up, and even happier that this had a happy ending, but when I saw Rabbit and Pooh just now, I...I was angry and jealous."

"Ignis..." spoke Rabbit. "Me and Pooh, we never meant to make you-"

Ignis shook her head, speaking more softly. "No...No...You guys never-I'm not mad at you guys. It's not your fault. My best friends...I wish our fight didn't end up in an awful conclusion. I wish...I wish that we could have talked more properly. but I felt like that they were ignorant idiots that...Well, even if they were idiots, it was still my fault in the end. Our friendship was already in tatters, and I only made it worse afterwards..."

She was referring to when they were all reunited earlier, before they all split up into different directions after some secrets were revealed, like Aqua being sent to spy on Terra, Terra growing upset and angered by this somewhat betrayal, and Ventus, not understanding the important of Aqua's role, choosing Terra's side over hers. Ignis thought that because of her, she only made their friendship worse.

No, perhaps she had ended it.

"We had a fight...and now they hate me. They hate me, and they'll probably hate me forever because of me! Everything they said, every awful thing, the things they called me, is probably all true! I'm a **disappointment**! I'm a **problem**! I'm...I'm just a poor, naïve, stupid, idiotic girl who doesn't know any better! I...I...! I wanna be friends with them, but I think they don't want to be friends anymore! And it's all because of me! I don't want to give up though, but...I..."

Tears were still streaming as snot dripping down her nose joined in the fray. But she was too upset to even care about that. Tears blurred her vision as she glanced at them with mixed emotions in her eyes as she spoke the next set of heartbreaking words.

"I...I don't know what to do..."

She hugged herself and her sobs became louder, filling the silent area. It wasn't until Pooh tugged on her arm that her cries quieted down and she turned her attention to him.

"I don't think you're a horrible person," Pooh said. "A horrible person, in my opinion, has to be someone that hurts other people's friends, like a Hufflalump, or a Woozle!"

"Yeah! Those nasty Hufflalumps and Woozles are scary!" said Tigger, bouncing up to his feet. "And I know for a fact that you're not a scary person, Ignis!"

"Yes, quite right! A horrible person would never do nice things!" stated Rabbit. "For example, you helped Pooh and the others deliver honey as an apology gift for me!"

"You chased those nasty bees away while we were collecting honey!" pointed out Owl. "Good heavens, too!"

"You let me ride on a wagon and carried me around!" replied Piglet happily. "It was certainly a lot of fun!"

"You let me sit on your shoulders and gave me a high view point from above!" said Roo. "Riding you was a lot of fun!"

"You gave me blankets because of your concern for me," reminded Eeyore. "If you were such a horrible person, why do all that?"

"You took care of my son and made him happy, and anyone who does that is good in my book!" said Kanga.

"I had a fun time with that bouncing game you came up!" said Tigger. "What was it called? Oh! Hopscotch!"

"When I scraped my knee, you used magic to heal me," said Christopher Robin. "I don't believe a truly bad person would ever do that."

"And you helped me find an apology gift for Rabbit," Pooh said. "Thank you for that."

Afterwards, everyone started listing all the good things Ignis had done to and/or for them. Slowly, Ignis' heart began to lighten the more good deeds she was reminded of and how the others kept comforting her. Soon, Ignis' tears of sorrow changed to tears of gratitude and happiness as she truly appreciated how the others tried to make her feel better. Even if they had known each other for only a day, just for that moment, it felt as though they've known each other for a lifetime.

Sniffling, Ignis' tears started to slowly come to a stop the more she felt better. When she felt Pooh tugging on her arm once more, she wiped away another tear and turned ot him with a smile. "Yes, Pooh?"

"I feel...like you're going to go away again for a long time. I'm not sure how, but, I feel it in my heart," said Pooh, patting the area in his heart.

"Well...You're right. I'm going away for a while. I...I don't know when I'll return," admitted Ignis. "I'm sorry. I really don't know. But, if possible, I'll try and visit."

"Then, let's all make a pinky promise, everyone!" suggested Pooh, holding up his arm. "Is it possible to make a pinky promise with more than two people?"

"Well, I don't see why not? What kind of pinky promise do you want me to make, Pooh?"

"Make a pinky promise that someday, when you're not all busy, you can come and visit us again. And we can play Pooh Sticks, go for some honey, and play games together."

"Pooh...Of course! I'll make that pinky promise right now!" said Ignis, placing her pinky over Pooh's hand. In fact, after she did that, everyone gathered around Pooh and Ignis and placed their paw/wing/pinky to make a very strong pinky promise.

Once they all broke apart and separated, they sat back down, happy that they made their friend happy. "W-What about your other friends, Ignis?" wondered Piglet. "F-From the sound of it, t-they sound pretty mean."

"No! No, they're not mean...We just had a misunderstanding...Although, I'm scared. I mean, I'm grateful you all comforted me, but...if I meet them again, I'm not sure I'll be strong enough for the next confrontation," Ignis admitted, hugging herself and squeezing her arms firmly. "I may seem all brave and strong and smart, but...compared to me and my friends, they're so much more better than I am. If-If I just confront them again, I don't know if I can face them. I'll probably just run away from them..."

Pooh walked up to her before sitting down. He rubbed her arm with his plush arm and said, "Christopher Robin told me this before when I was feeling down. He was afraid of us separating. As was I. But he said this...Umm...braver...smarter...stronger...um..."

Realizing what Pooh was trying to say, Christopher Robin chuckled and then leaned closer to whisper something into Pooh's ear. Pooh nodded and smiled, looking up at Ignis.

"Oh, yes! Ignis, you are a kind person. If you find your friends again, just remember this; **you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But more importantly, even if we're apart, we'll be apart together."**

Eyes widening at the simple, but wise words, Ignis brought a hand to her mouth as new tears poured down her face. "Pooh..." Unable to hold it in, she wrapped her arms around the stuffed bear, burying her face into his shoulder as she cried out more tears.

Pooh didn't mind the tears staining his shirt, and instead wrapped his arms around Ignis, embracing her softly. Not wanting to be left out of their hug, everyone else joined their hug and stayed like there for several minutes. Eventually, they separated, and Ignis found herself hugging everyone else separately, switching from Pooh to Tigger, to Roo to Piglet, and so on.

When the sun came down and the stars lit the night sky, everyone decided it was best to separate and go home for the night. After saying goodnight to one another, they started to leave, and soon, it was just a sleepy Pooh with Ignis accompanying him.

Ignis, noticing Pooh was about to nod off, caught him in time. "Whoa! Pooh, you were about to sleep just now! That's no good! We need to get you back home first!"

Pooh yawned and cuddled close to Ignis, forcing her to carry him in her arms as closely and securely as possible. "I'm so sleepy...Ignis...Might I ask for something?"

"Hmm? No, Pooh. You're not having a nighttime snack involving honey," Ignis lightly scolded as she started taking the path towards Pooh's home.

"No, no...Not hungry...I..." Pooh let out a yawn before continuing. "I want you...to sing me a song. Possibly a lullaby? If it's not too much trouble?"

"Pooh..." Her expression brightening up like the stars in the sky, Ignis nodded. "Alright, then! Simple enough!" Looking ahead, Ignis saw that his home wasn't too far from her current location and started singing as she made her way forward.

 **Home**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _"Hush your cries,_

 _Close your eyes,_

 _Stay with me._

 _Let's just dream_

 _Quietly_

 _Of what might be..."_

Stopping for a moment, Ignis glanced down and saw Pooh was humming the melody of the song with her; his eyes half-lid as he tried to stay awake for the song.

 _"Calm your fear,_

 _I'll be near._

 _To you I'll cling._

 _Rest, my friend._

 _Time can mend_

 _Many things."_

Ignis placed a hand on the back of Pooh's head and buried his face close to her chest, holding him closer as though he was an infant. Pooh didn't seem to mind, as he was finding himself more comfortable in Ignis' embrace, clinging onto her.

 _"I don't know the answers._

 _Tommorow's still unknown._

 _But I can make this promise._

 _You won't be alone._

 _I don't know where we should go._

 _Just feeling farther from our goal._

 _I don't know what path we will be shown_

 _But I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home."_

Reaching Pooh's front door, Ignis carefully freed one hand to open the door and allowed herself inside.

 _"Yes, I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home..."_

Ignis carefully placed the sleepy Pooh in his bed, pulling the covers over his soft body and stroking his face as gently as she could. She knelt down and continued singing.

 _"There's a quiet place_

 _In my embrace._

 _A haven of safety where_

 _I'll dry your tears,_

 _Shelter here,_

 _In my care._

 _But even when we stumble,_

 _And someday when we fall,_

 _What I will remember_

 _That I had you through it all._

 _I don't know where we should go._

 _Just feeling farther from our goal._

 _I don't know what path we will be shown_

 _But I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home._

 _Yes, I know that when I'm with you, I'm at home..."_

Looking down at Pooh, Ignis saw a smile blooming on his face as he slept peacefully. Standing up, Ignis began to leave when she noticed her body vanishing. She wasn't worried, as she knew this was probably the work of either Merlin, or the book world's magic that would transport her out.

Glancing back at Pooh, Ignis gave a soft smile and closed her eyes, feelings much more light-hearted than ever before thanks to Pooh and his friends.

* * *

 _Back in Radiant Garden..._

"Maaaan! That was a lot of fun!" giggled Ignis, stretching her limbs. "I do wanna go back to that cute world again!~"

Hearing sniffling sounds, Ignis turned around and saw Merlin sniffling and wiping away his tears with a handkerchief. He blew his nose with the handkerchief and cried out, "That...was absolutely touching!"

Taken aback, Ignis asked, "Whoa! Uh...Are you okay, Merlin?"

"Yes, yes, just fine! I couldn't help but observe your adventures in the Hundred Acre Woods by reading the pages! It was truly heartwarming!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ignis agreed. "Thanks, Merlin, for giving me this opportunity to explore the world with Pooh and the others! They made me feel so much better! It was fun feeling like a kid again! Er...more than usual!"

"You're absolutely welcome, Ignis!" said Merlin, putting away his handkerchief. "Now, have you made your decision yet? About the protection ritual spell?"

Remembering part of the reason why she entered the book world, Ignis never thought she looked more serious in her life as she announced her decision. "Yeah. And I decided...I want to. I want to protect Pooh and the others. There's no way I'm letting anything bad happen to them!"

Merlin also appeared quite serious about Ignis' decision. "I understand your feelings, but this is a very important decision. One you cannot take back once it has started. If you go through with this, your lifespan WILL be cut in half. Yes, you'll still remain alive in the end, but you may not make it past your 30s or 40s. Are you absolutely certain you wish to partake in this?"

Ignis nodded. "Of course. But before that, Merlin, why hasn't this method been applied to other worlds? This whole sacrificing half your life to prevent other worlds from being invaded by darkness stuff?"

"Elementary, my dear Ignis!" replied Merlin. "It's because 1) This isn't a very well-known spell. 2) It is a very high skilled spell, so very skilled magicians like myself can cast it. And 3) There aren't many volunteers for this kind. I mean, not many people would willing give up half their life when they want to live for a long time."

"I see...Well, regardless, I want to make sure Pooh and the others don't come into harm's way ever again! So to do that, I'll gladly give up half my life if it means they'll be safe from harm forever!"

"If you're certain..."

"Besides, I should be lucky, right? This says only half my life, not my entire life. So, before my lifespan comes to an end, I guess I'll just have to find a really hot guy to marry, have kids, and train as many Keyblade apprentices as I can before my time's up! I did mention I like tall, dark, and handsome types, right?"

Merlin sighed. "Yes, yes, you mentioned that many times during Arthur's training. Now, let's get started!"

For a highly complicated and high-leveled ritual spell, it seemed that the conditions were quite simple and not overly dramatic. When the time came for the sacrificial part, Ignis felt her life force being drained, but endured the pain until the ritual came to an end. She didn't feel any changes to her body, as in, she didn't feel weakened, but she was certain that the spell had worked, and that half of her lifespan was indeed taken away.

"There. Pooh and his friends will be safe so long as they remain in the Hundred Acre Woods," said Merlin. "Ignis...you did a wonderful job. Not many are as self-sacrificing as you. Thank you for...for giving up half your life in order to protect an innocent world full of happiness and kindness."

Ignis smiled and nodded. "Yeah! And if I were to do it again, I would!"

"Er...I would not recommend that sort of action. I haven't a clue as to what would happen if you were to sacrifice half your life again, but I imagine it would be...bad."

"Eh, that's fine," agreed Ignis. "You're right, though. I probably shouldn't try that again. I'm just glad Pooh and the others will be safe."

"What do you plan to do next, Ignis?"

"Hmm...I want to understand more about the balance between light and darkness. Maybe if I explore the other worlds, I'll get a ton of a lot stronger, help people, and obtain some awesome new power involving the balance!"

"Very well, but first, I wish to give you a few things," said Merlin, handing her the Unversed Cleanser and several books. "I upgraded the Unversed Cleanser. Not only will it indicate the total number of Unversed in a world, but also their location!"

"Awesome! I've been waiting for an update like that! It was a troubling problem at first, but I'm glad it's fixed now!"

"There's also these magic books," Merlin continued. "One is for light elemental spells, as you should be practicing more instead of just darkness magic!"

"Sorry."

"Hmph! You should be! The other book is based off of Summoning, so it should be easier for you to obtain a Familiar once you understand the second type of Summoning. Another book is more on darkness elemental magic, and finally, the last book is based on another type of magic; Sealing Magic."

"Sealing?"

"Yes. That girl you mentioned that you met in Destiny Islands...There's no medicine for a sickness like hers, so the best method is to use Sealing Magic, but it's one of the most difficult types of magic in the universe. Therefore, be sure to improve your magic skills before attempting to use Sealing Magic on her."

"Got it! Thanks for all the help, Merlin!" thanked Ignis, opening the door. Before she could leave, she stopped with her back still turned to the elderly wizard. "By the way...Merlin?"

"Yes, Ignis?"

"...The whole reason I was upset earlier was because of an argument I got with my friends. They...they believed too strongly in the light and thought I was being corrupted by darkness. It made me sad when they didn't believe in me, but maybe I presented myself the wrong way. The next time I meet with them, I want to prove to them that darkness is a necessity to balancing out light."

Merlin's gaze softened. "Then, perhaps you should."

"But I want to try and find the answers to my questions about the balance between light and dark. I'm still more used to using darkness magic because I'm quite interested in it, but at the same time, I'm using it to help people. They didn't understand that, and that's why we got into an argument. They believe that darkness is wrong, but I want to blow their expectations by becoming someone of both light and darkness."

Merlin nodded, allowing her to continue. "Yes, and...? How will you do that?"

"Well, I have to find the answers in other worlds. I can't go home yet, but at the same time, I'm not going out too long exploring the other worlds. Merlin, do you remember what you asked me long ago in one of your lessons?"

"What question?"

"...You asked me whether I should root for the hero who uses darkness to defeat evil, or for the villain that uses the power of light for his evil deeds. I think I can give you an answer."

Ignis turned to Merlin with a never-wavering, determined look in her eyes. "Even if he uses the power of light, I'll never support the evil actions of a villain. I'd rather help the hero that uses the power of darkness to help others and stop evil. I won't be blinded by the villain even if he has the power of light. No matter how 'evil' a power is, I came to the conclusion that it's up to the owner on whether or not that power should be used for good or evil, and in this case, I'll support the hero of darkness."

With that said, Ignis left Merlin's house with a new sense of purpose in her journey. Merlin smiled and nodded, knowing that despite Ignis choosing to "support" darkness, her future appeared very bright.

Closing the door, Merlin sat down at his table and began writing down something; his vase of Crystal Rose glimmering and sparkling as it made a beautiful flower vase stand.

And laying on a stand, unnoticed by anyone, the book cover of the Hundred Acre Woods world magically changed. It now showed the back of a red-haired knight carrying a sleepy Pooh Bear waving to any reader that saw the book cover.

* * *

 **Finally! I finished the short Winnie the Pooh arc! It took a while, but I finally managed it!**

 **Fun fact! The scene with Ignis and Owl with the lollipops was actually a short reference to that Tootsie Pop commercial. I just added that in just for the heck of it.**

 **The whole protection ritual spell on Pooh's book thing? Yeah, there's a certain flaw. Yes, it can prevent evil people and evil monsters from entering the book world, but it's pretty much defenseless if the pages get ripped apart, so even though there's a permanent protection spell on it, the book can still be stolen by evil forces, as evident of Kingdom Hearts 2. Basically, this is kinda my theory as to why evil beings can't enter the book world.**

 **The reason I had Eeyore be somewhat a captive last chapter was because of his huge negativity. Out of all of the creatures in the Hundred Acre Woods, he seemed to be the most negative, which is practically attractive towards the Unversed. So, I took advantage of that and then some!**

 **I hope I got the Winnie the Pooh crew down alright! Sorry if I made even a little bit of them OOC, but I haven't had much interaction with Winnie the Pooh as a kid. But, I love the peacefulness that is in the Winnie the Pooh franchise!~**

 **I'll give you all a hint of what the next world will be about. It does hold the theme of the hero using darkness to help others and stop evil, while the villain uses light for nefarious schemes. But that's the only hint you guys are getting. I wonder if I should actually do a Final Fantasy world?**

 **By the way, eventually, this story will become from light to dark, to dark to light, in ways you couldn't possibly imagine!**

 **That said, read and review!~**


	20. Nottingham (1)

**Jeez, guys! I should have made one more hint about the next world being based on a Disney movie, not anything about Bayonetta! And before you ask, no, Bayonetta will not be included in this story. I didn't even consider Bayonetta as one of the options, to be honest! Actually, it's been a long time since I watched the playthrough so I rewatch it and had...a better understanding of it.**

 **Er...so, it's not exactly Kingdom Hearts-level confusing, but it is still a bit confusing, nonetheless. That said, I decided that this story will have three crossover worlds, as in, not Disney-related worlds, but other dimensional worlds as well. Not only to expand Ignis' journey, but also to make her stronger and interact with others.**

 **But, I have a question for you all. Should I add the crossover worlds here or make an entirely separate fanfic including the addition of the crossover worlds? Because honestly, I do NOT want to go to the trouble of making another separate fanfic for the crossover worlds. I want to add them in this story, but I'm afraid that my fanfic will be reported and forcibly removed, and I do not want to go through the trouble of rewriting everything from scratch.**

 **I'll give you guys time to think, okay?**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Oh...my...god..."

After landing on yet another mysterious new world after leaving Radiant Garden shortly after, Ignis made certain to cast a certain spell that would allow her to blend in with the world's denizens; a common spell that was required for all Keyblade wielders to not arouse suspicion and disrupt world order. When she arrived, she found herself in a forest and used a nearby river's reflection to look upon her new appearance.

"I...look...SO FRICKIN' ADORABLE!~ EEEEK!~ NYA!~"

Her general appearance didn't change much, but there was very obvious, distinct features now added to her so long as she remained in this new world she ventured in. These features included new cat ears whose fur matched the exact color of her red hair, and a long red cat tail at her behind. Her human ears were replaced with the cat ears to match with the spell she cast on herself, and she seemed to have grown some short, but sharp fangs. Though she bore no claws on either her hands or legs, that was probably for the best, as having claws would make it quite difficult to wield the Keyblade.

Ignis began touching her newfound features, from tugging on her ears, pulling lightly on her tail, and poking the ends of her fangs. She immediately gained control of her tail, from slightly whipping it against the ground to wrapping it around her waist. She hummed as she bounced up and down happily, satisfied with her cute, new look.

 _'I really want to play around some more with my new form...but it looks like I'll have to wait until later,'_ thought Ignis, taking out her newly upgraded Unversed Cleanser. _'Let's see here...'_

According to Merlin, he had upgraded it to the point where it was more advanced and useful than before. Not only could the Unversed Cleanser reveal the number of Unversed currently in one world, but also track down their location as well as how many there were in one area. There was still so little information about the Unversed that Merlin was still gathering information about the different types of Unversed, so as such, he didn't include that sort of information onto the small invention.

Still, Merlin's efforts were more than enough for Ignis to handle the rest and take out the Unversed in one world.

The dots on the screen of the Unversed Cleanser along with constant beeping as soon as Ignis pressed the button indicated that there were Unversed close by. She searched around and decided to move, glancing to and from the Unversed Cleanser and down the road she was heading.

"Oo-de-lally! Oo-de-lally!"

"Out of the way, please! Coming through!"

Ignis looked up and saw two...well, it would be quite rude to say the two ladies running were ugly. Unattractive might be the right word to describe them as she moved out of the way and saw them running past them. A large bear-like woman accompanied by her slimmer, shorter fox-like female companion were bearing huge grins as they ran.

Before Ignis could ponder what their hurry was, she was forced to jump out of the road's path as it trembled with stomping, rushing footsteps that seemed to be increasing the closer they grew. In fact, the two ladies' pursuers were some rhino-like guards wielding halberds and elephant-like guards carrying a royal caravan. They paid no heed to Ignis as their only goal were the two ladies.

Though slightly perplexed and confused by what just happened, Ignis decided to leave the two ladies' fates to their pursuers, thinking they must have done something wrong before turning back to her Unversed Cleanser. She was very close to the location of where the next set of Unversed were located.

"Help! Help!"

Now spotting Unversed surrounding a slim, lion-like king figure hugging a snake tightly, Ignis knew she had to help them. Summoning Phoenix Fairy, Ignis sped forward and slashed through a few Unversed in one slice, taking them down. What Ignis was really surprised was that she had moved much faster than usual.

Was this an effect from her transformation in this world?

Ignis decided to take note of this as she quickly made short work of the Unversed before her. It didn't even take her a single minute to destroy the small force of Unversed in the area thanks to her enhanced strength, speed, and defenses. This newfound power and knowledge made it much easier for her to take out the Unversed while protecting the lion king and his pet snake.

Once she finished, she turned to the two individuals she protected. "Are you two alright, nya? Wait, why do I keep saying nya, nya?"

The lion king looked up at her and turned away, scoffing. "Pah! Pathetic beastwoman!"

Though offended, Ignis was more confused than insulted by the lion king's behavior. "Huh? Uh...So, are you two alright, nya?"

The snake seemed more polite than the lion king as he answered her. "Quite alright! Thank you! Oh! But, you must now bow before his royal highness, Prince John! I, his royal advisor, Sir Hiss, demand it of you, beastwoman!"

"Oh! You're a prince, nya? Sorry, nya!" apologized Ignis before getting on one knee and bowing her head. "And why do I keep saying nya, nya?!"

"You may rise, pathetic beastwoman," replied the lion known as Prince John. "Though your race is...rather disgusting, I do have to admit, you saved my life with very impressive skills. And for that, I ask for your services."

"What, nya? You mean...dealing with the monsters I just slain, nya?" asked Ignis. "Damnit, nya!"

"Those vile creatures are quite uncommon here and troublesome, so yes, I would ask you do such an additional task for me," admitted Prince John. "But that's only part of the job. The main job's details are quite simple... **Bring me Robin Hood, dead or alive."**

Fear struck Ignis as she was taken aback by such an ominous request. This was the first time that she ever received an assassination request.

No, an assassination request required that the target be killed. This was more like a kill or capture request. Keyblade wielders were meant to preserve the balance, and they were especially not meant to use their skills for assassination! She knew none of her friends would ever accept a request like this, especially Master Eraqus!

Still...it wouldn't hurt to at least hear him out.

"Why, nya? What did this Robin Hood even do to you, nya?" questioned Ignis.

"Very well, I shall tell you the horrible, cruel things Robin Hood has done!" declared Prince John. "He has tormented me time and time again! Stealing my precious gold and jewels time and time again!"

That was when Hiss spoke up. "Not only that, but he and his band of Merry Men have continued to harm others, bringing harm to the poor, little town of Nottingham! The poor children, the elderly, the injured!"

 _'This...This Robin Hood definitely seems like a bad guy for sure!'_ thought Ignis, shocked. _'Well, since Unversed are in this world, I might as well investigate this village called Nottingham anyways.'_

"...Can I have some time to decide, nya?" requested Ignis.

"Arrogant beastwoman! You will decide now, now, NOW!" demanded Prince John, slamming his fist against the dirt.

"Jeez, no need to throw a hissy fit at me, nya!"

"Now, now, sire! Your temper's getting the best of you again," reminded Hiss. "Perhaps it is best to allow her time to think this through."

"I am in dire need of my guards, a bath, a ride to my new kingdom, and my precious gold! Fine! Tomorrow is the archery tournament, so I shall have your answer there! You got that, beastwoman?"

"I have a name, nya," deadpanned Ignis.

"Pah! Does it look like I care about your ridiculous name? Now, go and leave me!"

"Well, can you at least tell me where this town is, nya? Damnit, I can't stop saying nya, nya!"

With his tail, Hiss pointed to a different direction on the road. "The town of Nottingham is a bit far, but take that road, and you should have no trouble getting there."

Ignis nodded. "Thank you, nya! At least one of you is nice, nya!"

"What?!" exclaimed Prince John.

"Nothing, nya!~ DAMNIT, NYA!" Ignis sped past both Prince John and Hiss, hurrying towards the path that Hiss had directed her towards. _'Man, what a weird day!'_

* * *

 _In Nottingham..._

Things in Nottingham...was a lot worse than Ignis anticipated the moment she stepped into the town. She was horrified to see the awful state of Nottingham, the poverty everywhere, people suffering all over, it was all a huge disaster everywhere.

With a pitiful look on her face, she began roaming around, slowly taking in her surroundings in the lifeless town full of miserable-looking people. The more she wandered around, the more horrified she was when she saw animal-like people in chains, looking both fatigued and hungry. Well, a bird-like man in chains was currently being fed by his bird wife, but the couple still appeared sadden just like everyone else in town.

 _'Did Robin Hood really cause this much misery?'_ wondered Ignis. _'I can't believe that because of his actions, these people are suffering-! Oh! There's even a wanted poster of him! If he's valued this much, then he must be some sort of wicked crook!'_

"Why, hello there, stranger! Ain't seen you around these parts," spoke a rooster, carrying a guitar. "And a beastwoman at that!"

"Beastwoman, nya?" wondered Ignis. "Dunno what that is, but...I'm Ignis, nya! Nya, nice to meet you, Mr...?"

"Alan-A-Dale, at your service! I suspect you're new here, Miss Ignis, and I'll be glad to answer any and all of your questions!"

Ignis nodded. "Thanks, nya! I really appreciate it, nya! Um...so, you called me a Beastwoman earlier, but I have no idea what that is, nya."

Alan-A-Dale looked surprised. "Really? I'm surprised that you don't even know your own kind. Well, the Beastfolk are a combination of both human and creatures such as me. Although, they are awfully rare and looked down upon by both human and beasts."

"Discrimination...great, nya. Just what I need, nya," sighed Ignis sarcastically before glancing down at feet and then twirling around. "Hmm...Kinda explains why that Prince guy was so rude to me earlier, nya. Still, I think I look pretty cute, nya!~ ...Okay, the nya thing is getting really old and annoying, nya!"

"I'm mostly neutral. I don't have a problem with your kind roaming around here," assured Alan-A-Dale. "Ah, I mean no disrespect, of course."

"None taken, nya! Hmm...Oh, nya! So, who is this Robin Hood guy, anyways, nya? I heard that he was some sort of nasty thief that not only stole from Prince John, but also from the people here, nya!"

"What? Whoever told you that is nothing more than poppycock!" assured Alan-A-Dale. "Trust me, Prince John is bad news everywhere! He's the one increasing the taxes on the poor people of Nottingham and making them suffer. Surely, you've taken a walk around town?"

Ignis took a moment to think back of all of the suffering she saw within the town. She was told lies by the two she had saved from the Unversed? Or was it that the rooster before her was lying? Either way, it doesn't change the fact that there was still suffering within Nottingham; that much was clear.

"I...Well, I don't think I've seen the entire town, nya, but I've seen a lot of people in pain."

Alan-A-Dale nodded. "That's all Prince John's doing. Robin Hood's considered a hero amongst the people of Nottingham. He steals from the rich and gives to the poor."

"NYA?! He steals...to help people, nya?"

"I know what you're thinking. Yes, yes, stealing is bad and all, but Robin Hood only steals for the good of Nottingham! He's helping everyone, and nobody would dare sell him out even if it were to get a big sum of the bounty money for his head!"

Ignis...honestly didn't know who to believe. While she came to this world to rest and to take out any of the Unversed, it wouldn't be so bad as to find the source of the people's suffering and then end it. Her duty as a Keyblade wielder wasn't just to take out dark forces of evil, or rather any force of evil, whether they were dark or light, although the light part is hard to pin down. Another, far more important duty is to help people and root out the source of evil that has been troubling the people.

"Look, I'm new here, so I don't have the entire story, but it seems to me that this Robin Hood is helping people by stealing, right, nya?" asked Ignis. "Nya, and the only reason Prince John has increased the taxes is towards Robin Hood, right? Why doesn't Robin Hood surrender himself so that the tax increase will stop, nya?"

Alan-A-Dale shook his head. "No, it won't. That Princey will just keep increasing the taxes even if Robin Hood somehow gets caught. In fact, before Robin Hood began his crusade of stealing from the rich to support the poor, Prince John had taken over the throne and forced the taxes to increase tenfold! The entirety of Norringham would have starved and suffered more if it weren't for Robin Hood. Darn Prince and his obsession with gold-!"

"Wait, nya, so Prince John overtaxed the people...just for more gold?"

"Exactly! And he don't care about the people so long as he gets what he wants! He's a mean, selfish, spoiled prince, he is!"

"...Well, I can definitely agree with the mean part, nya," agreed Ignis.

"Not to mention cruel and unfair! If nobody can afford to pay their taxes, then they're sent to jail without so much as a trial to defend themselves! He imprisons even children!"

"Nya?!"

"Yes, even children have to pay for the taxes! Oh, I see a few children transported to the jail once every week! It's quite the horrible sight."

"I...I didn't even realize it was that bad, nya," admitted Ignis shamefully. "Children, though, nya? I thought that taxes only apply to the man of the house or something like that, nya."

Alan-A-Dale said, "No, now Prince John forces every single citizen in Nottingham to pay, even newborn infants. His rule is cruel, I tell ya."

"So...even if Prince John does get ahold of Robin Hood like he wanted, he's still not going to do anything to improve the lives of these people, nya?"

The rooster nodded. "Well, even though Prince John offered a huge reward for the capture of Robin Hood, that elusive rogue kept right on robbing the rich to feed the poor. And believe me, it's a good thing he did, because what with taxes and all, the poor folks of Nottingham were starvin' to death. Uh-oh!"

He suddenly grabbed Ignis and dragged her along with him, quickly hiding behind a house. "Nya? Why are we hiding, nya?" whispered Ignis, surprised before spotting a wolf-like creature humming to himself alongside the route.

"It's the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham," explained Alan-A-Dale.

"Oh, good, nya! Maybe if he knows about the suffering of-"

"Unfortunately, he's in the Prince's favor as well. He's the one in charge of collecting taxes and he don't care about the well-being of the people around here, either."

"Nya?! Even him, nya?!" Ignis questioned, horrified. "But a sheriff is like the leader, right, nya? How'd he get elected as sheriff, then, nya?!"

"Once again, all thanks to Prince John. Of course, the Sheriff gets robbed by Robin Hood as well, so the Sheriff holds just as much as a grudge towards Robin Hood as the Prince. First the Prince, then the Sheriff, and now those strange, dark creatures that keep popping up in the outskirts of town! Oh, why must life have so many hardships?"

The last part he mentioned perked Ignis' interest. _'He must be talking about the Unversed...'_ she thought before asking, "Excuse me, nya? Mr. Alan-A-Dale, nya? I was wondering how long those dark creatures have been around, nya?"

"Oh, they've been around recently. Some folks in Nottingham tried to escape and leave town. Can't say I blame them in this harsh livelihood. But then, they would always come scrambling back with their tail between their legs. They would say that those dark creatures would attack them out of nowhere and that no matter how much they attacked, weapons would have little to no effect on them. We begged for protection from the Prince's royal guards, but..."

"Lemme guess; he wasn't willing to lend even a single guard, nya?" deadpanned Ignis, getting the gist of the situation.

"Yes. If only King Richard were here to set things straight..."

"...Nya? You already have a ruler, but that Prince John guy's still in charge of everything, nya?" questioned Ignis, surprised. "Well, where is this King Richard, nya?"

Alan-A-Dale explained, "Currently off in a crusade. Well, more like he was tricked into participating into one thanks to his younger brother, Prince John, and the prince's assistant, Hiss. Prince John had hypnotized the King into going into a crusade so that the Prince could take the throne."

"That's awful, nya!"

"It sure is! King Richard is kind, noble, compassionate, and ten times the king Prince John will ever be!"

"It sounds to me like King Richard is the ideal ruler you all want back, nya" stated Ignis, swinging her tail back and forth. "Do you know when he'll be back, nya? Or if anyone's told him of what's happening in Nottingham, nya?"

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure. Travelers normally avoid Nottingham because of the bad rep it currently has, but me and all the other townspeople have hope that he'll return to reclaim his throne. Though, you don't have to concern yourself with this."

"What...are you talking about, nya?"

"Nottingham's situation has nothing to do with you, traveler," explained Alan-A-Dale. "Unlike us, you still have a chance to get away from all of this chaos. Don't worry about us."

"Nya? I can't just ignore this huge issue, nya!" cried out Ignis, her tail straightening up. "You're acting like it's no big deal when it really is, nya! I..."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Alan-A-Dale shook his head. "No, I appreciate your desire, stranger, but you shouldn't involve yourself with us. We'll take care of ourselves. Perhaps you should walk around. Nottingham's not the best town in the world, but surely you can enjoy a bit of it during your time here. Just stay far away from the big, mean ol' Sheriff, alright?"

After Alan-A-Dale left Ignis, she decided to gather some more information all over Nottingham while sightseeing. While she did enjoy sightseeing new places, this one particular town made her feel sicken and horrified the more she explored. More poverty, more sick and injured people, and much more. Even the shops had scarce supplies and barely any customers, but even so, Ignis made sure to buy some food not just for herself, but for some of the poor folks in Nottingham.

During her exploration, Ignis traded food for information from the people; an offer the people were willing to happily accept. Alan-A-Dale's information matched the information the people told her when she asked all about the current state of Nottingham, its history, the matter between Prince John and Robin Hood, Robin Hood's actions, and so forth. There was one new piece of information she did learn amongst her investigation, and that was Prince John and King Richard's niece, Maid Marian, who was said to be childhood friends with Robin Hood and still deeply in love with him. While Ignis was thankful for any new information, she wasn't sure how this piece of intel would help her assist Nottingham in its most perilous hour.

What can Ignis do? She now wants to help the poor people of Nottingham, but at the same time, she knew that things couldn't be resolved with mere violence. She couldn't just threaten the Prince or even assassinate him, even though it was fairly clear that he was the source of all of the suffering. With all of the information she collected, it was clear that the only way Nottingham could return to its former glory was if King Richard were to return. But, who knows how long it'll be until he returns?

As much as she detested stealing, even Ignis had to admit that Robin Hood was certainly the...hero of Nottingham. She couldn't agree with his methods because of her own morale code from being taught by Master Eraqus that stealing was definitely wrong. She understood Robin Hood's reasons for stealing, but even so, she had her own sense of justice. She may find figures proclaiming everything in the name of justice rather annoying, but she had to at least appreciate their work in the name of justice. Perhaps she should have a talk with Robin Hood the first chance she meets him?

As Ignis continued walking around town, trying to find a permanent, happy solution for the people of Nottingham, she looked up and saw a bunch of anthropomorphic children running down towards her, as though in a hurry. They were a group consisting of a young rabbit boy holding a bow and arrow, a rabbit girl wearing a red dress and having a bow on her head, another younger rabbit girl wearing a purple pajama robe and carrying a doll, and a young turtle boy. Moving out of the way, Ignis saw them running past her as they seemed fairly excited about something.

But what caught Ignis' real attention was the bow and arrow the rabbit boy seemed to be carrying. It startled her when she first saw it and she thought at first that she was seeing things. When she confirmed what she saw wasn't fake, she quietly followed after the children to see what they were doing, hoping they wouldn't hurt themselves with the bow and arrow.

"Gee, did Robin Hood really give it to you?" the turtle boy asked the rabbit boy, who was currently trying to ready his bow and arrow.

"Yeah. And this is his own hat, too!"

"Gee, I'd sure like to shoot your bow and arrow..."

 _'I'm sorry, what? Robin Hood gave a little boy a dangerous weapon?'_ thought Ignis, shocked. _'What was he thinking?!'_

The doll-carrying rabbit girl rushed forward with her hand out. "Let me try it, Skippy!"

The rabbit boy named Skippy shook his head before closing one eye and trying his best to aim for something. "Oh no, you don't! I'm gonna shoot it first!"

Seeing her brother aiming for the sky, the bow rabbit girl called out, "You're pointin' it too high!"

"I'm not, either! Watch this!" Taking aim, Skippy pulled back the bowstring as much as he could before releasing it, allowing the arrow to soar high in the sky...until it landed in the castle courtyard.

Ignis and the children just stood there in stunned silence over what had happened. They didn't know whether to be impressed by Skippy's first archery attempt, or more upset towards the fact that the arrow landed in the castle courtyard, which is part of Prince John's territory.

It was the turtle boy who broke the silence. "Uh-oh. Now, ya done it."

"Right in Prince John's backyard!" added the bow rabbit girl.

Instead of being frightful like his friends were, Skippy pulled up his sleeves and marched up towards the courtyard caged gates, ignoring his friends' protests as he braved forward.

"Skippy, wait!"

"Come on, Skippy! Don't go!"

"He's going to get himself into trouble!"

"Um...Excuse me, nya?" Ignis brought attention to herself by Skippy's three other friends and raised her hand. "I was wondering if I might follow you guys, nya. You know, to help fight off any bad guys, nya! I-I'm a knight, you know, nya?"

Technically, she wasn't wrong, as she was definitely dressed for the part, and if that wasn't enough, she had her Keyblade Armor to prove it, though she shouldn't be using it just to show off. Still, she wasn't an official knight or even a squire, just a Keyblade apprentice. Still, she had to preserve world order, so there was no harm in telling a little white lie.

"A knight? I've never seen a female knight!" said the bow rabbit girl.

"Oh, please come help us! Skippy accidentally shot an arrow in Prince John's backyard and he went to go get it! If he gets caught, it's all over for him!" pleaded the turtle boy.

Ignis nodded. "Okay, nya! Then, lead the way, nya!"

Finding Skippy wasn't really a problem, as the path to the castle courtyard gates wasn't far, but he still seemed determined to get his arrow back by any means necessary.

"Skippy? You can't go in there!" pleaded the doll-carrying rabbit girl.

"Yeah, Prince John'll chop off your head," said the turtle boy, pulling his head back down into his shell to demonstrate his point. "Like this!"

"Oh, I don't care! I gotta get my arrow!" said Skippy; his small form easily slipping past the bars of the gate.

"Wait a minute! Toby might tattle on you!" the bow rabbit girl hissed.

"Yeah, Toby!" agreed Skippy, returning back to his friends. "You gotta take the oath!"

Returning his head back from his shell, the turtle boy named Toby looked at his friends in hesitant confusion. "An...oath?"

"Put your hands on your heart and cross your eyes," reminded the doll-carrying rabbit girl as she, Skippy, and the bow rabbit girl did the same.

"Spiders, snakes, and a lizard's head," spoke Skippy.

Toby repeated the words after Skippy. "Spiders, snakes, and a lizard's head."

"If I tattletale, I'll die til I'm dead!"

"I-If I tattletale...I'll die until I'm dead!"

 _'That's...actually a creepy oath,'_ thought Ignis, sweatdropping. _'Kinda like that nursery rhyme I liked when I was a kid, Ring-Around-The-Rosie. I didn't even know the meaning was ominous until I was way older.'_

"Miss! Miss!" the doll-carrying rabbit girl tugged on her hand. "You gotta say the oath, too!"

"Huh, nya? Uh...Okay, nya? I guess, nya? Okay, I give up trying to stop this nya business." While Ignis was giving away the simple oath, Skippy decided to head off on his own, sneakily slipping through the bars and creeping slowly and quietly in the bushes and trees in the castle courtyard until he heard laughter not too far away.

From his perspective, he saw a young vixen dressed in pink and purple playing ricochet with a hen lady garbed in blue; the two laughing and having fun playing with each other.

"Why, it's your turn to serve, Marian, dear!"

"Are you ready, Lady Kluck?"

"Oh, as your lady-in-waiting, I'm waiting!~"

After taking the oath, Ignis looked around. "Um...Guys, nya? Where's your little rabbit friend, nya?"

Skippy's friends finally noticed that Skippy wasn't around and was about to call out his name when the doll-carrying rabbit girl pointed something out from the gates. "Look! There's Skippy!"

"Nya?! Your friend's in there, nya?!" Ignis rushed to the gates and grabbed onto the bars, peeking out as far as she could. She saw Skippy rushing to grab the arrow along with a young vixen lady about to grab the ricochet ball that was in front of the arrow when their eyes met for the first time.

 _'Ah, man! I better get him out of there!'_ thought Ignis before turning to the children. "I need you all to listen to me very carefully, nya. Please don't come in, alright, nya? I'll go retrieve your friend Skippy for you, alright, nya? Safe and sound, nya. Ugh! Stop nyas, nya!"

"That's Maid Marian, though! She's nice! I don't think she'll hurt Skippy!" said the bow rabbit girl.

"But, she is King Richard and Prince John's niece," reminded Toby.

"Just...stay here, alright, nya? I'll go get Skippy, nya" said Ignis before turning to the gates. She gave it a quick tug, and just as expected, the gate door was locked. Summoning her Keyblade, she used its special ability to unlock any lock to open the gate door, thus granting her access.

The children who saw her whip out a magical key-like blade and sent a beam of light to unlock the gate door were astonished. "Whoa!"

"Wow! How'd you do that?!"

"Can I have a go?"

"Er...maybe some other time, nya?" Ignis said, patting each other children on the head. "Anyways, stay here, nya! I'll go get Skippy, nya!"

Ignis hurried to where Skippy was, as he was currently having some sort of conversation with both Maid Marian and her friend, Lady Kluck. Both ladies noticed Ignis from the sound of rustling grass and appeared both surprised and curious to see a cat beastwoman in their presence, since the beastfolk's race is very rare to see around Nottinghman.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, ladies, nya! I hope he didn't cause any trouble, nya! Please forgive his rudeness, nya!" apologized Ignis, getting on her knees and bowing her head as she pulled Skippy close to her. "We won't bother you two any further, so we'll be leaving no-"

"Oh, no, no, no! It's quite alright, dear! He wasn't causing any trouble!" assured Marian kindly. "In fact, we were just having a pleasant conversation about Robin Hood, weren't we, little one?"

Skippy nodded, pulling away from Ignis. "Yup! Yup! Robin Hood's the greatest hero there is in all of town!"

"Well..."

A sneeze caught everyone's attention as they turned to the source of the sneeze, which came from the doll-carrying rabbit girl as she and her friends were watching from the open gates.

"Oh, Marian! Don't look around, but I do believe we're surrounded!" whispered Kluck to Marian. "Oh, mercy!"

"It's alright, children! Don't be afraid!" called out Marian, inviting the children in. "Please come here!"

After granting each other looks, the children decided that no harm would be done if they simply went up and talked to kind Maid Marian, so they ran past the open gate doors and met up with the others.

"I told Skippy he was shooting way too high!" bragged the bow rabbit girl.

"I'm so very glad he did," said Marian happily. "And now, I get to meet all of you."

"Gee, you're very beautiful," complimented the doll-carrying rabbit girl.

"Are you going to marry Robin Hood?"

"Mama said you and Robin Hood were sweethearts!"

"Did he ever kiss ya?"

"You gonna have any kids? My Mama's got lots of kids!"

"Uh...Kids, nya?" spoke up Ignis loudly, interrupting their constant questioning, seeing Marian being increasingly embarrassed with each one. "It's a bit rude to ask for someone's personal life, nya. And being rude means that you're a bad person, nya. Now, say you're sorry, and all will be forgiven, nya!"

Understanding Ignis, the kids looked down at their feet apologetically. "We're sorry..."

Marian shook her head. "No, no! It's quite alright, children! You didn't mean any harm! Well, to answer your question, yes, I am deeply in love in Robin Hood, and we are childhood friends, but...it's been so many years since then. He's probably forgotten all about me..."

"Oh, not Robin Hood!" assured Skippy, taking out a wooden sword from his belt and raising it high in the air. "I bet he'll storm the castle gates, fight the guards, rescue ya and drag ya out to Sherwood Forest!"

Deciding to play along with Skippy, Kluck reminded him, "Now, just a moment there, young man! You've forgotten Prince John!"

"That old Prince John don't scare me none!"

"I'm scared of Prince John...He's cranky!" admitted Toby, hiding within his shell.

Whipping out her ricochet racket like it was a sword, Kluck declared, "I, Prince John, challenge you to a duel!"

From that point on, it became a short roleplaying game with Kluck as Prince John, and Toby acting as Robin Hood. Of course, Marian decided to join in on the fun and just be herself, pretending to be the damsel in distress in need of Robin's rescue as Skippy's friends and Ignis herself cheered on Skippy before Skippy landed a finishing blow, "stabbing" Kluck in the chest with his wooden sword. With the bad guy defeated, Marian gave Skippy a quick smooch on the kiss as the hero's reward, much to Skippy's disgust at the thought of cooties.

After having the children leave the castle courtyard, Ignis found herself having a sort of a tea party with Kluck and Marian after requesting she had a chat with them. After the ladies settled down and were served tea and other sweets on their table, they were left alone to talk.

"My, it's been a while since we had a guest join us for our tea parties, right, Lady Kluck?" said Marian, turning to her hen friend.

"Aye, it's even rarer because it's a beastwoman! I've always wanted to try talking with one," said Kluck.

"Thanks for inviting me to your tea party and for giving me the opportunity to speak with you two, nya," Ignis said. "Once again, I'm sorry for intruding in your courtyard, nya."

"Oh, it's nothing, dear," assured Marian. "You don't have to worry about a single thing. So, where did you come from? It's quite clear that you're not from Nottingham!"

"You're right, nya. I'm not, nya. I'm more of a traveler of sorts, nya."

"By your attire, I reckon that you appear to be a sort of a knight," said Kluck.

"Hehehe!~ I do, don't I, nya? Well, I'm not really an official knight, but I am a good fighter., nya You have to be if you venture really far and come across a bunch of bad guys, nya!"

"Oh? Pray tell, what sort of adventures have you had that required you to engage in combat?" asked Marian, interest sparkling in her eyes.

"Hmm...Well, I did escort a boy through a forest while fighting Unv-I mean, monsters, nya," said Ignis, recalling the time when she first met Arthur. "And...Oh! I rescued three new friends that were captured by some evil forces inside a dark, spooky cave, nya!"

"My! It seems to me that despite you not officially being a knight, your actions are like that of a knight!"

"Hehehe, nya! Do you really think so, nya?"

"Yes, of course! May I ask more of your kind? Very little information is known about your kind, and I've been quite interested," spoke Marian.

"Eh...about that, I'm just as clueless as you, nya," admitted Ignis. "I've been raised by humans all my life, nya, so I don't have a single idea what beastfolk are."

"I see. I'm sorry if I was forcing any unpleasant memories."

"No, worries, nya! My childhood was just as pleasant as any other happy child, nya! Can it be my turn to ask some questions now?"

"Oh, alright. As long as it isn't anything embarrassing," said Marian, blushing from remembering what the children asked of her.

"Such as Robin Hood?" teased Lady Pluck, nudging her.

"L-Lady Pluck!"

"Oh, it's nothing like that, nya! Well...not completely anyways, nya," started Ignis. "But what I really wanted to know, nya...is the whole situation with Nottingham."

After Ignis explained her findings within her investigation and how Marian's name came up during her investigation, both Pluck and Marian appeared sullen and regretful.

"Yes...what you've heard is quite true," said Marian. "My uncle Prince John, has done so many terrible things to the people of Nottingham, all for gold."

"Quite frankly, I don't understand how your uncle can sleep so well at night, knowing he's continuously tormenting those people over and over!" complained Pluck.

"Miss Marian, ma'am, nya?" called out Ignis. "Is there any way you can persuade your uncle to stop his evil deeds, nya?"

Marian shook her head. "No matter how many times I begged him to, he refused to listen! He doesn't understand nor care about the people of Nottingham! Me and Lady Pluck, we often try and sneak as much food as we can to the people, but I do believe that Prince John is starting to catch on, so it's harder and harder to send them food."

"What about the original king of this land, nya? King Richard, nya? What about him, nya?"

"Well, to tell the truth, I've been sending letters to dear uncle King Richard, and today, he managed to send me a reply letter! He'll be coming back home within a few days, so all we must do is wait and then he'll fix everything!"

"Oh, and then you can marry that dashing rogue of yours, Robin Hood!" chuckled Kluck.

"L-Lady Kluck!"

"Come to think of it, nya, I wanted to ask you something about Robin Hood," said Ignis. "I know he's only stealing for the poor because of the current situation, nya, but...even though I know this, I still think he's doing a bad thing. I dunno, nya, I've always been taught to do good things and not bad things like stealing. While I understand that stealing is bad, nya, I know he's doing this for a good cause, but...that doesn't mean I like him for that. Is it...bad for me to think that way, nya?"

"Well, I can't change your feelings on this whole matter, Ignis," assured Marian. "But I know that Robin Hood would never steal if it weren't for a good reason. I'm sure he doesn't want to steal anything, only help others, even if it means resorting to crimes."

"But even so, he'll still have to pay for his crimes, nya," Ignis reminded, her cat ears drooping. "I was always taught that one must take responsibility for their own actions, nya…"

Marian nodded. "Even I understand the importance, dear, but...whatever fate is left for Robin Hood when my uncle returns...I'm sure everything will turn out alright. My uncle is a kind, generous, and understanding king. I'm certain he won't execute Robin Hood."

"Nya...I get it, but at the same time, I'm so confused. Like, I know Robin Hood's only stealing from the rich to the poor for the people of Nottingham, but his actions are still bad, nya...I wish I could support him, but I can't steal, nya...Man! I wish I could do something to help without having to steal, nya! I feel so bad for the people of Nottingham, nya! And I wish I could stop saying nya in every single one of my sentences, NYA!"

"Please don't fret," assured Marian, clasping a hand over Ignis' to calm her down. "A few more days. Just a few more days until my uncle returns. We must endure Prince John's cruelty for just a little bit longer until then."

"Just to let you know, me and Marian haven't been sitting all day, waiting for the inevitable," spoke up Lady Kluck. "We've snuck food to the poor townsfolk, but alas, it's never enough."

"Ignis, may I ask how long you plan to stay here?" questioned Marian.

"Hmm...Well, I guess I can afford staying here a little bit longer, at least until the king returns," said Ignis. "I'll do my best to help the townsfolk, nya!"

Marian smiled. "That's just what I was about to ask for. Thank you, Ignis. Your assistance will definitely be very helpful."

After spending some more time chatting and having a wonderful time at the tea party with Marian and Kluck, Ignis left the castle courtyard and decided to train herself a bit in the forest, honing her sword skills and studying up the different types of magic spells she was given by Merlin. When it was close to sundown, she decided to stay at an inn for the night and called it a day, wondering how things will go in the archery tournament tomorrow.

* * *

 _The next day, at the archery tournament..._

Sitting down amongst many other anthropomorphic creatures, Ignis made herself comfortable and decided to bear witness to the archery tournament instead of participating. Well, she was too late for registrations and she never wielded a bow and arrow before, so it was best to just enjoy the tournament as much as she could.

While briefly ignoring the many looks she received from the curious and surprised creatures that were towards her beastfolk species appearance, Ignis took a good look at the contestants that were lining up and aiming their bows and arrows at their far away, marked targets. She recognized one of the contestants as the Sheriff, the one that's been exploiting money unfairly and causing misery to the people in Nottingham. Out of all of the contestants, the one she wished to lose the most is him. Just the sight of him sickened her, but she kept to herself.

"The Tournament of the Golden Arrow will now begin!" announced a crocodile announcer.

Upon the announcement, some elephants used their trunks as trumpets to signal the start of the tournament. Everyone applauded and cheered just as the contestants drew back their bows and began firing at their targets. Some of them missed, some dropped and hit the ground, others managed to hit their targets, though not all made it to the center of the targets.

There were several rounds depending on how well each contestant did, whether they hit their targets or not. The numbers began to dwindle with each round until at last, there were two contestants left. One happened to be the Sheriff, much to Ignis' displeasure, and the other was a red stork bird.

Taking the arrows out of the targets, the crocodile announced proclaimed loudly, "Attention, everyone! The final contestants are: The Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham, and the spindle-legged stork from Devonshire. For the final shoot-out, move the target back 30 paces!"

A vulture guardsman slipped into the target as though it was a costume and stepped back 30 paces as intended, though Ignis did notice the vulture having a short conversation with the Sheriff, making her suspicious of what's to happen.

The Sheriff was the first to fire his bow and arrow first, and just when it seemed like he was going to miss, the target leapt up in time, thus allowing the arrow to strike at the center of the target.

 _'Oh, that asshole cheated!_ ' thought Ignis as the crowd also noticed the cheating and started booing loudly. "Boo, nya! Nya, BOO!"

Ignoring the booing, the Sheriff seemed rather pleased with himself, as he was certain he had won the tournament. "Well, that shot wins the golden arrow the kiss, and the whole caboodle! Hehehe!"

Just before the red stork was about to fire his arrow, the Sheriff slammed the end of his bow right up against the red stork's bow, startling him just as he released the bowstring, which caused the arrow to fly high in the air.

"Cheater, nya! Nya, cheater! He should be disqualified, nya!" yelled Ignis, getting up as everyone else started booing at the Sheriff's further cheating.

Suddenly, the red stork reacted quickly by taking out another arrow and shooting it towards the already flying arrow, causing both arrows to hit and one of them to avert its direction downwards towards the center of the target, destroying the Sheriff's arrow in the process and making the red stork the winner.

The Sheriff was left stunned at the unexpected change of events as the entire audience cheered for the mysterious red archer, happy that it was a rather skilled foreigner that won the tournament rather than their dislikable Sheriff. As the red stork headed towards where Prince John and Marian were seated, he didn't notice the rhino guards following after him, as though they were preparing to blockade him.

"Archer, I commend you!" congratulated Prince John. "And because of your superior skill, you shall get what's coming to you! Our royal congratulations!"

Shaking Prince John's hand firmly with a friendly smile, the red stork said eagerly, "Oh, thank you kindly, Your Highness! Meeting you face-to-face, Your High and Mighty, is a real treat!"

Prince John seemed displeased and pulled his hand back. "Release the royal fingers! Ah!" Taking a sword as an initiation to reward the red stork as the winner, Prince John raised it firmly and carefully. "And now, I name you the winner...

Or more appropriately, the loser!"

The red stork, at that point, had already bowed his head to Prince John, waiting for the usual tap-in-the-shoulder-with-the-sword initiation, when suddenly, Prince John sliced through his clothing, exposing his true identity as the fox thief, Robin Hood.

 _'Whoa, that was Robin Hood?! I didn't even notice! He must have had a really good disguise!'_ thought Ignis as everyone gasped in shock at the revelation of Robin Hood being exposed.

"Seize him!"

At Prince John's command, the rhino guards that had followed him quickly surrounded him and tied him up in various ways so that he would no other methods of escape.

While everyone was horrified upon witnessing Robin Hood's capture, Ignis debated on what to do. On one hand, Robin Hood was captured and would definitely be punished for his crime of stealing, even if it were for good reason, but that would mean the people of Nottingham would continue suffering even though the true King would return within a few days' notice. On the other hand, though, if she chose to help out and rescue Robin Hood now, she'd not only be a fugitive in the eyes of the public, but also be seen as an accomplice, even though she's never once aided in any of the notorious Robin Hood's schemes.

"I sentence you to sudden, instant, and even immediate death!" declared Prince John with a huge, gleeful expression full of pure evil.

 _'Ah! Okay, I'm definitely leaning towards the rescue Robin plan!'_ Ignis thought, crouching down, ready to sprint forward.

"Oh, no!" gasped Marian; a tear dropping from her eyes. "Please, please, sire! I beg you to spare his life! Please, have mercy!"

Scoffing, Prince John leaned back against his chair and questioned, "My dear, emotional lady, why should I?"

"Because I love him, Your Highness!"

"Love him?" Prince John looked at her with surprise before turning to the imprisoned Robin Hood. "And does this prisoner return your love?"

Silence went between both Robin Hood and Marian, and it felt like an eternity as they stared into each others' eyes lovingly before Robin Hood took a deep breath and spoke with as deep conviction as possible.

"Marian, my darling... _I love you more than life itself_."

Ignis felt touched by Robin Hood's words, feeling the strong sense of love behind those eyes as he stared at Marian. _'That's...that's so sweet! That is one of the most romantic things I've ever seen!'_ she thought, aweing.

Prince John chuckled. "Ah...Young love. Your pleas have not fallen upon a heart of stone...but traitors to the crown must die!"

"Traitor to the crown? The crown belongs to King Richard!" shouted Robin Hood, openly defying Prince John in favor of King Richard. "Long live King Richard!"

Upon hearing Robin Hood's brave defiance and dedication to King Richard, everyone else in the audience, including Ignis, started crying out for the true ruler's name.

"Long live King Richard!"

Having enough of the defiance displayed before him, Prince John began jumping up and down his chair like a child throwing a tantrum. "Enough! I am King! King! KING! Off with his head!"

 _'Crap! Okay, never mind! Don't care if I'm gonna be a criminal! Gotta go save him!'_ thought Ignis, pushing her way through the crowd and trying to reach Robin Hood as fast as she could.

Everyone else watched in horror as the executioner rhino started approaching Robin Hood, wielding a very heavy-looking axe that could easily slice through his neck. Marian buried herself into Kluck's arms, unable to find the courage to see things through, and Ignis was still desperately trying to reach out to save Robin Hood without drawing attention to herself so that she doesn't end up in chains like the captured Robin Hood.

"STOP! EXECUTIONERS, STOP!" yelled Prince John, the back of his collar being pulled back, though nobody seemed to have noticed. "Hold your axe!"

A bear named Little John, who was disguised as a nobleman, but was really Robin Hood's loyal best friend/sidekick, was the one pulling back Prince John's collar and threatening him with a dagger. "Okay, big shot. Now, tell 'em to untie my buddy, or I'll-"

Feeling a light jab by the pointy dagger at his back, Prince John yelped before letting out another command. "Sheriff, release my buddy-EEP! I mean, release the prisoner!"

The Sheriff appeared shocked by the unexpected command. "Release the prisoner...?"

"You heard what he said, Bushel Britches!" yelled Kluck loudly.

"S-S-S-SHERIFF! I make the rules!" squeaked Prince John. "And since I am head man-urk! Not so hard, you mean thing!" Receiving yet another jab from behind, Prince John got straight to the point. "Let him go, for heaven's sake! Let him go!"

Ignis managed to get to the front of the audience and watched as Robin Hood was released and happily reunited with Marian as the crowd applauded and cheered for Robin Hood's release. _'Well, it looks like my assistance wasn't needed,'_ thought Ignis. _'I wonder why the prince changed his mind, though?'_

"YEE-HEE! Love conquers all!" Kluck cheered, happy for her beloved friend.

"I owe my life to you, my darling," spoke Robin Hood softly as he embraced Marian.

"I couldn't live my life without you, Robin," Marian said, hugging him tightly as though never to let him go.

Knowing Prince John's true nature being cruel and that he would never lose the opportunity to get rid of Robin Hood, the Sheriff grew suspicious. "There's something funny goin' on around here..."

"Now P.J.," began Little John, still threatening him with the dagger. "Tell my pal to kiss Maid Marian, or I've just found a new pincushion-"

"Why, you-!" Having snuck around the back, Sheriff quickly realized the reason why Prince John was acting so strange and swung his sword at Little John, who ducked in time and ran off.

Being freed from captivity, Prince John shook his fist as he angrily screamed, "Kill him! Don't stand there! KILL HIM!"

 _'Okay, break time's over!'_ Ignis thought, hurrying towards the area where the battle commenced. Little John had tossed Robin Hood a sword to defend himself; the thief revealing crafty, yet skilled swordsmanship as he parried each blow by three of four guardsmen.

The negativity rising within the battlefield attracted Unversed that popped out of nowhere and began widespread within the tournament grounds. Summoning Phoenix Fairy, Ignis raised her Keyblade and started casting shield spells to protect the innocent civilians from any Unversed attacks. The Prince's guards were mainly focused on Robin Hood than on the Unversed, and even some of Robin Hood's allies joined in the fray to help their heroic thief.

Taking care of the Unversed attacking the civilians, Ignis glanced around and deflected an axe swing from one of the executioner rhinos. As she kept her opponent at bay, she peeked out and saw some Unversed aiming their arrows behind Robin Hood as he had just knocked out yet another soldier.

Slicing through the wooden part of the axe, which rendered the executioner rhino completely defenseless with no weapon, Ignis leapt up and kicked him in the face, dealing just enough damage to knock him unconscious before rushing forward. "Barrier!" she chanted, extending her arm out to Robin.

After the Unversed fired, their arrows were quickly deflected by the barrier that suddenly appeared and protected Robin Hood. Hearing the sound of arrows being deflected and falling helplessly to the ground, Robin Hood turned around and looked surprised at the Unversed who were about to take aim at him against after their first failed attempt.

Then, Phoenix Fairy swoop by and sliced through the archer Unversed before rotating around and then returning back to its owner's hands. Ignis, who had been fighting Unversed and protecting innocents and other allies with shield spells nonstop, managed to track down Robin Hood and was now breathless.

"Ah...*pant* *pant* Robin...Hood...Right...Nya...?" panted Ignis before gulping down some air. "I...I'm here to help, nya!"

Tipping his hat to Ignis, Robin Hood gave a gracious smile to her. "Why thank you, Miss! But you should get some rest-"

"Help! Robin, help!" cried out Marian, being chased by more of the Prince's soldiers.

"Go, hurry, nya! Help her, nya!" Ignis shouted to Robin Hood before sending a thunder spell towards the soldiers. "Thundra, nya!"

A few bolts of lightning shot down onto the soldiers, knocking them out instantly. Marian stopped and turned around, astonished at what had happened to her pursuers before Robin Hood swooped down out of nowhere and grabbed her, holding her close as they swung out of danger and landed on top of one of the taller tents.

"Marian, my love, will you marry me?" Robin asked lovingly.

"Oh, darling! I thought you'd never ask me!~" cooed Marian while Robin fended off more weapons at their way before the tent gave way and the two lovers fell onto Prince John's former throne seat. "Oh, but you could have chosen a more romantic setting!"

Leaping off the chair, Robin kept Marian close as he pushed the throne off to trample over the soldiers that were approaching their way, knocking them off balance. "And for our honeymoon, London!"

"Yes!"

"Normandy!"

"Yes!"

"Sunny Spain!"

"Why not?"

From that point on, the entire archery tournament grounds rendered into chaos. Civilians running around, Robin Hood and his allies fighting off the corrupted soldiers, Ignis using her swordsmanship skills and magic to continuously protect civilians, Robin Hood and his allies, and herself as well as take care of any soldiers and Unversed that keep popping up on the battlefield, pies being thrown, tents and towers being knocked down; it was a complete disaster.

Eventually, Robin Hood and his allies started retreating from the disastrous battlefield, seeing no point in staying now that they've completed their objective and both Robin Hood and Marian are safe and sound. Some of them saw Ignis defending some civilians and, seeing her protect them and take down the mysterious dark creatures, called out to her and gestured her to follow them. Deciding that retreat was the right call, Ignis led the civilians she was protecting into the Sherwood Forest.

With several other people, including Robin Hood's band of mischiefs, Ignis participated in the party thrown for Robin Hood and his fiancée, Marian. They danced, laughed, played with each other, sang, performed, and had a wondrous time as the hours passed.

Once the party ended, mostly everyone went home, and it was just Robin Hood, Ignis, Marian, and Little John. Marian remained to hide from Prince John and to spend more time with Robin Hood, whereas the Sherwood Forest was where Robin Hood and Little John usually lived and hid from Prince John's guards. As for Ignis, she was staying because she wanted to talk with Robin Hood.

While watching Robin Hood holding hands with Marian from afar, Ignis turned to Little John besides her and asked, "Hey...Can I ask you something, nya?"

"Sure, little lady. What's wrong?"

"Nya, I've gathered a lot of information ever since I came to Nottingham. I know the reasoning behind you and Robin Hood's actions when it comes to stealing from the rich to give to the poor, nya, but...it still feels wrong to me," admitted Ignis. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, or anything, nya! I know you did it for the people, but...I still feel like that's wrong...Nya...Sorry."

"Awww, you're not the only one who feels awful about this," assured Little John, patting her on the back. "Me and Rob, we didn't do this to steal money for ourselves. That Prince's reign had been going on for a very long time, and we were at our wit's end. We knew we couldn't just storm in, take the castle, and best the guards while doing so. So, we resorted to thievery for the people. Deep down, even I know Robin Hood feels bad for stealing even if he makes witty jokes about it, but this sort of career of ours is only temporary. At least until the true ruler comes back to take his place."

"King Richard, you mean, nya?"

"Yup, that's the guy! He'll return someday and clear this all up! We just gotta wait, and then, our thieving days are over! Robin Hood will get to marry Marian and they'll get to live happily ever after! Just look how happy they are!"

Ignis took a look at the couple and couldn't help but smile. They did truly love each other deeply, and she would hate to rip that sort of love apart. "...Yeah, they're really happy. nya. I feel happy for them, nya. But, nya...this still doesn't change the excuse that you and Robin Hood still committed bad deeds."

"Technically, you also committed a bad deed, too," pointed out Little John. "You helped out a fugitive, which, in the Prince's eyes, means that you're a fugitive, too."

Ignis sighed, her shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I figured, nya. Still, I don't regret my choice, nya. You guys are thieves, but...it was the Prince who was in the wrong here, not you, nya."

"And what's the issue?"

"Well, I was always taught strictly that no matter what, stealing is wrong, and thieves must be punished, nya. You do realize that when the King returns, he might actually punish you and Robin Hood, right, nya? I mean, I heard he's a kind king, so he probably won't do anything nasty like execution, nya, but...you still have to atone for your sins."

"For a sec, you sounded like Friar Tuck," said Little John. "But, I get your point. Yeah, me and Rob will never steal again once King Richard returns to reclaim his throne. But for now, we have to continue doing so for the people."

"...If it's only temporary and for the right reasons, I guess that's okay, nya," said Ignis. "...You know, I met the Prince yesterday, nya. He requested that I turn in Robin Hood in exchange for gold, nya."

"But you didn't."

"Well, at first, I was gonna after hearing the Prince's side of the story, nya. 'Robin Hood is a criminal.' 'He's hurt the people of Nottingham.' 'He stole my gold and others.' He told me these things, and for a moment, I believed him, nya. But..."

"But?"

"Nya, then I arrived in Nottingham and started investigating," continued Ignis. "I heard their side of the story and how it was the Prince and the Sheriff that were making them suffer the most, nya. In fact, they called Robin Hood a hero for helping them, even if it meant thievery, nya. I still feel that stealing is wrong, no matter what the reason is, but for the sake of the current situation, I'm willing to let it go, nya."

"Does that mean you want to join us and help us help the people?" asked Little John.

"Nya? No. Just because I said I was letting you guys go doesn't mean I'm helping you steal."

"But...we could really use your help. I've seen you in battle! You're quite talented with a sword, and you can even use magic!"

"My magic isn't the kind that can magically make gold or something, nya," Ignis informed. "It's for battle purposes only, nya. Anyways, I will help the people of Nottingham, but not by stealing, nya. I'll do my best to help in any way I can, like providing medical aid, or something like that, nya. Nya, sorry, but I'm not going to help by stealing."

Little John nodded. "Alright, then. I guess we can't force you. I wouldn't want another person to get involved in this dangerous activity we constantly do daily."

"But your thievery days might be over soon, nya," said Ignis. "Nya, I heard from Marian that the King is going to return back to Nottingham in just a few days. I'll help the people until then, nya."

"That's fantastic news!" said Little John. "And your help is really appreciated!"

"It's fine, really, nya! I'm just helping out the people, that's all, nya. Let's all do our best until the King returns, nya! You, me, Robin Hood, and any others, nya!"

"Right!"

* * *

 **It's quite nostalgic returning to a very old Disney movie, isn't it? Now I know you're all wondering why I chose this world for Ignis' next adventure, and it'll all be answered once her adventure in this world has ended.**

 **Just a quick update! I updated the chapter "Radiant Garden," in regards to the Miracle song played during the beginning battle! Now, RWBY Volume 6 Soundtrack has been out since a few days ago, and I. LOVE. IT! I bet a bunch of RWBY fans are thinking the same as me!**

 **So, back to what I mentioned at the start of this chapter. I'm mixed between two decisions that will involve this story one way or another. Should the crossover worlds I mentioned be included in this story, or in a different story still related to this fanfic? You can choose and vote in the reviews, or in the new voting poll that I just posted.**

 **But, just know one thing. The crossover worlds are meant to help Ignis grow as a person in physical and somewhat mental terms, but more to make her more stronger. That means they're going to be long, like possibly each crossover world will maybe be 10+ chapters or something. I'll try not to make them boring, though. Also, the chosen worlds will be owned by different game companies, so I'll still give credit to them.**

 **Now that it's all said and done, read and review!**


	21. Nottingham (2): Greed

**Hey, guys! Voting's still around and stuff, and if you're confused, just read my explanations that happened at the start and end of last chapter to get a better understanding! So yeah, voting's still going on for this story, but for now, let's have fun with this chapter! For this chapter, it'll be something extra and special, something I've been DYING to publish for a while now!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

Ever since the event that happened at the archery tournament, Robin Hood's bounty tripled, as well as all of the taxes imposed on the citizens of Nottingham. Because of that, many citizens moved out of Nottingham, and the ones that couldn't were jailed immediately, thus filling the kingdom's jails within hours. Soon, there was almost no civilians left within Nottingham. The houses and shops were all empty, and the only occupants within Nottingham were the guards patrolling the town.

Because of the situation at hand, Ignis often had to go in the forest and hunt for food and water for the innocent civilians in jail, as well as cast healing spells on the wounded. There were numerous times she had to sneak in using her own skills and magic, such as her creative magic spell, Concealment. She didn't mind doing this for the people, as this was only going to be a temporary solution until the King returns. Although she couldn't return all of the time, the imprisoned people were nevertheless grateful for her servitude.

After sneaking out of the castle, Ignis found herself leaping from one tree branch to another, jumping from tree to tree in the vast forest in the outskirts of Nottingham. Within the forest, she spent a few days camping out there instead of spending more days at the inn not only to save up money, but also because she didn't want to be caught by the Prince's men since she was technically an accomplice to Robin Hood. Besides, the innkeeper and his family are already in jail, so no point just sleeping in their own home for free.

Magic and swordsmanship training wasn't the only things she did during the past few days. She trained her cat-like body and played around with it by climbing and jumping around the countless trees in the forest. She was getting used to her new cat beastwoman body and found that it reacted a lot similarly to cats. She found herself purring at times, happily taking naps under the warm sunlight, enjoying fish that she caught for food tenfold, and much more. Not only did she have the traits and habits of a cat, but she found her new body much faster, resilient, and stronger than before, but she knew this would only be a temporary boost-up until she leaves this world.

Ignis finally landed on yet another tree close to the river where she often gathered fresh water and fish when she glanced down and saw someone unexpected just laying on the ground with his hands behind his head; his chest puffing up and down with each breath let in and released while he slept.

Vanitas.

What was he doing here? Last time they met, they didn't fight or anything. Actually, Ignis was grateful that he helped cheered her up, though she was still pissed that not only did he steal flowers for her, but he also lied to the flower shopkeeper and tricked her to pay for the expensive Crystal Roses, the jerk.

 _'Wait...He's sleeping, right? Not...screwing around with me, right?'_ thought Ignis, glancing around to see if anyone else was around. _'I bet he doesn't know that I'm here. I mean, if he thought was alone, there'd be no point in pretending to sleep, right? And there's no one around to interrupt, so...as a female Keyblade wielder-in-training in her late teens whose hell bent on getting revenge against a guy who tricked her and made her pay for expensive stuff, there's...really only one option...Hehehe...'_

Ignis was so glad that cats were stealthy and landed perfectly on their feet without making a sound, which is exactly what she did after jumping out of the tree. As she crept up to the sleeping Vanitas, she took out something from her bag. Something that she had been planning to do to Ventus but decided to use on Vanitas. Something that was so useful in this particular event...it would definitely _mark_ a special spot in her memory, _permanently._

A black marker.

But not just any black marker. A black _permanent_ marker. Technically, it can't be permanent if anything it marks can be washed off with lots of water and rough scrubbing, but it's the thought that counts.

Ignis originally planned to use the black marker on Ventus the next time he took a nap and let his guard down, then she would draw all sorts of stuff on his face. But now, since Vanitas was asleep, why not draw all sorts of stuff on his stupid-looking helmet? Actually, it looked pretty cool on him, but that was besides the point.

Right there was a sleeping, vulnerable frenemy who didn't even know of what's going to happen to him, and Ignis was going to take full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before her.

Straddling him, Ignis got on top of Vanitas, uncapping the cap off her black permanent marker while bearing a sinister grin on her face. It was a good thing she kept a couple of writing utensils and some paper in her bag! And now, she was going to unleash her vengeance right there and then-

When Vanitas woke up.

His first sight was on Ignis, who had a stupidly, mischievous look on her face, unknowing of his awakening. Her mischievous look took a turn for surprise when she was suddenly flipped over and pinned down by the supposedly sleeping Vanitas, although now, his actions made it clear that he was fully awake.

"Nya! Ah...Vanitas, nya! I...uh...I was just taking a wal-"

"Oh, bullshit. You were totally about to do something to me," scoffed Vanitas. "It was written all over your stupid face. Now, tell me what the hell you were gonna do to me."

Ignis shook her head, sticking her tongue out in defiance. That irked Vanitas enough to hit her on the head, sending a anime-like bump to her head. "OWWWW! Nya, you jerk! How could you hit a cute, innocent girl like me, nya?!"

"Innocent? _You_? And what do you mean, 'how could I?' I'm sure I made it clear from our previous encounters that I don't mind hitting girls. So, firecracker, are you ready to talk now?"

"Never, nya! You'll never make me talk, nya! Never ever, nya! Not in a million-"

* * *

 _A few minutes later..._

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NYA, OKAY, OKAY, OKAY! I'LL TALK, NYA!"

One of the things Vanitas discovered about Ignis during her peaceful time with Ventus in the Land of Departure was that she was very ticklish. As such, he pinpointed the vital spots where she was ticklish the most and used that to his advantage to get the information he wanted. Plus, he just wanted to be a tricky little shit and have fun doing so.

Ceasing his tickling, Vanitas told her, "Alright, then. You better talk. I'm actually being generous today instead of threatening your life right now because I had a nice, long nap, but that might change quickly, so..."

"Alright, alright, nya!" Collecting herself, Ignis tried to sit up, but Vanitas wasn't allowing even a single inch of freedom of her body, tightening his grip on her wrists. "Ow, nys! Loosen up, will ya, nya? Okay, okay, nya! I just wanted to draw cute kitty whiskers on your face, nya."

"...You wanted to what?"

"Draw cute kitty whiskers on your face, nya! Or, more specifically, on your helmet, nya! Because I thought it would be cute and hilarious, nya!"

Vanitas saw truth to her words when he saw the black permanent marker in her hand. "You're a fricking idiot."

"Nya?"

"You were going to use a **black** permanent marker on my already **black** mask?"

"..."

"What were you gonna do? Pull off my mask and then color all over my face?"

"I honestly didn't think about t-I mean, yes, nya! I was going to do that exactly, nya!"

"Wow, an idiot and a liar."

"S-Shut up, you...you...uh...emo masked guy, nya!"

"Emo masked-?! That's it!"

Vanitas forced her wrists together above her head and pinned them down with one hand while he used his other free one to grab the black marker from her hand. He then proceeded to draw a silly moustache on her face.

"Gah-!" Ignis' struggling caused Vanitas to playfully smirk as he released Ignis and allowed her to rush to the nearby river, where she glanced at her reflection in the water. Horrified at her moustache look, Ignis dumped her entire head into the cool, rushing water, pulling her head out for air before rubbing her face with her hands as hard as she could. She continued that process for a very long while until she was certain that the black marks on her face were gone.

"There, nya! Take that, you big meanie, nya!" Ignis declared proudly, standing up with her hands on her hips as water dripped down from her face and hair. Faint, black smudges could be seen on her face, but most of the black marks had gone away.

Vanitas snickered and looked away. "I cannot take you seriously with that stupid look on your face. And you haven't gotten rid of all of the marks yet."

"Nya! And whose fault is that, asshole?!"

"Well, if you didn't try and force yourself on me, you wouldn't be in this mess, now would you?"

"GRRRRR-!" Ignis hissed; her cat ears and tail straightened in a sharp manner thanks to her slight anger towards Vanitas.

Vanitas took notice and started walking around her, examining her looks, much to her confusion. Her confusion quickly changed to that of surprise and pain when he grabbed her tail and yanked it all of a sudden.

Instinctively, Ignis' tail slipped out of Vanitas' grasp in a split second and slapped his helmet. It wasn't enough to make even a crack on his darkened helmet, but it held enough force to knock him back a step. Once her tail was freed, Ignis leapt up and pounced on a nearby tree branch on all fours, glaring and hissing at Vanitas.

"NYA! What do you think you're doing, yanking on my tail like that?!" she shouted, baring her fangs at him.

Vanitas blinked in surprised as he looked up at Ignis. Yup, there was no way she could have faked those animalistic traits on her body. The tail and ears, he had assumed that they were some sort of costume props that she chose to put on herself to make herself look cute, but after her latest reaction, it seemed they were real enough. Plus, she never had fangs for teeth, so that was another hint that her body had changed after entering this world.

"You...Your body's changed?"

"Yeah, nya! Remember the spell that's a big requirement for all Keyblade wielders to learn, nya? The spell to make us blend in with the world's citizens, nya? Yeah, I used that, and as a result, my body appeared like this, nya! According to the people here, nya, my appearance is that from some race called the beastfolk; half human, half animal!"

"Yeah, well...that explains a lot, then. You would look a lot better as a slug or turtle."

"NYA! I'M GONNA FRICKIN' KILL YA, YOU KNOW THAT?!" yelled Ignis, baring fangs at him once more as an angry anime-like tick mark appeared on her head. "Nya? But wait a minute..." Ignis leapt down from the tree branch, her anger dissipating as she approached Vanitas curiously.

"W-What?"

"What's your beast-like appearance, nya? Like, what animal form did you get, nya?"

"I didn't even use the spell. Why should I? I just came to this world for some peace and quiet and to find a sweet place to nap for a bit," said Vanitas.

"Hmm...Cast the disguise spell right now, then, nya!" demanded Ignis, pointing at him.

"Wha-No! Why do I have to do what you say?" asked Vanitas.

"I wanna see what you look like, nya! Will you be a cute cat girl like me, nya, or something else? Ooh! I bet you'll have some sort of dragon or lizard-like traits, nya! If you get wings, nya, will you let me fly with you?"

"Okay first off, I'm not gonna cast the spell. And second, even if I did, I bet my appearance will be ten times more cooler than yours. And third, even if I did get an flying animal appearance, I'm not letting you fly with me."

"Awww! Come on, Vani, nya! Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon-OWWW!"

Annoyed, Vanitas tugged on both her cheeks as wide as he could. "God, you are so annoying! Also, call me by that stupid, cutesy nickname again, and I'll scribble dicks all over your face with that marker of yours."

Ignis gasped and slapped away the hands that were tugging on her cheeks. "NYA! Don't you dare write on my cute face again, nya! It was hard enough to wipe the stupid moustache away-"

"You still have scribbles on it, by the way."

In response to his reply, Ignis furiously rubbed her face, hoping her efforts were enough to wipe away the last of the scribbles. "As I was saying, I'm not letting you touch a single inch of my face again, nya!"

"Like that's gonna stop me."

"Grrrrr-!" Ignis decided to give up for now and change the subject. "Fine, whatever, nya! ...You know, I've been wondering about something-"

"If this is about why I wanted Ventus after I kidnapped you, I'm not telling you anything," said Vanitas.

"Okay, I was super curious about that too, but I wanna know something else, nya. Why do you wear a mask anyways, nya? I'm even more curious as to what's behind that mask of yours, nya."

"...You don't need to know about that," said Vanitas, looking away. "You really don't need to know. This doesn't concern you."

Ignis wanted to argue further, but seeing Vanitas' reaction to her question made her sympathetic towards Vanitas. Maybe he held some sort of scar on his face that he didn't want anyone to see? Or was it really that important that he refused to show his face to her? In any case, she decided to drop the subject.

"Hey, nya, are you in the mood to fight? Because I really don't want to right now, nya," said Ignis. "Nya, I wanna talk."

Vanitas sighed and walked away towards a tree, leaning back against it with his arms crossed. "You can ask, but I may or may not answer you. Just be real generous that I don't feel like fighting you right now."

 _'Well, this is the best I'm gonna get, so I might as well go for it,'_ thought Ignis. "Okay, nya. So, nya, I get that you kidnapped me to get to Ven, but...why me, specifically?"

"That loser practically follows after you and your other two friends like a puppy, and out of you, Terra, and Aqua, you seemed to be the weakest. So, when I see a weak spot, I don't hesitate to take it out."

 _'Yeah, I'm not gonna deny that. Terra and Aqua are way stronger than me. And Aqua was just made Keyblade Master that day, so that technically makes her stronger than any of us,'_ Ignis thought. "Okay, nya, if I hadn't escaped from you and you had actually gotten to Ven, what were you going to do to me afterwards?"

"...Pass."

"What, nya?"

"Pass. I'm not answering that question. Pass."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, nya! You can't do that, nya! This kinda concerns me, you know, nya! I feel like from that response, you were actually going to do something ba-"

"Look, I already told you," snapped Vanitas. "You can ask me any question, but I may or may not answer you. Sorry, firecracker, but I can't give you all the answers you want."

"Ugh...Fine, nya," Ignis sighed. "So, nya, what have you been doing ever since I escaped from you?"

"Stuff."

A tick mark appeared on Ignis' head again. "Yeah, gimme a clear answer, asshole, nya."

Vanitas shrugged. "Eh, fine. I was traveling through random worlds doing random shit and stuff. There, happy?"

Ignis could see the smug smirk behind his mask, she just knew it! But, perhaps instead of getting ticked off like he expected, she should try a different approach as payback. "Okay, nya, I have another question!"

"Which is...?"

"How did it feel, falling headfirst into a cold stream of water after I tricked you during my escap-"

Vanitas, realizing what her next question is, lunged forward and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her up from the ground. "You little-!"

"Ahahahahahaha!"

"I oughta give you a demonstration of how I felt right here and now! There's a cold streaming river right here, after all!"

"Good, nya! Actually, nya, I gladly accept! At least I'll be able to wipe more of the smudge off my face, nya!"

"..." Annoyed, Vanitas tossed Ignis down roughly and returned to his previous position, leaning back against the tree. "Continue!"

Despite the rough treatment, Ignis thought it was well worth it to get some payback and to see Vanitas' hilarious reaction to her question. Brushing off grass and dirt off her skirt, Ignis stood up. "So, nya, why do you want Ven, anyways?"

"Pass."

"Figures, nya. Alright, nya, so...I heard something very interesting from Ven the last time we met. Nya, he told me that you told him not to tell anyone that I was injured and asleep and that you were with me when that happened. I wanna know why, nya."

Vanitas grew confused. "What? I didn't tell him anything like that. If you're talking about what happened in the Enchanted Dominion, then I didn't threaten that loser or anything. Hell, I never said anything what you just said."

"Nya? But he said...Look, what happened between you and Ven in the Enchanted Dominion world?" asked Ignis. "Something happened while I was asleep, nya. What? Did you have a fight or something, nya?"

"..." Vanitas didn't want to tell her anything about her first kiss being stolen and about Ventus showing up and sneaking in another kiss to her lips and caring for her. "We had an argument. Nothing more than that. He found something important and left. And so did I."

"What was the important part, nya?"

"Fighting Unversed."

It wasn't a complete lie, since Ventus did have to fight Unversed and he had a mission to recover the princess' heart in that world.

"Speaking of Unversed, nya, how much do you know about them?" asked Ignis curiously.

"...Enough to know that they're just a bunch of weak monsters that I fight daily."

 _'So, he's just as clueless as me,'_ thought Ignis. "So, nya, who taught you the Keyblade?"

"Pass."

"Ugh...who's your master, then, nya?"

"You already know what I'm going to say."

"Yeah, but it was worth a shot, nya. So, nya, why are you traveling around for?"

"Trying to find something interesting to do," said Vanitas. "So far, nothing interesting's happened."

"Wrong, nya!" declared Ignis. "Some interesting stuff has happened to you, nya! Like, nya, when you kidnapped me! That's gotta be interesting material, right, nya?"

Vanitas stared at her dumbfounded. "...Really? You are the last person I expected to hear that. You find yourself being kidnapped interesting?"

"I...Well, I wasn't-Well, you took an interest in me when you kidnapped me, right, nya? Like, you decided to kidnap me out of all of my other friends, so that, nya, in a way, is interesting, right?"

"...I guess? I never really thought of it that way. I just needed you to lure out Ventus, that's all."

"Well, besides that, you dancing with me, getting me flowers, and our conversation right now is pretty interesting, don't ya think, nya?"

"The dancing part was interesting, I'll admit that," admitted Vanitas. "But, this whole exchange conversation thing's getting a bit boring. And getting you flowers? More like I stole them, and I had the oh-so pleasure of watching you struggle as you were forced to pay for my crime. Thanks for your cooperation back then, by the way."

"Ooh, you jerk, nya! I was trying to forget all about that, but then you had to go and bring that up, nya! Asshole!"

"Yeah, yeah, fuck you, too. Are we done here?"

"Ugh...Nya...I guess this is the best I'm gonna get outta you, huh?"

"...Speaking of which, I wanna ask you something now," said Vanitas. "Why do you keep saying that annoying sound?"

"Nya? What sound, nya?"

"The one you just made!"

"Nya? What are you talking about, nya?"

"That! You're doing it right now!"

"I don't get it, nya! What noise, nya?!"

"That frickin' 'nya' sound!"

"Oh, nya! That sound, nya!"

"I swear, if you're trying to mess with me by constantly saying that annoying-!"

"No, nya! I mean-!" Ignis tried her best to hold back her nya sound, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop them properly. "I've tried, nya! I keep making the same nya sounds ever since I've turned into my cute cat form, nya! I can't help it, nya!"

"Well, help it, already! God, I can't deal with you saying another, stupid cat noise!" shouted Vanitas, marching over before grabbing her cat ears and yanking on them.

"NYAAAAAAHHHH! QUIT PULLING ON MY EARS, NYA! THOSE ARE ACTUALLY REAL, NYA!"

"God, your stupid nya sounds are frickin' annoying! I'm not gonna stop until you stop saying that!"

"NYAAAH! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT, NYA?! AAAAAAAH!"

After several minutes, despite his annoyance, Vanitas gave up trying to force Ignis to quit her forceful habit, leaving her curling on the grass, cradling her cat ears.

"Nyaaaaa...that hurt! The least you could have done is gimme a head pat or something!" pouted Ignis.

"And why would I do that?" questioned Vanitas, crossing his arms.

"Because I'm the cutest cat girl in this world, nya! Ignis-nya!~" cooed Ignis, raising her hands and curling them, trying to imitate a cute cat trying to get Vanitas' attention.

"...Say that again..."

"I said, Ignis nya-"

"THAT'S IT! I WARNED YOU! AAAGH! YOUR NYAING PISSES ME OFF THE MOST! DIE!" yelled Vanitas, irritated as he wrapped his arms around her neck and pulled her close to him.

"ACK! NYA! AACK! UNCLE, UNCLE, UNCLE, NYA! I GIVE, I GIVE, I GIVE-"

* * *

 _Half an hour later..._

Vanitas was once again leaning casually against a tree while Ignis was left face planted on the ground; her tail twitching in defeat. Satisfied from tormenting her for nearly half an hour, Vanitas had left her alone and watched in amusement as Ignis was groaning and lying facedown in defeat, though he was quite curious about that tail of hers.

Simply fighting her while she was this weakened would be no fun for him, so he decided to entertain himself with a different option. He had time before he had to return to Xehanort, so why not? He crept up behind her, knelt down, and grabbed on her twitching tail.

"Eep!" squeaked Ignis, feeling his rough hand on her tail which straightened up instantly. "W-What are you doing, nya?! Are you going to try and yank it ag-"

"Yeah, no. Not after the tail lashing I got from last time," assured Vanitas. "Now, hold still..."

His hand started moving up and down while still having a grip on her tail, except he started moving a bit more smoother and somewhat softer, though still with a rough touch. Ignis squeaked even louder as her face quickly changed to a deep cherry red color and she raised her arse unintentionally, loving the rough, yet smooth and soft sensation her tail was experiencing.

Vanitas smirked when she saw she had raised her arse, giving him quite the view. "You know, if this long skirt and your armor weren't in the way, I'd have a way better image-"

Fortunately for Vanitas, he had somewhat of a good grip on her tail, otherwise, he'd get a smackful of her tail once more. "A-Asshole! Don't stare at my butt like that!" cried out Ignis, embarrassed as she tried to cover her rear with both hands. "A-And stop touching my tail, nya! It's super sensitive, nya!"

"Oh? Then are you saying I can touch any other part of your body?"

"Yes! I-I mean, no! I mean, stop touching m-Eep!" Ignis was suddenly pulled to Vanitas' chest from behind; one arm wrapped around her neck, nearly choking her, while the other was roughly handling her cat ears, messing up her hair and sending tingly sensations to her body. "A-Ah! D-Don't pull on them, nya! Gah! Aah! Aaaah!"

"Quit squirming, or I'll do worse!" grunted Vanitas, annoyed at her struggling and complaining. To demonstrate his point, he practically crushed one of her ears, causing her to cry loudly.

"OOWWWWWW! OKAY, OKAY! JUST DO THEM GENTLY, NYA!" yowled Ignis.

After a while, Ignis started to grow accustomed to Vanitas' treatment on her ears as he stroked both her hair and ears using the same treatment he did on her tail. Smooth, a little soft, but a edge of roughness as well. She started becoming more relax and soon, soft mewls, purrs, meows, and moans escaped from her lips as she leaned closer to Vanitas, scotching towards him and rubbing her hand all over his well-toned chest. She was too mesmerized in her relaxation, she was almost hypnotized to notice that she was definitely pushing past the boundaries of being too close and intimate to someone.

At first, Vanitas started to enjoy the softness of her hair and cat ears. Well, he did remember that Ventus did once touch Ignis' hair and complimented on how smooth and silky is was. What he didn't expect sometime later was Ignis warming up to him, mewling and purring like a cat and even going so far as to rub his chest, not that he was complaining. He had a feeling that Ignis loved muscular guys, and it just so happened that his skin-toned body suit provided all that she loved.

Suddenly, Ignis had snapped out of it and realized what she was doing. If her face could change to an even deeper shade of red, now was the time as she slipped free of Vanitas' grasp and slid away. "I-I-I-I-I-I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, NYA!"

Vanitas stood up, smirking behind his helmet. "Oh, really? Because I'd say you were enjoying that WAY too much. You were practically moaning like a whore-"

"LALALALALALALA! Shut up, shut up, shut up, nya! I'm not hearing this, nya!" cried out Ignis, covering her ears.

 _'Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted,'_ thought Vanitas before another idea popped into his head, making him grin maliciously. _'But...I wonder...'_ Summoning forth Void Gear, Vanitas noticed that Ignis had grown tense when she witnessed him summoning his Keyblade, thinking he was now considering attacking her.

Instead, he just used a little magic to send a small red light from the tip of Void Gear at the ground, acting like a laser pointer.

Ignis perked up and eyed the red light, getting on all fours, ready to jump. Just when she did, Vanitas moved Void Gear to the side, thus moving the red light he created. Ignis fell right on her face, missing the red light.

Vanitas crackled in laughter from Ignis' attempt ending in failure. He started playing the laser pointer game with Ignis a bit more, moving the red light all over the place and watching Ignis attempt to catch the small red dot thanks to her cat instincts. He watched her crash into trees, bushes, mud, and even had her jump into the water a few times until he was fully satisfied.

"Whew! I don't think I've had this much fun in a while!" laughed Vanitas. "Damn, you are dirty!"

"AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT, NYA?!" exclaimed Ignis, completely drenched with mud, leaves, and blades of grass sticking to her. "I'm gonna kill ya, nya! Nya, get over here!"

With no success, Ignis wasted time chasing after Vanitas who could teleport out of free will, much to her frustration and annoyance. She eventually gave up and eventually ended up succumbing to her cat-like traits when Vanitas began triggering things that would cause her cat-like traits to get the better of her. For example, he had her climb trees, catch fish cat-style, had her purr in various ways, dangled a string in front of her face so she could play with it, and even secretly summoned a Hareraiser Unversed so she could chase after it. Did he feel bad for the little bunny Unversed?

Not in the slightest.

"Heeelloooo! Ignis!"

Hearing a stranger's voice drawing near, Vanitas knew that his time was up and snapped his fingers, causing the Unversed to vanish and for Ignis to return back to her senses. Exhausted from all of the previous activities, Ignis sat back against a tree, panting for breath. She heard footsteps approaching and saw Vanitas walking up to her.

"Vanit-Whoa!" Suddenly, Vanitas had scooped her up in his arms and started taking her somewhere. Her face flustered as she looked down at her hands to hide her embarrassing face from Vanitas, though he was probably already aware of the current expression she wore on her face.

Just what was he planning? Why did he suddenly start carrying her? Why was her heart beating much faster than usual? And...what is that sound? The sound of rushing water?

Then, Vanitas dumped Ignis into the river without a care in the world, snapping her out of her thoughts the second she splashed onto the water.

"Gah!" Emerging from the water's surface, Ignis glared at Vanitas; the mud, leaves, and grass washing off her at a fast pace because of the rushing water. "Nya, you asshole!"

"Ha! Payback, bitch! This is revenge for what happened the first time we met!"

"Seriously, nya?!"

"That, and I just wanted to screw with you."

"Gah! And here I thought you-"

"Ha! What did you think I was gonna do, huh?" questioned Vanitas, crossing his arms. "Simply carry you away on a white steed like those cliché princely types? Become you knight in shining armor? Face reality, idiot; I would never do any of that gross, lovey dovey stuff! And here's another fun fact that you should always keep in mind. We. Aren't. Friends. Never have been, never will! I may have been poking fun at you, but that's only because I know I'm more than strong enough to kill you. You should think of me, an enemy, as your own friend!"

"Yeah? But..." Ignis looked away before turning back to Vanitas with a determined look on her face. "But to me... **you're not the enemy."**

"...! That's enough. I've had my fun. I'm leaving!" declared Vanitas quickly, opening a Dark Corridor before stepping through the dark portal.

"Wait-!" Ignis lunged forward and tried to close the distance between her and Vanitas, but she was too late. He had already entered and was gone, along with the Dark Corridor.

Before Ignis could do anything, she heard the sound of bushes rustling in the background and turned around to see Robin Hood and Little John approaching. "W-What's going on?" asked Ignis, squeezing the water out of her hair as she walked up to them.

"We've got trouble! The situation with Prince John has actually gotten a lot worse than we thought!" cried out Little John.

"What happened, nya? What could be so much worse than what that guy's been-"

"He's arranged an execution bright and early and dawn tomorrow morning!" explained Robin Hood. "He's gonna hang Friar Tuck!"

"Nya?! A hanging, nya?! He's gonna kill him, nya?! But why, nya?!" asked Ignis, horrified.

"As bait for me. He wants to lure me out, knowing that the execution will definitely make me come out, and as much as I hate to say this, he's right!"

"So, we're planning a jail break tonight," said Little John. "We'll gather all of the prisoners and escape Nottingham! The Prince can't rule if there's no people, right?"

"And, as a bonus, we'll steal all of the Prince's gold while we're at it," added Robin Hood.

"Okay, I can agree with the jail break plan, considering the circumstances," said Ignis. "But we need a plan. And I'm not helping with stealing the gold. I already told you guys that I can help you with other things; just not stealing."

"That's fine with me," assured Robin Hood. "I'll have to handle that part on my own while you and Johnny free the prisoners. But first, let's compare information and make a plan..."

* * *

 _Late, that night..._

Using a rowboat to get across the moat surrounding the castle as well as using a ladder to climb up the castle walls, Ignis, Robin Hood, and Little John made their way up to the first obstacle of the castle; the walls. Using the ladder, they hid themselves by ducking behind the castle walls and peering out the entire layout of the castle.

It was late, almost around 1 in the morning, and although there were very few guard patrolling in the lower grounds of the castle, there were more guards up in the upper levels of the castle, being on the lookout for any intruders; specifically Robin Hood and his allies.

"I see the Sheriff next to the jail doors. That's where we'll find Friar Tuck and the others," informed Robin. "Ignis, are you ready to cast that special spell of yours?"

Ignis nodded. "Yeah, nya. And after I do, I'll wake you two up quickly, nya. Remember, though, nya, you can't touch or even bother with the other sleeping individuals. We're lucky that it's so late and the guards look tired, nya. If we're lucky, they'll probably sleep until morning time instead of a few minutes later, nya."

"And you're sure we'll still fall asleep even if we cover our noses and mouths?" questioned Little John.

"Yeah, nya. Tried it before a couple times in the past, nya. Didn't work, nya. Now, you guys might want to head down the ladder, nya. I don't want you two to fall asleep and then crash into the ground afterwards, nya."

"Got it. We'll give you the signal once we're ready," said Robin Hood as he and his best friend started climbing down the ladder. Once they did, he raised a thumbs-up at Ignis, giving her the signal.

Ignis nodded and concentrated on yet another combination spell consisting of the Sleepra and Aerora. She breathed in and out as she allowed the sleep spell to fuse with the wind spell, spreading all throughout the castle grounds and other areas, affecting everyone but herself since she's the caster. All at once, the guards, prisoners, and even Robin Hood and Little John started feeling drowsy and it didn't take long until the entirety of the individuals within the castle were fast asleep.

Climbing down the ladder, Ignis saw that, just as expected, both Robin Hood and Little John were asleep. After casting an Esuna spell on them to wake them up from their slumber, they proceeded to trend over the castle walls carefully and quietly. As they wandered around the castle grounds in full moonlight, it was clear that all of the guards surrounding the castle were fast asleep and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

They quickly found the Sheriff sitting on a chair, laying back and snoring in his sleep. With his nimble fingers, Robin successfully snatched the keys from the Sheriff's belt and handed them to Little John, who took them and then carefully and quietly closed the jail cell door while Ignis was on the lookout just in case.

"Now, you release Friar Tuck and the others," whispered Robin Hood. "And I'll drop on the royal treasury!"

"And I'll be on the lookout and cast sleeping spells in case anyone wakes up again, nya," reminded Ignis. "Remember, nya, I'm not helping you steal anything; only helping the citizens escape."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of that. Now, let's hurry!"

Robin Hood and Little John rushed to do their duties while Ignis remained, wandering around the castle grounds quietly while holding onto her Keyblade just in case. Much to her shock, Unversed had suddenly started to appear and started to engage with her in combat. The Unversed's sudden appearance made her remember why she had come to this world to begin with; to hunt down and take care of the rest of the Unversed in this world!

Oh, how could she forget her duties like this? Then again, one of her own personal duties was to care for the weak and sickly, as she had been doing during her time in this world, so it wasn't like she neglected _all_ of her duties, right? In any case, she needed to take care of the enemies before they make too much noise and alert the entire castle, thus waking them up and ruining the entire jailbreak plan!

Therefore, for the next several hours, Ignis started fighting more and more Unversed that keep popping up, though she had to cease using magic and relying more on her swordsmanship because magic tends to be both flashy and loud. She was starting to grow more tired with each round of new Unversed, and it wasn't just fatigue that she was suffering from, but also drowsiness from not being able to sleep through the night.

After finishing off the last Unversed, Ignis yawned and rubbed her eyes. "What's taking them so long, nya…?"

Suddenly, loud sounds alarmed Ignis and kept her wide awake. She turned and saw Robin Hood desperately leading the prisoners, who were carrying bags of money in their arms, towards the exit. In the meantime, archers were shooting arrows at the runaways, trying to hit them.

Rushing towards Robin Hood and the prisoners, Ignis stood her ground as the arrows drew near, deciding to use an extra strong shield spell not only to defend against the arrows but also to buy everyone else some time.

"Barriera, nya!"

A stronger version of the Barrier spell protected the prisoners and Robin Hood, fending off the arrows as though they were little paper balls. Because Ignis herself was inside the Barriera spell, not even the archer's arrows could hit her. But at the same time, because she was busy holding up the Barrier spell, she couldn't do anything else either.

Assisting Ignis, both Robin Hood and Little John unloaded a large bundle of barrels filled with wine from a large wagon and had them rolling towards the archers and other soldiers that were hindering their way out. The barrels of wine made contact and crashed into the soldiers, splashing them with enough wine to get them drunk and knocked unconscious. With the wagon empty, Robin Hood and Little John hurried to place the prisoners onto the wagon as Ignis continued holding up the barrier.

"That's all of them! Get going!" shouted Robin Hood, handing one of the smaller prisoners to Friar Tuck. He rushed over and pulled the castle lever, releasing the front gates that made a path through the castle moat. Seeing as everyone had ridden the wagon safely, Ignis released the barrier with strained muscles and leapt onto the wagon, joining the other prisoners inside.

"This ain't no hayride! Let's move it outta here!" called out Little John, grabbing the front reins of the wagon before pressing onward with all of his strength, trying to run away as fast as he could with both Friar Tuck and Robin Hood trailing behind him.

"On to Sherwood Forest!" announced Friar Tuck happily.

One of the passengers on the wagon, a mother rabbit, gasped in horror as she screamed, "Stop! My baby!"

The doll-carrying rabbit girl was trying to catch up to the wagon, though she was still within castle grounds. "Mama! Mama! Wait for me!"

Horrified, Robin Hood turned around and hurried to save the child while Ignis leapt off the wagon to assist Robin Hood. Being quite nimble and having higher agility, Ignis reached the rabbit girl first and held her close in her arms before casting another Barrier spell to fend off the arrows.

Seeing Robin Hood approaching, Ignis handed him the rabbit girl and told him, "Go, nya! I'll hold them off, nya!"

Robin Hood nodded and ran towards the exit, only to arrive seconds too late when one of the soldiers cut off the ropes, thus blocking off the exit with a steel-clad caged gate, trapping them inside.

"We've got 'em now!" shouted the Sheriff, charging forward with his sword.

Robin Hood met up with Little John, who had stopped the wagon and returned to Robin Hood in hopes of helping out his friend. Instead, Robin Hood handed the rabbit girl over to Little John through the small spaces between the caged gate and told him, "Keep going! Don't worry about me!"

Ignis was doing a good job keeping the others soldiers at bay. They couldn't bypass her strong barrier nor could their arrows and other weapons make even a single dent on her shield. Ignis was thankful that out of all of the magic she could cast, defensive and somewhat healing spells were her strong points in magic, whereas Aqua's happens to lean more towards offensive spells.

The original plan was to buy Robin Hood time to escape while Ignis held off the soldiers, and then after he escaped, she could also easily escape as well. However, one giant obstacle appeared that sent their original plans flying.

A giant frog Unversed wearing a crown on its head.

It appeared out of nowhere in a flying press attack, startling Ignis. Because she was caught off guard and using only a first-tier Barrier spell, the barrier spell shattered under the flying press attack, sending Ignis flying back until she landed gracefully on her feet like a cat.

"Seriously, nya?! Now, nya?!"

"Get Robin Hood! Forget the girl! That monster can have her!" shouted the Sheriff. He and the other soldiers bypassed both Ignis and the Unversed in favor of trying to capture Robin Hood, who scurried away and tried to find a way to both escape and assist his friend as possible.

"Don't worry about me, nya!" Ignis shouted to Robin Hood, brandishing her Keyblade as she started to face off against the frog Unversed. "I can handle this guy, nya!"

She ran forward, only to jump back in order to avoid the tongue lashing from the frog Unversed. She shot a quick glance at the spot where the tongue lashing had landed and saw a huge crack at the ground, indicating that the tongue was not only quick and sharp, but also deadly strong as well.

The frog Unversed was only getting started, as it began a barrage of tongue whip attacks out on Ignis. Using her cat-like reflexes, Ignis began dodging and running around the castle grounds, avoiding the tongue lashes which only caused more damage to the areas where they hit and missed Ignis. It was only thanks to the beastwoman cat-like body and its benefits that Ignis was able to dodge the attacks. Taking advantage of the speed, agility, and even using parts of her body such as her tail to dodge and run around the castle grounds helped Ignis and allowed her to learn more about the frog Unversed's attack patterns.

When she spotted an opening, Ignis rushed in, sliding across the floor to avoid a tongue lashing to the face and another one that nearly hit her arm. Once she got up close, she slashed heavily with Phoenix Fairy; the painful cries of the Unversed being evidence of her successful attack. She managed to deal with a couple more successful blows before she was sent flying back by an unexpected move.

Explosive gold coins.

For some reason, the frog Unversed had the uncanny ability to shoot out bombs in the form of gold coins from its large mouth. Just now, it unleashed a small volley of gold coins towards Ignis, and once the gold coins made contact, she was not only sent flying back, but was also injured as well.

Casting a Cure spell on herself, Ignis recovered from her wounds and stood up straight, taking a firmer stance. _'Bombs?! Seriously?! Okay, it's a bit of a hard effort just to get close to this guy, so I might as well use magic!'_ she thought, raising her Keyblade up in the air.

"Thundara, nya!"

Powerful lightning rained down on the Unversed, making a direct hit. However, the Unversed didn't even seemed fazed or even the slightest injured. Instead, it focused on firing the gold coins from its mouth towards Ignis, who had to cast a defensive spell to block the coins. The first round nearly threw her back as she had underestimated the force of the explosions, so she quickly replaced the Barrier spell with a Barriera spell, making things a bit easier on her end.

 _'I think this guy's immune to thunder magic! So, his tongue's really fast, and he can shoot gold coins which explode on impact. Great, just great,'_ thought Ignis, holding up the Barriera spell. _'But, it doesn't look like this guy's made for close combat. Looks like he can only do far-ranged attacks and can barely move from his spot! I'll check and see what sort of element he's weak to, and we'll go from there!'_

Once more, Ignis started moving around, trying not to get hit by any of the explosive gold coins or even get close to the impact of the explosions. Because thunder magic didn't appear to be effective against the frog Unversed, Ignis began shooting different basic elemental, offensive spells at the frog Unversed. Much to her dismay, none of them seem to be dealing much damage to the frog Unversed, revealing that it had very high magic resistance.

"Reflecra!" commanded Ignis, casting the second-tier Reflect spell around the frog Unversed just as it was about to fire another full round of gold coins. Her plan to counterattack worked like a charm, because the gold coins bounced off the strong walls and, with all of them together, caused a massive explosion that injured the frog Unversed, making it nearly topple over.

Knowing the Unversed now had a weak point, Ignis let down the Reflect spell and charged forward while the Unversed was still dazed, delivering a swift slash to it. Although it would be tiring, if she defended and countered using her Reflect spells, and then while the enemy was dazed, she could attack it directly. While offensive, elemental spells appear to have no effect on the Unversed, physical attacks still worked.

Regaining its senses, the frog Unversed noticed Ignis up close and lashed out at her with its tongue in a flash, striking a clean cut at her exposed thigh.

"Ugh!" grunted Ignis, winching in pain before leaping back. She started casting a minor healing spell on her thigh when she realized that her magic wasn't working. _'I can't cast magic?! And-I can't even speak! Was Silence inflicted onto me?! Ugh! I hate that sort of status effect! That means I can't speak or even cast magic for a while! I remember the first time Master Eraqus did this to me! Ugh!'_

As Ignis stood there in stunned silence, trying to figure out what to do, the frog Unversed decided to take advantage of the girl's guard being down and unleashed more gold coins at her. Ignis cried out in pain as she was hit by the explosive gold coins, crashing to the ground. Shaking her head, Ignis blinked her eyes several times and immediately got slapped in the face by another tongue whip attack before rolling out of the way and getting up, clutching her bleeding cheek.

 _'Ow, ow, ow! That hurt! I can't cast magic right now, my cheek's hurting like crazy, I let my guard down like a stupid idiot!'_ thought Ignis. _'Okay, just stay calm! I just have to wait until the Silence effect wears off! I only got this because I got hit by that gross tongue of his! Wait, does that mean that that tongue has the Silence effect if it hits me? I gotta be more careful, then!'_

While the Silence effect did eventually wear off Ignis, during the time it didn't, she did have a bit of a difficult time. Ignis kept avoiding and trying to find openings to attack the frog Unversed physically, making sure each of her blows were lethal and quick. The more injured the frog Unversed was, the more agitated it grew, causing its tongue lashes to whip out more swiftly and for its gold coin explosive attacks to fire out more frequently.

During the entire battle, sometimes, Ignis' mind reverted back to Robin Hood, worried for him. She had noticed that one of the towers in the castle had caught ablaze for some reason, but she didn't pay further attention to it much longer as she had her hands full with the frog Unversed. She only hoped that Robin Hood was alright and that he and the others had escaped deep within Sherwood Forest safely.

At long last, Ignis stood over where the frog Unversed was toppled over, panting for breath. She had several, bleeding slashes all over her body from her exhausting battle with the strong frog Unversed and just now, she had just laid the finishing blow to the already dissipating frog Unversed after so long. Not only was it tough, but in her opinion, it was a complete annoyance as she spent so much time on it as it managed to hit her with its tongue, unleashing the Silence status over and over again until she finished it off.

 _'If I never see a stupid Unversed like this again, it'll be too soon,'_ thought Ignis, releasing her Keyblade and basking in the warm morning sun. It felt nice, the cool morning breeze, the birds chirping in the background, the sunlight-

"What are you dunderheads waiting for? Shoot her!"

"Huh?" Ignis turned around and saw she was surrounded by several archers pointing their bows and arrows at her, ready to take aim and fire. Ignis was not only low in magic power, but she was sleepy, has low stamina, and severely injured from her battle with the frog Unversed. Just before she could do anything, a powerful tone roared through the air with a single command.

 _"STOP!"_

The archers froze and lowered their weapons, recognizing the voice before bowing down to their knees. Ignis glanced around her, confused and wondering what was going on before she spotted a lion-like royal figure entering the castle grounds.

"Archers, stand down! Do not attack the beastwoman! Get me a doctor, immediately!" ordered the lion-like figure.

"B-But sir!" cried out the Sheriff. "She's associated with the thief, Robin Hood! That makes her a criminal-"

"Silence! If anyone's the criminal, it's you, Sheriff! How dare you-using your own power to usurp the people and take away what they rightfully deserved! Stealing their gold by any means necessary-you're just as bad as my brother! Guards! Take him away to the jail cell!"

One of the archers spoke up. "Your Majesty, the jails-er….they've been destroyed by an earlier invasion."

"Fine, then restrain the Sheriff! Make sure he doesn't escape the castle grounds and hold him there! I'll deal with him later!"

Ignoring the protests coming from the Sheriff, the lion-like figure headed towards Ignis as the archers made way for their king. "Majesty, nya?" wondered Ignis, rubbing her eyes. "Wait, so does that mean that you're-"

"Correct. I am King Richard, the _true_ ruler of this kingdom. I have heard many great deeds you have done for my kingdom, and I thank you."

"The king, nya?! That's great, nya!" exclaimed Ignis. "That means you're going to fix everything, right, nya? The taxes, the people-everything, nuya?"

"Yes. But for now, it appears you've suffered from a very long battle. Perhaps you should rest, and then we shall speak again. I shall have a doctor tend to you. Robin Hood and his friends should be receiving medical treatment now as we speak. Come."

* * *

 _A few days later..._

After the king's return, everything returned to normal for the better almost instantly. Robin Hood and those who were injured during the jail break made a full recovery after getting plenty of rest. The taxes and other unfair laws written by Prince John were taken down within a day, and the citizens of Nottingham were tax-free for a while, given the circumstances. Speaking of Prince John, he and his goons were sent to life-long prison sentences for their actions, never to harm anyone ever again.

Ignis quickly recovered within a day using her healing magic, and the first thing she did after recovering was to check up on Robin Hood in the others, relieved that they were alright. The kingdom was even more grateful towards Ignis when she helped tended to the sick and wounded and helped repaired a bit of the kingdom after she herself recovered. During the few days of recovery, Ignis searched all throughout the kingdom for more Unversed, and was satisfied when there wasn't even a single trace of them left, making the people assume that the Unversed were just nightmares or just monsters that came in the kingdom's worst times. The kingdom still needed lots of work in repairing from the damage during Prince John's reign, but eventually, given enough time, it would.

Soon, the day came for Marian and Robin Hood's wedding, and everyone in Nottingham was invited; happy to see their savior, Robin Hood, get the happy ending he rightfully deserved. They all watched the newly wedded couple ride onto their carriage and away to their honeymoon, applauding and cheering for their happiness.

After the wedding, Ignis headed towards the forest, making sure nobody followed her or even sending a single trace of her whereabouts. Her stay in this world wasn't as long as the time she spent in Camelot, but she still made new memories in this world, as well as a new lifelong lesson that she was certain was part of her quest to understanding balance between light and darkness.

The king, or rather, Prince John in this case, was supposed to represent the strong will of the kingdom of Nottingham, thus being the symbol or righteousness and light. However, he proved to be nothing more than a cowardly, selfish, money-hogging crybaby that only put his own interests before others. In a way, this proved that his "light" was evil.

However, Robin Hood was deemed a hero amongst Nottingham for his deeds, even though stealing, no matter what the reason, was still technically bad. Ignis still felt his actions were bad, but even so, she felt his reasons to be even noblier. Plus, considering that King Richard had given him a pardon and no longer deemed him as a criminal because of the circumstances around his actions, Ignis was willing to let it go, especially since it seemed that Robin Hood would never steal again.

In a way, Prince John was a corrupted, evil light, and Robin Hood was a good, heartwarming darkness.

 _'I feel like this experience helped me greatly,'_ Ignis thought as she summoned her Keyblade Armor and rode off into space with her Keyblade Glider. _'Seeing a bad side in the supposed good light, and helping out the good side within the bad darkness...I wanna see more of that. Well, there's tons of worlds out there, so maybe I'll get a similar experience soon!'_

* * *

 **Okay! This was a rather short world adventure, but definitely important! Yeah, I'll get to explaining real quick!**

 **So, the reason why I chose the Robin Hood world is because in a way, it helps understand a bit of the balance between light and darkness. Robin Hood's crimes while Prince John was still in reign, is still kinda evil in action terms because he was stealing, tricking other in a different guise, and so forth, even if his intentions were good. But, at the same time, while his actions are "evil," the reason why Robin Hood isn't in the evil side of darkness is because his intentions are still pure good and noble, since he's always risking his life for the folks of Nottingham, thus making him the "hero of darkness."**

 **As for Prince John, although it's very clear his intentions are very malicious and selfish, thus fitting in the evil side of darkness, his order are still technically good, thus being in the corrupted side of the light. That's because, as a ruler, he still has to deliver justice upon evildoers, and that includes Robin Hood, no matter what his reasons were for, since stealing is still a crime. Although, execution is a bit much, but things were different back then, so you know. This would make Prince John the "villain of light."**

 **So, I made this world into an adventure where Ignis is true to her word; she helps the hero of darkness defeat the villain of light. The hero who would use the powers of darkness to help the weak and innocent against the villain who uses the power of light for his own selfish, evil deeds.**

 **And now, we'll go to explaining one of the Seven Deadly Sins that was placed in this world; Greed. I mean, it was pretty damn obvious what sort of seven deadly sin was going to be placed here, considering Prince John's love for gold. I actually debated internally whether I should put the theme of greed into the Robin Hood world, or the Treasure Planet world. In the end, I chose the Robin Hood world because of the whole hero of darkness and villain of light being more appropriate for the characters there.**

 **Anyways, the animal symbolizing Greed happened to be a frog. A. Frog. Yeah, yeah, I know, I probably should have used a fox animal, but I actually did some research as to any animals symbolizing Greed, and most of the sources I discovered led to frog being the symbol. They didn't really give me a reason why frogs are the animal symbol for Greed, though. If Greed from FMA discovered his animal symbol was frog, I'm sure he'd be pissed.**

 **I also wanted to discuss the attack types the frog Unversed had unleashed. The gold coins were based on KH's Ruler of the Sky, a boss in 358/2 Days, and the explosions were also based on Antlion from 358/2 Days. I added explosives to the gold coins because, come on! As if anyone's going to DIE from getting hit by gold coins! If anything, they'd be eager and actually gather as much gold coins, just like a certain lion prince we know. So, I added the explosive effects to the gold coins to make it more believable that the gold coins will explode on contact and kill you through the explosive powers.**

 **The tongue lashing attack idea came from Avatar: The Last Airbender, more specifically, a creature named Nyla, whose tongue attacks contained paralysis and other toxins. I decided to incorporate that idea into the frog Unversed and change the effect so that anyone hit by it receives a Silence status effect. This is also good for Ignis since she still relies on magic and would need to stop relying on them and focus on her own strengths, such as her swordsmanship. Plus, even if she hits the frog Unversed with magic, I made it so the frog Unversed has very high magic resistance, so you know.**

 **This concludes one of Ignis' obstacles complete! This time, Facilier's prediction came true, and the obstacle she had to face was symbolized by the Wheel of Fortune tarot card. The meaning behind that card is luck, change, and fortune. Robin Hood's heists are strategic, but they also rely on luck in my opinion, and I dunno how long Prince John was ruling for, but he was quite "lucky" that his big brother didn't catch on the news of his terrible deeds much earlier. The change meaning happens to be the multiple changes Prince John did to his kingdom, as well as a change of events once Robin Hood sprung into action and started stealing to help the people of Nottingham. Fortune can be referred to the large amount of fortune Prince John had, and the large amount of fortune Robin Hood always steals. It also helped that thanks to Ignis' assistance, there was quite another change of events that led to fortune for all of the people of Nottingham.**

 **Now that that explanation's settled, I want to make clear of a couple more things!**

 **First off, the next world isn't the crossover world. You still have time to vote. I'm not really giving hints as to what the next world will be, but I will tell you that just like in the Robin Hood world, this will have two parts. I'm actually pretty excited to getting to writing the next world, but that'll have to wait. However, I will give out three hints as to what the first crossover world will be.**

 **1\. It'll have the four elements as one of the main themes; water, earth, wind, and fire.**

 **2\. No, it's not Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's not even related to that at all besides the whole 4 elements thing.**

 **3\. No, it's not gonna be a Disney world. It's a crossover world, after all. And this crossover world is based on one of my most favorite childhood video games!**

 **Yeah, when I start to introduce that crossover world, you may want to do research on that game if you want to fully recognize the whole storyline. Just a heads-up.**

 **Now, the second thing I wanted to point out is Ignis' strong points. She'll still be able to cast her combination creation spells, but I decided to make it so her strong magic points directly towards supportive and defensive-type magic, such as healing and barrier spells. Yes, in this story, Ignis will still be able to cast offensive magic, and her knowledge of spells will increase as the story goes on, but I wanted to make it so that she's still a Keyblade Wielder whose main advantage is defense. Terra has strength, Ventus has speed, Aqua has magic, and Ignis has defense. Kinda like Goofy.**

 **So, in other words, she'll be the combination of a white mage and a tank class. A...White Tank? A Tank Mage? Well, if she was in the Fate series, her class would definitely be Shielder!**

 **Last but not least, her summoning magic. Yeah, if any of you expected to see her summoning magic and what kind of summon she would get, then you'd be mistaken. She's not gonna summon anything in this world, but the crossover world will help her summoning magic, that's for sure.**

 **Well, with that said, read and review! Also, after this chapter, I'm going on a short vacation, so I won't be back for a while. Toodles!**


	22. Disney Town (1)

**Hey, guys! Back from my mini vacation and so excited to head back to this fanfic! Just to let you all know, after this two-part world event, there is one more, small little world I'd like to do right before we get to the first of the three crossover worlds! Remember, you still have time to vote before time runs out and so far, the majority has agreed to allow me to use the crossover worlds in this fanfic instead of a separate one! If I do get in trouble and reported, it's fine, because I've made copies! Now, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own any references in this chapter, such as NicoB.**

* * *

Garbed in his Keyblade Armor, Ventus flew around the deep depths of space using his Keyblade Glider, having exited the previous world he was in over an hour ago. He clenched the handles of his Keyblade Glider tightly as he thought back on the last time he met with Ignis.

He...made her cry. Over and over, that painful expression on her face replayed itself in his mind the more he thought of Ignis. If he had the power to rewind time, he would do so in a heartbeat just so he could apologize and comfort Ignis. The harsh words he spoke of that she never deserved to hear, that expression that looked on the verge of crying, and worse...how he even said _he hated her._

If he saw Ignis next time, he was going to get down on his knees and apologize, even going so far as to beg-No. No amount of begging will ever gain her forgiveness. Not after the horrible stuff he said to her face. He had allowed his anger and jealously get the best of him, and Master Eraqus had always said that too much negative emotions can lead to darkness. So, from now on, he was going to try and control himself, so that next time he met Ignis, he wouldn't lose control. It was never Ignis' fault that he despised Vanitas.

 _'Idiot, idiot, IDIOT!'_ thought Ventus, wanting to hit himself in the head...again. _'How could you have screwed things up?! Now Ignis won't be interested in me because of the bullshit that came from my mouth! I...I wonder how she's doing...Knowing her, she's probably still upset and having the worst time of her life...'_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, with Ignis..._

"I AM HAVING THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!" shrieked Ignis, rolling all over the ground as she was cuddling, nuzzling, and allowing puppies and kittens to lick and nuzzle up to her.

Just a couple minutes ago, Ignis entered a new world that appeared to be quite festive for a colorful-looking town called Disney Town. According to the information she received from asking several residents, there was a special once-in-a-year festival going on called the Dream Festival, where many events were set up, such as familiar carnival games and other events.

While Ignis was easily able to gain access inside due to her lifetime Disney Town Passport, she still had to purchase tickets to enter any activity or event within the festival. So far, she had used one of them to enter an event called a Pet Café, where it not only functioned as a café, but also had multiple different kinds of pets, too. Her favorite were the baby animals, which had taken a liking to her and were now surrounding her, licking her and nuzzling up to her.

Eventually, one of the employees came up to Ignis, tapping her gently. "Excuse me, Miss? Your time playing with the puppies and kittens is up."

"Awwwww! Okay..."

As much as Ignis wanted to spend more time with the adorable animals inside the Pet Café, she knew she couldn't. If she truly wanted to, she would have used more of her tickets to spend more time inside, but then she'd run out of tickets and would have to go buy more. And she didn't want to resort to that because she wanted to use her tickets for the other events. Buying the tickets was quite expensive even though she earned reward money from King Richard for helping the people of Nottingham.

After leaving the Pet Café, Ignis skipped around happily in Disney Town with a bright smile on her face that could rival the sun. She was so excited to try out all of the events that was happening in the Dream Festival. They were so much like carnival games, actually, some of them may have been inspired by carnival games, which was all the more exciting to try them all out!

Ignis was so fixated on the exciting events that she didn't pay attention to whom she had crashed into. "Ooof! Sorry!" Ignis apologized after tumbling back.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, missy!" snapped a large, anthropomorphic cat who shook his fist at her. "Say...you're new around here, aren't ya?"

"Hmm? Yeah! I'm Ignis! Nice to meet ya!"

"Say, are you in trouble? Need some assistance? Because Captain Justice is here!" said the large man, posing heroically.

"...Are...Are you impersonating some kind of hero?" wondered Ignis, tilting her head in confusion.

"Of course! I'm Captain Justice, defender of the weak! Helper to all those in need!"

"Uh...Okay, then where's your superhero costume?"

"What?"

"Yeah, your superhero costume! If you want to declare yourself a superhero, then where's your costume? Right now, you just look like a normal civilian!"

"Wha-?! Oh, hold on!" He spun around rapidly, thus revealing himself in a white heroic costume with traits of red all over. "Here I am to save the day! Captain Justice is here to-"

"Nope! Nadda! Too late! You already ruined it," said Ignis, making an X-formation with her arms and shaking her head. "I like superheroes, but I didn't think you'd be this stupid to reveal your secret identity so early!"

"Hey! I'm quite proud of my title! I can solve any problem that the citizens here have problems with! In fact, I just recently helped a young man move his crates to a truck! I'm so helpful!"

Just then, a dog-like anthropomorphic person with a red cap rushed out and shook his head at the so-called Captain Justice. "Hey, Pete! You didn't unload ALL of the crates! And you made a big mess with the ones that you actually unloaded! How are you gonna fix this?!"

"Your name's Pete?" wondered Ignis, turning to him.

"Uh-oh! Um...I have no idea what you're speaking about, fellow citizen!" exclaimed Pete, quickly changing out of his Captain Justice costume and more towards a dark and purple-colored villainous costume. "I am Captain Dark, a common vigilante that helps others in the shadows and-"

"Dude, we literally just saw you change out of your own costume. That's not gonna fool us," pointed out Ignis.

"Yeah! Don't think you can avoid this! You're coming back and helping me, and that's that!" declared the red cap dog.

"Uh...You can't see me! I am one with the shadows!" declared Pete, hiding his face behind his cape before running off.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"Don't worry, mister! I got him!" assured Ignis, grinning as she pointed her finger at the ground beneath Pete's feet. "Stone! Water!"

Both the earth and water elemental spells formed a mud puddle that caused Pete to trip over and splash mud all over his costume, ruining it. "Gah! Of all the times to be clumsy-!"

"Stop!" Ignis shouted, rushing up and blocking his path as he tried to get up. "I'm not letting you through!"

"Grrrr! Outta my way!" Pete tried to get past Ignis, only for her to move to block his path once more.

"Nope! I'm not letting you leave until you fix that poor man's problem!"

"Oh? And how will you stop me, Captain Dark? I have faced many fearsome foes in my time as a vigilante! There's no way a mere girl like you can-"

* * *

 _Later..._

"You know, I kinda feel bad for Pete," said the red cap dog, watching as a drenched, smoked, and shivering Pete was carrying out his sentence by carefully and gently placing crates full of supplies onto the back of a truck.

"Well, if he didn't run away from me so much, I wouldn't have to use magic on him a lot!" said Ignis, picking up a crate and handing it to Pete. "Here ya go! Another crate!"

Pete only grumbled under his breath as he carried the crate to the truck. It was clear that thanks to Ignis, he was forced back into the duties he didn't like, despite proclaiming to help the citizens of Disney Town.

"So, why are you helping, anyways? Not that I don't appreciate it," spoke the red cap dog to Ignis.

"Hmm? Oh, I just wanted to help a fellow person, that's all! You look like you could use all the help you could get!" assured Ignis, picking up yet another crate in her arms. "But, man! What is in these things, anyways?"

"Oh, just your local fruits and vegetables. I'm delivering this to a good friend of mine, Horace! He needs these for his Fruitball game!"

"Ooh! That sounds like fun! I wanna try out this Fruitball game! How do you play?"

"Well...to be honest, I don't know. I've been so busy, I haven't asked Horace about the rules yet, but I heard it's popular," said the red cap dog. "Although, I have seen some...unfamiliar, scary-looking creatures around that game."

"Scary-looking creatures?" wondered Ignis, handing another crate to Pete.

"Yeah! They were dark and round, like Pete, but much more scarier! Horace tried to make them go away, because they didn't pay with their tickets, but they refused to leave! They do make excellent Fruitball players, though."

 _'Yeah, I'm starting to think they're Unversed. I know what I have to do now!'_ thought Ignis. "Say, they're like troublemakers, right? I'm good with dealing with troublemakers! After all, you've seen me deal with Petey!"

"Hey! First off, I let you win!" shouted Pete, having finished loading the crates onto the back of the truck. "Secondly, don't call me Petey! I'm Captain-"

"Captain heart light dark heart bart, yeah, yeah! I know! So anyways, why don't I go and take care of these dark bullies you keep mentioning?"

"Um...Well...I'm not in charge of Fruitball registrations, but...okay...?" agreed the red cap dog.

"I'm sure you can handle it, young civilian! I'll be rooting for ya on the sidelines!" cried out Pete. "As for me, since I wasted so much time here, I gotta get to the next-"

"Oh, no, no, no!" said Ignis, stopping him in his tracks as an idea popped into her head. "Come to think of it, you're a...vigilante...superhero...guy...thing, right?"

As quick as the wind, Pete twirled around and transformed into his Captain Justice persona. "Captain Justice, heroic-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. If you're a superhero, then your job is to help people, right?"

"Er...Of course! That's what a superhero does! Defeat evildoers and help people, just like you said!"

"Then, please help me, oh, Captain Justice!" Ignis pleaded, clasping her hands together and shaking them, though it was quite clear she was faking her tone. "Help me defeat the evildoers at this Fruitball game event! That is your role, right?"

"Yeah, but...duty calls for me elsewhere!" declared Pete, posing. "I must go to where duty calls and-"

 **"If you don't go with me, I'll set you on fire again,"** Ignis threatened with a cheerful tone, yet with a calm expression.

"Er..."

"I would also like to replay the game where I tag you with Thunder."

"Um…As a hero, I have some chores to attend to-"

"Oh? Would you like some water to help you with that? Oh, sorry, I remembered that I used my water magic on you right before the tag game. Do you want some more? Maybe a bit of _ice_ would do the trick."

"Okay, okay, okay! I'll help you!" cried out Pete, cowering in fear and literally shaking head to toe. "Threatening a hero like me...you're definitely no hero yourself, that's for sure! But because you're new at all of this, I'm willing to forgive and forget! Welcome to Team Pete, new sidekick!"

 _'Since when have I become your sidekick?'_ thought Ignis, slightly annoyed. "Well...regardless, you ARE going to help, right?"

"Of course!"

Ignis turned to the red cap dog. "Hey, so...you know where the Fruitball game is supposed to take place?"

"Yes! In fact, I'll even take you two there! Hop on the back! I'm just about to head towards the Fruitball event!" offered the red cap dog.

* * *

 _At the Fruitball event..._

"HI THERE! WOULD YOU LIKE A GAME OF MOTHER FUCKIN' FRUITBALL?!" shrieked Horace the horse who rushed up to both Peter and Ignis.

"Um...Is he okay?" Ignis asked, uneased as she turned to the red cap dog.

"He...tends to get like this whenever it's the Dream Festival and he's in charge of Fruitball. Don't worry, though. His personality's completely normal and friendly. This is just a temporary phase until the Dream Festival's over."

"FRUITBALL!"

"...Right..." said Ignis, glancing around and seeing two Bruiser Unversed standing on the field in a menacingly fashion. "As if today couldn't get any weirder. Okay, so...Horace, right? How do we play Fruitball?"

"Oh, it's quite simple! The object of this game is to score a lot of points until the time runs out! There's a machine around here that I'll be putting fruit in, and then the fruit will magically be shot out ten times its normal size! The fruit will then be used as balls to hit towards the other team's goal! The objective of the game is to try and get the fruit to hit the other team's goal, and to avoid having the other team's fruit hit your goal! You score a point every time you hit the other team's goal!"

"Oh, so it's kinda like volleyball?" wondered Ignis. "I can get behind that, no probs!"

"Easy-peasy! I've played this game before, so I'm an expert!" bragged Pete. "Just leave it to me!"

"Hmm...I dunno about that," said Horace, voicing his doubts. "You lost last year, and just an hour ago, those monsters sent you crying after beating you senselessly."

"H-Hey! That is a lie! I did no such thing, for I am Captain-"

"Ugh! Can we get this over with already? I wanna play the game and beat those two suckers over there!" Ignis exclaimed, pointing to the two Bruisers.

"Okay! I'm more than happy to start off a nice, fun game of FRUITBALL!"

"Jeez, dude! That was right by my ear!"

"Sorry, sorry! So, what's your team name?"

"Team name? We get to name our own team?" wondered Ignis.

"Of course!" said Horace. "Those creatures over there-We're not quite sure what they are since they can't say anything, so we named them Team Red!"

"Oh, in that case-"

"Team Dark!" declared Pete, having reverted to his Captain Dark costume. "That is our official name! With my new vigilante sidekick, we'll defeat the evildoers playing this game in the shadows!"

"What?! No, you can't just-!"

"Excellent! Team Dark will be registered for this game! Just hand me a ticket each, and we'll get to play some MOTHER FLIPPIN' FRUITBALL!"

After both Pete and Ignis handed their tickets over and were given Struggle Bats, they made their way to the field, where the only thing separating between them and the other team was a clear pink line. From the far back of both teams, there was a hovering net constantly flying sideways over and over as a moving net device to make the game more interesting.

 **"The time limit is 3 minutes!"** announced Horace through a megaphone, sitting down on a lifeguard chair while the fruit machine and boxes of fruit were right next to him. **"The team who gets the most goals wins the game! Are you ready? It's Team Dark vs Team Red! Game ready in 3...2...1...GO!"**

Horace entered a pair of bananas into the machine, which quickly enlarged the bananas and shot it out as though it was a large ball of bananas, thus initiating the start of the game.

Though mildly surprised, Ignis was the first to rush up and approach the bananas. "Oh, so this is what he meant by more than normal size! But it's no big deal-!" Grunting, she swung her Struggle Bat as hard as she could, slamming the bananas towards the other team.

The Bruisers were in perfect sync with one another. One was moving back and forth, protecting their net and focusing more on defense while the other Bruiser seemed to have taken the offensive position. The offensive Bruiser slammed back the bananas so hard, they scattered and were now nothing more than banana peels scattered all over Team Dark's side of the playing field.

"Oh, come on!" cried out Ignis. "Pete, can you defend the goal?"

"No way! I want in on all of the action!" shouted Pete. "YOU defend the goal!"

"As if!"

While the two of them were arguing, Horace unleashed some more fruits, using the machine to enlarge them before sending them out wildly onto the playing field. Apples, pineapples, grapes, and watermelons were scattered all around the field in a gigantic form.

"OW! DAMNIT!" cursed Ignis, accidentally slipping on a banana peel and hitting her back.

"I got it! I got it!" called out Pete, running around in circles, trying to hit one of the fruits only to hit one of them with little strength despite his large mass. "Grrr! These guys are real good!"

"No, you're just bad!" Ignis shouted, getting back up and swinging her Struggle Bat against a pair of grapes, only for the grapes to scatter into multiple, smaller versions of themselves just like with the banana peels. "Gah! There's too much stuff happening! There's too many kinds of fruit!"

At the start of the game, it was much easier because it was just dealing with one fruit. Ignis thought that if one of the large fruits was destroyed or sent flying out of the field, Horace would just replace the "fruitball" with another large fruit. Well, she was half-right. Whenever one of the fruits were destroyed in the midst of slamming them back and forth or simply crashed to the ground, Horace would replace that fruit with another fruit, but he also started throwing in more fruits to make the game more difficult.

So now, while Team Red was having many advantages, Team Dark had gone from bad to worse. Not only was their playing field filled with banana peels, crushed grapes, and other bits of destroyed fruits, but Pete and Ignis made a terrible team in terms of cooperation. They kept arguing with each other, crashing into each other, accidentally hitting one another, and so on.

"Ha! In your face!"

"Damnit, Pete! You hit me, too!"

"Nonsense!"

"I have a big, frickin' bump on my head, idiot!"

After some time later, even Ignis was starting to feel exhausted from all of the chaos that's been happening. "This goes on for so long! Hey, Horace! How much time have we got?!"

 **"Hmm...about 2 minutes!"**

"Seriously?! It's only been about a minute since this game started?! This feels like it's been going on for 8 hours!"

"What's with all of these nets?!" shouted Pete, frustrated as his attempts kept literally bouncing back as Team Red had set up a moving net right in the pink line; its purpose being an additional defense. "How do they keep whipping them out?!"

Ignis stomped her foot. "Urgh! They're cheating! You-You fuckin', dirty CHEATERS!"

 **"Actually, they're part of the wonderful game of FRUITBALL!"**

"Stop getting so excited over saying that!"

In the end, though, Team Dark lost the Fruitball game with a score of 2 - 39. Out of frustration, and part of her duty, Ignis fired off two fireballs towards the two Bruisers, exterminating them in a blazing glory, much to the horror and shock of both Pete and Horace.

"I...I knew I wanted help dealing with those monsters, but that was a bit overkill!" exclaimed Horace.

"As your superior superhero-vigilante, I have to say that I am very disappointed in you, sidekick!" shouted Pete, placing his hands on his hips. "Showing your frustration by setting our foes on fire is not appropriate for this peaceful town!"

"Okay, normally, you would be right, but those kinda are monsters meant to be killed," admitted Ignis nonchalantly. "At least they can't harm anyone anymore, right?"

"I suppose so..." sighed Horace. "Still, you two did a good job fighting back against those monsters in that wonderful game of FRUITBALL!"

"Wonderful? We only got two points!" protested Ignis. "I kept tripping over those stupid banana peels!"

"And I kept getting hit by the fruits! Honestly, it was like those creeps were targeting specifically me!" cried out Pete. "Like I was their competition or something!"

"Gee, I can't imagine why."

"To win the grand prize, you two must beat 18 rounds of FRUITBALL!" declared Horace.

"Wha-?! Seriously?!" shouted Ignis.

"No, no! I'm only joking! FRUITBALL!"

"Okay, we get it! You're obsessed with Fruitball, jeez!"

Pete scoffed. "Whatever! I'm done here, right? Because Captain Dark's got some more business to take care of elsewhere!"

Ignis waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah. You can go. Thanks for the help, by the way...even if I had to force you to."

Watching Pete leave, Horace let out a huge sigh. "You know, I honestly never expected Captain Useless to help me this time, even if you said that you had forced him to. Thanks, though, for convincing him to help out, even if it was a little."

"What are you talking about?" wondered Ignis. "I'm starting to think Pete is a tad bit lazy. Dunno why he keeps putting up this Captain Justice and Captain Dark thing."

"Oh, that's 'cause he wants to win the Million Dreams Award. Sometime during the Dream Festival, Queen Minnie will tally up the votes, and whoever gets the most votes wins the Million Dreams Award! And the votes are based on the most popular person in town! Pete goes around in disguise as both Captain Justice and Captain Dark just to get more votes for the award."

"Come to think of it, what exactly is the Million Dreams Award?"

"It's different each year! Last year was a one-time free spa ticket, and this year could be different! Oh, boy! I hope this year, the prize will be-"

"Lemme guess, something with Fruitball, right?"

Horace shook his head. "No, of course not! I just want a gigantic tennis racket!"

"Oh. Well, that's not too bad-Wait a minut-"

"SO I CAN PLAY ME SOME GODDAMN GOOD FRUITBALL!"

"Yup, there it is. Well, I'm gonna go play some more games. Catch ya later, Horace!"

"Bye-bye! Thanks again for assisting me!"

* * *

 _Later..._

"Oh, thank you dearie, for taking time out of your fun time here to help a poor, elderly woman like me," spoke a rabbit anthropomorphic elderly lady, who was being escorted back to her home by Ignis.

"No probs! Just stay safe, miss!" assured Ignis, opening the door for the elderly lady before closing it after she entered her home. Returning to the Dream Festival, Ignis' bright, glimmering brown eyes gazed around the attractions shown throughout the festival...when one thing caught her attention.

It...No, _They_ were...perfect. Utterly angelic, even. Perfect couldn't even begin to describe the perfectionist behind such beings that have caught her attention. She could tell even by not touching them that they were be like angels; soft, cute, and in perfect perfection all over.

And their names...were Tsum Tsum.

A cow-like man was just adding the finishing touches to his event stand, which consists entirely of a new popular brand called Tsum Tsums. It was apparently very popular with the female population, as they thought the plushie dolls were adorable. It grew even more popular tenfold when the company making the Tsum Tsums announced that now, customers can customize their own Tsum Tsums, and apparently, he was in charge of the customization for the Dream Festival part.

Flipping the open sign on top of his stand, the cow-like man steeled himself for yet another crowd of female customers that would soon arrive within a few min-

Suddenly, in a flash, Ignis zoomed in, arriving in front of the Tsum Tsum stand with an eager and energetic expression on her face. The cow-like owner was taken aback by her sudden appearance, as though she had teleported out of nowhere or something. Yes, he did expect Tsum Tsum fangirls to arrive, but...not quite like this, and a lone person as well.

"OHMYGODTHOSEARESOCUTEANDADORABLEWHATARETHEYCANIHAVETHEMPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!"

"I...I...What? Slow down, please!"

Practically bouncing up and down, Ignis had lowered her excitement level a little and spoke a bit more clearly. Though, only a little. "Those...are the most cutest and most adorablest things I have ever seen! I want them all!"

 _'Yup, a new Tsum Tsum fangirl. I get them daily at least 3 times a week,'_ thought the cow-like owner. "Right...well, it's 5 tickets per Tsum Tsum."

Ignis' face fell. "Wha-?! Why are they so expensive?! All the other games and events I've been to are like, 1 ticket each!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Miss, but Tsum Tsum dolls are actually just as expensive in stores as they are in the festival. If you want, though, you can customize your own Tsum Tsum doll, and it'll cost 3 tickets each customization."

Ignis found herself in quite a dilemma. She still had lots of tickets to spend it on the festival, but she didn't want to spend it all on the cute Tsum Tsum dolls, even if they were the very definition of cuteness. But if she did, she would have a room full of Tsum Tsum dolls! Then again, at the same time, if she spent only a few tickets on the customization option, she would not only gain some cute Tsum Tsum dolls, but also still have lots of tickets to spare.

In the end, Ignis left the Tsum Tsum stand, holding four customized Tsum Tsum dolls. They all resembled her friends; Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and...yes, even Vanitas.

Vanitas.

 _'Yeah, he's definitely gonna kill me out of embarrassment if he finds out I actually have a doll of him,'_ thought Ignis, smiling happily to herself as she cuddled close to her Tsum Tsum dolls. _'But at least I'll die a happy girl, cuddling to the most cutest creations in life!'_

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," muttered the cow-like owner, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Maybe now's a good time for a snack break-"

"Hey, the Tsum Tsum stand is open!"

"Oh my gosh! Really?! I have to get the Stich Tsum Tsum doll!"

"I'm gonna get King Mickey's!"

"I want that cute one!"

"I'm gonna spend all my tickets on those!"

"Eeeek! Is it just me, or are they much cuter?!"

"Well, it was fun until it lasted," sighed the cow-like owner, getting ready to deal with the horde of fangirls rushing towards the counter with tickets in their hands.

Ignis continued having fun around the Dream Festival, playing games, getting on some rides, and having more of the time of her life. Any prizes that she won, she stored them inside her bag using a storage magic that she was taught as a requirement for future usage to explore other worlds. It was extremely helpful for storing Potions, Ethers, and any useful items that she could use in battle.

"This game is rigged! I want a rematch!"

"Sir, if you want to do that, you'll have to pay for another ticket."

"Grrrr-! I don't want to waste all of my tickets, though! I'm Captain Justice! Shouldn't I get some sort of award for all my hard work today?"

"No."

 _'Yeah, that is exactly who I think it is,'_ thought Ignis, rushing over to where the commotion was taking place. Just as she expected, Pete, in his Captain Justice guise, was currently in an argument with the ring toss owner, who was in charge of the ring toss stand.

"What's going on?" Ignis spoke up loudly, approaching the ring toss stand.

A smirk found itself on Pete's face as he thought that he would finally get some help from his "sidekick." "Help me out here, sidekick! I've been playing this flumsy game, but I keep losing because it's rigged!"

Ignis turned to the ring toss owner, who sighed and shook his head. "It's not rigged; he's just being a sore loser. He keeps missing all of his tosses, and that's why he's complaining that the game's rigged."

"Okay, lemme have a go at it, then," suggested Ignis, handing over a ticket.

"Alright, Miss. You get three rings, and the more rings you land on the bottle necks, the better the prize you'll receive," explained the ring toss owner, handing her three rings. "Good luck."

"By the way, what's the big grand prize for this game?"

"This giant teddy bear right here," said the ring toss owner, pointing to the large teddy bear sitting on top of the prize shelf. 'It's the same one Pete's been trying to get for the past hour."

"Hey! It's Captain Justice to-"

"Okay, so I'm getting ready now," interrupted Ignis, getting into position before tossing the rings towards her target. To everyone's surprise, Ignis' throws managed to land on the bottle necks perfectly.

"Oh, wow...I honestly didn't expect you to get it the first try," admitted the ring toss owner, blinking in surprise. "Alright, which prize do you want? Now that you got all three in, you can even get the grand prize!"

"Okay, then I want the big teddy bear!"

"Uh...Hey, buddy?" called out Pete. "Would it be alright if...you gave me the grand prize?"

After being handed the big teddy bear, Ignis glanced at Pete. "What? Why would I do that? And my name isn't 'buddy.'"

"To be honest, I...kinda forgot your name."

"You forgot my name."

"Yeah...Oops?"

"Alright, Petey. I'll give you the grand prize...on one condition."

"And that is...?"

"Say my name."

"Oh...um..."

"You don't even remember my name."

"I do! It's...um...uh...Little...Red?"

"Hahahaha! No. No, it's Ignis. I-"

"Dad!"

Ignis and Pete turned around and saw a small, plump boy resembling Pete greatly and another boy holding a balloon tagging along with the Pete-resembling boy running up to Pete. "Junior! Max! Have you two been wandering off while I was busy trying to win this game?" scolded Pete. "I told you not to do that so many times!"

"S-Sorry, sir!" apologized the Pete-resembling boy nervously.

"Please don't blame Peej, P.J.'s Dad!" pleaded the boy named Max. "It was my idea! I wanted to go and get a balloon! They were selling free balloons for kids over there! We didn't mean to get lost!"

"Is this your son?" Ignis asked Pete in disbelief.

Pete nodded proudly. "Of course! This little guy here is Pete Junior! P.J. for short, but you can also call him Junior! And his little best friend is someone I'm looking after until his father comes back. Max, Junior, meet...Little Red!"

"I literally just told you my name a second ago," reminded Ignis, annoyed before turning to the two little kids. "Hi, guys! My name's Ignis! It's a pleasure to meet you two!"

"Same here!" chirped Max cheerfully.

"Y-Yes!" said P.J. "Ooh! Dad-I mean, sir! That was the toy I wanted! Did you get it for me?"

Pete seemed to be panicking, as he didn't really want to lie to his son. "Um...Well..."

Ignis quickly caught on what was happening. _'I see! He must have struggled with the Ring Toss game in order to get the big prize for his son! Huh, for someone as troublesome and annoying as him, I guess he's a bit of a softy on the inside. Maybe I was wrong about him,'_ she thought. _'Maybe he is a good guy, after all-'_

"HEY! YOU! CAPTAIN USELESS, OR WHATEVER!"

A small mob of angry-looking townsfolk were stalking up to Pete, surrounding him in all four directions and leaving him no room for escape. They started shouting demands and insults at him, frightening the two little boys who ran and hid behind the closest, nicest person they knew, which happened to be Ignis.

"Hey! You didn't finish the paint job!"

"You were supposed to help me water my flowers! How am I going to get anything done today without-!"

"You said you were going to help fix my birdhouse and now-!"

With the number of demands and voices increasing in volume, Ignis noted how the two boys were getting more afraid. Clearing her throat, she hollered as loud as she could. "OKAY! EVERYONE, BE QUIET!"

It took some time, but eventually, everyone quietened down and paid attention to Ignis. They still surrounded Pete, though, as they weren't willing to allow him to be given an opportunity to escape.

"Right...well, judging from how many there are, I'm guessing that Pete, aka Captain Justice and Dark, supposedly promised to help you guys, but neglected his duties?"

"Yeah, that's right!"

"He promised to help, but he didn't!"

"Right, but can't you take your complains to somewhere where there aren't any children around?" scolded Ignis, addressing to Max and P.J., who were both hiding behind her. "Seriously! You guys are supposed to be upstart citizens, right? But here you are, yelling and scaring innocent, cute kids like these! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

From Ignis' words, some of the citizens did look ashamed and had the decency to look down in shame, while the others were still angry towards Pete. It looked like they were going to further protest, when Ignis came up with a quick plan.

"Look, how about this? I know a way to resolve all of this!" said Ignis. "Pete will keep his promises and do all of the assignments that he promised to do! No question about it!"

While the crowd seemed satisfied with this, only Pete grew angered by this. "Hey! What about my opinion?!"

"Hey, if you were the one who promised them, but you didn't keep your promises, then the blames ultimately falls onto your shoulders!"

"But what about my kid and his best friend?! How am I supposed to take care of them?!"

"I will take care of them!" replied Ignis. "I'll babysit them until you finish all of your duties! Then, you can pick them up from me!"

Pete knew that he didn't have a choice. No amount of boasting about him being Captain Justice/Dark was going to get him out of this one. There was no escaping from the angry mob, as they were going to force him to uphold his false promises whether he liked it or not. Besides, even though he knew Ignis for a short while, he felt like he could trust her with the two kids he was entrusted to look after. He'll just finish up as soon as he could and then retrieve the two boys.

"Fine! But keep them both in sight, alright?"

"Yes, sir!"

After watching the crowd and Pete leave, the activities around the Dream Festival resumed back to normal, leaving Ignis with two boys to take care of for the time being.

"Oh, by the way, P.j.! Your father wanted me to give this huge teddy bear to you!" Ignis said, handing P.J. the teddy bear she had won. While Pete never won it, the fact that he tried everything to get the teddy bear for his son made her want to give it to P.J.

"Really? Oh, wow! He actually got the huge prize for me!" gasped P.J., hugging the teddy bear.

"Awww...I wish I could win a huge prize, too," said Max.

"Then, let's go explore around! There's plenty of games around here! I'm sure you'll find an awesome prize in no time!" encouraged Ignis.

Both boys nodded. "Yes, Miss Ignis!"

* * *

 _Dino Dig_

"Alright, kids! Lemme explain the rules!" announced the female Dino Dig owner. "You have one minute to dig up as much eggs in the large sandbox as soon as possible and collect them in your basket! After that one minute is up, you can open your eggs, and if there's a dinosaur inside it, you get to keep it! If there's a number inside the egg, then please turn in the number so that you can get your prize! Do you all understand?"

"We understand!" chirped the kids participating in the carnival game. The female Dino Dig owner blew her whistle, signaling the kids to begin their digging search, as though they were hunting for fossils.

Ignis stood by, watching the kids instead of partaking in the game herself. Max, P.J., and the other kids were becoming more and more messy as they dug like their life depended on it. Sand was tossed all over and out of the sand box, sand coated their clothes and filled their shoes and socks, all while the kids were fishing out more eggs to place in their baskets.

"Alright! Time's up! Everyone, please gather around in one line!"

It took a few minutes, but Max and P.J., dirtied with sand, approached the awaiting Ignis with prizes in their baskets.

"Miss Ignis! Miss Ignis! Look! Look! I found three dinosaurs and I got a new cap!"

"Look at mine! I found a T-Rex and a cool new coloring pen!"

"Okay, okay, you guys can show me your amazing prizes after we go to the nearest bathroom and clean you guys up," said Ignis, smiling at them. "Oh, wait. I'm a girl, so I can't go to the men-Hey, guys? We'll go to the bathroom, but can you go inside by yourself?"

"Sure, we can! We can do it like grown-ups!" assured Max. "Isn't that right, P.J.?"

"Y-Yeah! Of course! Max's Dad taught us how to!"

"Great! Let's go!"

* * *

 _Dart Balloons_

"Eep!" shrieked P.J. after both Ignis and Max had thrown their darts towards the balloons; the loud snapping noises startling him.

"P.J.? Is something wrong?" asked Ignis as Max collected their prizes.

"I-I'm sorry, but I really don't like loud things," apologized P.J., looking away in shame. "But, I really, really want to play this fun game. I-I'm afraid I'm going to mess up."

Ignis ruffled his head and assured him, "Aww! It's alright! Nothing to worry about! Here, I know the perfect solution for that!" She got behind P.J. and covered his ears with her hands, muffling out any background sound. "How's this?"

"O-Okay! I'll give it a try!" Squeezing his eyes shut, as Ignis held firmly to his head, P.J. threw the dart towards the direction he assumed to be full of balloons. Thanks to Ignis, the loud popping sound faded into a slight popped sound, causing him to open his eyes as he saw his dart had hit one of the balloons right on the spots.

"You did it, P.J.! Good job!" praised Ignis.

"It was thanks to you that I was able to win! Thank you, Miss Ignis!"

* * *

 _Pick a Door_

"The rules are simple! Simply pick a door! Any door! One may contain a prize! One may not! One may even be a surprise! In the end, everyone gets a surprise!"

"Ooh! I wanna go first!" said Max, rushing up to one of the small, window-like doors and opening it. "Awww! I got a 'Nope' sign!"

"Too bad, son!" said the owner. "That means you don't get a prize! Sorry!"

"I got a Prize sign!" spoke P.J. excitedly. "Does that mean I win?"

"Yes, you do! Here, you can select one out of anything in this tray!"

"Yay!"

"Gah!" shrieked Ignis, drenched. When she had chosen one of the other doors, all she got was a faceful of water. "Hey!"

"Oh, sorry, Miss! Looks like you got one of the trickster doors!" said the owners.

"Well, that was a surprise!"

* * *

 _Later..._

For her first time babysitting, or rather, second time considering the first being Arthur, Ignis had plenty of fun with both Max and P.J. and got to know them a lot better just as they got to know her in turn. They spent a lot of time around the carnival games; some games won and some games lost, but overall, they had fun. Because of their young ages, Max and P.J. weren't allowed in most of the rides in the Dream Festival, thus prompting Ignis to ride with them on the kiddy rides.

Meanwhile, an exhausted but somewhat proud-looking Pete was roaming around the Dream Festival, trying to find his son and his friends. He had FINALLY completed all of the tasks that he supposedly promised to do and started asking around for his son and his friends, leading him to many different areas within the Dream Festival.

Come to think of it, Ignis was the fourth human he met today. The first had been a young, strong-looking man who beat him in Rumble Racing, the second was a young boy who fixed an ice cream machine, and the third was a young, blue-haired woman whom he witnessed playing Fruitball earlier. Seems that this festival was attracting a lot of unfamiliar faces.

After the blue-haired woman left, Pete had gone to retrieve his son, who was at home finishing his chores. His mother told their son that if he finished all of his chores, he would be allowed to attend the Dream Festival with him and Max, hence why Pete was alone up until now.

While most of the reason behind wearing the Captain Dark and Captain Justice costume was to win the Million Dreams Award, he also wanted to wow his son into thinking he was a cool Dad, not that he would ever admit that out loud, of course.

At long last, he finally found his son and his friends, and they were...riding a mini train rollercoaster. Now, he could understand his son and Max riding it, considering they were too young for any of the more grown up rides, but Ignis, a young teen riding alongside with them? Most teens her age would be embarrassed, but she didn't seem to mind. Heck, she was even enjoying her and making train sounds to add to the fun.

When the three got off, they saw Pete waiting for them. "Oh! You finished? That's great!" said Ignis.

"Yeah, well, Captain Justice never turns down a request for help!" declared Pete proudly.

"Oh, boy, here we go again..."

"Dad! I-I mean, sir!" called out P.J. happily. "Miss Ignis was a lot of fun while you were gone!"

Max giggled. "Y-Yeah! She got sprayed in the face!"

"Hey!" pouted Ignis. "I don't wanna be reminded of that! Don't tell him that!"

"Oh, really?" said Pete, grinning. "Tell ya what, I'll buy you two ice cream if you tell me more of your misadventures today!"

"Yay! Okay!" cheered both Max and P.J.

 **"Attention, citizens! Please gather at the Main Plaza for the announcement of the winner of the Million Dreams Award!"** announced a speaker whose voice echoed throughout the entirety of Disney Town.

"Ooh! Come on, guys! Let's hurry!" urged Ignis, bouncing up and down. "I wanna see the winner!"

"I wanna see, too!" agreed Max.

"I-I hope one of us wins! I really would like that very much!" said P.J.

"Aww, don't worry, champ! Captain Justice here is gonna win for sure!" said Pete proudly.

"Yeaaaaahh…." said Ignis, looking away, knowing full well that probably wasn't true.

It didn't take long for a crowd to surround the stage, murmuring amongst each other and wondering who would be the winner for this year. Some, like Pete, were declaring that they would win the Million Dreams Award, while others revealed they had voted for this guy, or this girl, or just about anybody.

"Who do you think is gonna win this year's Million Dreams Award?"

"Boy, oh boy! I hope it's the guy I voted for!"

"I voted for him, too!"

"Now that we got so much business at the shop, maybe we'll become number one!"

"Wow, Unca Scrooge sure would be proud of us if we actually won!"

"Yeah, and I bet Unca Donald would be pretty surprised, too!"

"Hello, everyone! And thank you for waiting!" spoke Queen Minnie, the current ruler of all of Disney Town. "Now it's time to begin the main event of our Dream Festival, the Million Dreams Award presentation!"

Standing next to Ignis, Pete crossed his arms and puffed his chest proudly. "Heh! Just skip to the part where you say my name! This is a shoo-in!"

"Wow, Dad! Do you really think you'll win?" asked P.J.

"I mean...it's not completely out of a possibility," said Ignis, uncertain. "But...anyone could win."

"And that 'anyone' is me!"

"Oh, how exciting! This year, we have multiple winners!" Queen Minnie proclaimed. "The Million Dreams Award goes to...Ventus, Aqua, Terra, and Ignis! All four of you!"

The entire plaza burst into cheers, though there were a few groans of disappointments. In all honesty, Ignis hadn't expected to be included in the award. In fact, what surprised her the most was the mention of her friends' names.

 _'Wait, those guys were here already?'_ thought Ignis, glancing around the crowd in hopes of seeing them. However, surrounding her were just the residents of Disney Town, and not a single human in sight. _'Huh, I guess they must have, but they probably already left.'_

"Whaddya mean?!" demanded Pete, enraged before pushing his way through and running onto the stage. "There's gotta be a mistake! Everybody voted for Captain Justice! I made sure! Now, go on! Tell her!"

P.J. raised his hand. "I voted for you, sir!"

"I voted for my Dad!" said Max.

"Uh...Well...I mean, to be honest, I didn't really have a chance to vote," admitted Ignis. "Heck, I didn't even know where the voting began!"

Pete glanced around, seeing if anyone else had anything to say, but the audience grew silent. "Better try the other one..." he murmured before spinning around and transforming into the Captain Dark costume he wore before. "The rogue racer, Captain Dark!"

"Dude, everyone already knows it's you, Pete! We're not stupid!" Ignis called out.

"Hey! Don't spoil a fellow vigilante's true identity!"

"It's not spoiling if everyone already knows!"

"Pete," spoke Queen Minnie gently. "We counted the votes very carefully. Ventus, Terra, Aqua, and Ignis won."

 _'I honestly didn't expect a four-way tie, though. But...yay?'_ thought Ignis.

"Oh, Pete, I think you tried to do something good, but you were doing it for the wrong reasons, and you went about it the wrong way. Still, a couple of citizens must have thought you had goodness in you, because you actually got a few votes. They knew you were looking out for them."

"Big whoop! I don't need their lousy votes! Just cough up my prize!" grunted Pete rudely.

"Wow, you were right, P.J. Your Dad is kinda a big jerk," said Ignis.

"H-He's just a little upset, that's all!"

"Pete! They voted for you because they believe in you and care about you! How could you look down on that?" scolded Queen Minnie. "I've tried to forgive a lot of things you've done, but this is too much! Now you've finally crossed the line! I have no choice but to banish you to the Lanes Between!"

"Good riddance for that! It's about time!" snapped Daisy, the purple dress wearing duck that was accompanying Queen Minnie.

"Wait, what?! The Lanes Between?!" exclaimed Ignis before rushing up to the stage. As distaining as Pete was, he didn't deserve to be thrown out like that, especially in a place where the area could badly affect him without protection, like her Keyblade Armor. "You're banishing him? To that place? You can't!"

"Huh? May I ask who you are?" asked Queen Minnie.

"I'm Ignis, one of the winners you announced."

"Ah, I see. But unfortunately, no matter what, I must see to it that Pete is banished from this world. He has caused too much trouble in the past and today was no exception!"

"But...banishment?! That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Couldn't you settle for a less, harsher punishment? If you know about the Lanes Between, you know that it's way too dangerous!"

Queen Minnie understood what Ignis was going for and even felt a little conflicted. "But...Well, I do know you are correct. The Lanes Between is a very dangerous place."

"Right?! If one stays there too long, they'll be corrupted by evil darkness, and that would be really bad!" said Ignis. "Look, I know Pete's not the most nicest guy around, and he's a bit of a selfish, cowardly jerk-"

"Hey!" shouted Pete.

"Dude, shut up, I'm trying to help you!" hissed Ignis before turning back to Queen Minnie. "But despite all of his horrible, and rather annoying, flaws, he's still a good person deep down! Like, he took his son and his son's friend out to have fun in the Dream Festival's activities! And, he helped out a lot of civilians today!"

"Yeah, only because you forced me to-"

"The methods of why he chose to do so are unimportant," spoke Ignis quickly, trying not to let Pete interrupt. "The point is, even though I'm new around here and I don't really know Pete all that well, I know that he's a good person and can change! Sure, he's a jerk now, but...you get what I mean."

"..." Having listened to Ignis, Queen Minnie didn't know what to do to solve the issue at hand. She still wanted to punish Pete, but at the same time, this was new information about Pete that she was surprised to learn from. If a single stranger was vouching for Pete, despite the horrible things he's done, then...should she forgive and forget or not?

Ignis sighed. "Alright, fine. If that's not enough to convince you, maybe this will. I want a change in the Million Dreams Award."

"A change? What do you mean?" asked Queen Minnie, looking up at the red-haired armored girl.

"Exactly what I mean. In exchange for the original prize, I want a different award to replace that prize."

"I...I suppose as one of the winners of the Dream Festival, I don't see why not. What do you wish for, exactly?"

With a determined, serious look, Ignis announced, "I want you to give Pete another chance! No banishment, no punishment relating to banishing, but another chance for him to redeem himself!"

Murmurs coursed throughout the audience at Ignis' simple, yet important request. Nobody has ever traded in the Million Dreams Award for something like that before! Actually, nobody has done something like this towards a villain like Pete before, and there wasn't anybody they knew who would do such a thing.

Well, anybody except Ignis, as she had proven right there and then.

"...Ignis, correct?" spoke Queen Minnie. "Are you sure you want this? Like you said, you don't know Pete well, but he has done terrible things in the past. He has insulted, was rather rude to others, stolen, kidnapped, and other horrible things."

"If that's the case, then why is he still here?" asked Ignis, addressing to Pete with her thumb. "Those all sound pretty serious, but I think you're just trying to intimidate me into changing my mind. Yeah, I believe that he's done bad things in the past, but if they were really serious things like the things you just described, he would have been banished a long time ago. My opinion is that he may have done lots of bad things, but they were just minor things. Anyways, I'm not changing my mind."

"...Very well," Queen Minnie said. "I was originally going to hand you the Million Dreams Award, since the other three aren't here, but...since you chose to change your reward, I shall acknowledge it. Pete, I shall give you another chance, just as our dear friend here requested, but just one more chance. If you do another, single, horrible thing, then I'll be sure to punish you!"

"Grrr…! Alright, alright! I get it!" grumbled Pete.

"Good! So long as you understand! You certainly should thank Ignis for her generosity and kindness! If not her, you would have been banished moments ago! Now, what do you say?"

Pete wasn't really a complimentary guy towards others, but he had no choice, as he had lots of witnesses upon him. "Alright! ...Thanks, I guess."

"Eh, closest to a thanks I can get," replied Ignis, shrugging her shoulders.

A few minutes later, the crowd dispersed, though not all were completely in a good mood. It was to be expected, since Pete, the supposed criminal, was being let off with another chance and a warning. Still, that goes to show that those that voted for Ignis weren't wrong in their decision to vote for her, as it was her mercy and kindness that granted Pete another chance.

As for Ignis, as soon as the ceremony was over, she snuck away and began exploring some other parts of the Dream Festival, deciding to be alone. What she spoke up there was the truth; she wanted to help Pete, but she hadn't told the full truth. She just didn't find a good chance to explain everything that was on her mind as to why she wished to help Pete.

"Hey! Little Red!"

Ignis groaned, being familiar with the nickname and whose voice that was. "What is it, Pete? Oh! You're...not in your weird superhero/vigilante costume."

Pete ran up to her before coming to a stop, catching his breath. "Gah...Ha...You...I was looking for you!"

"I'm surprised you went looking for-Wait, where are P.J. and Max?"

"They were tired, so I gave them ice cream and took them back home. But enough about that! I want to know why you went all superheroey and spared me!"

"Do I really need to repeat what I said back on the stage?" asked Ignis, annoyed.

"I know all that! But that probably wasn't all it, was it?"

"Wow, there's actually a brain in all that."

"Hey! I-!" Remembering that he only had one chance left, Pete attempted to calm his temper. "Alright, then. Is...there more reasons as to why you went and saved me?"

"Actually, there was one more reason," explained Ignis. "Your son."

"Junior? What's this gotta do with him?"

"Remember the Ring Toss game? I saw you trying to get the big grand prize for him. At first, I thought you were just being a sore loser and real selfish, but then, when I realized that you only wanted the bear for your son, I had...a bit of a change of heart."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Pete, you're a jerk. A selfish, idiotic, stupid jerk," began Ignis. "But you're still a jerk with a heart. No heartless bastard would go so far as to try and win a prize for their own kid. That's what got me thinking that you're not such a bad guy after all."

"..."

"Oh...I guess there was another reason, too. It was for P.J.'s sake. I couldn't let a kid like him see his own father being banished in front of everyone in town just like that. It wouldn't be right. I spent time with him while I was babysitting both him and Max, and...your kid's a good, honest one. A bit shy, but he has loads of respect for you. He even told me that you were his hero, costume or not."

"He...did?" asked Pete, his anger disappearing for surprise.

"Yeah. He's a bit afraid of you, but he still loves you deep down. I...I couldn't just stand by and watch that Queen Minnie character tear away that father-son relationship like that. It would shatter P.J."

"I..."

"So, take advantage of this good chance you've got," said Ignis, patting his arm. "Be the respectful hero that he looks up to, because honestly, I can't since I'm going to leave soon. Not right now, of course. I'm staying until I see the fireworks tonight at the festival. I don't wanna miss that. But...just spend more time with your son with the chance you've got. And be a little bit less selfish, why don't you? I'm not going to be around forcing you to take responsibility by blasting you with magic."

"...I can still feel the burns," grumbled Pete. "Fine, fine! I'll...TRY. Anyways...here."

To Ignis' own surprise, she was given an ice cream similar to Pete's appearance; Big Bad Pete Ice Cream. "Wait, did you buy-"

"N-No! Of course not! I won this at some game earlier! Y-Yeah!"

"But...there aren't any games that give out ice cream as a rewa-"

"Look, just take the ice cream, why don't you?!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez!" Ignis held onto the Big Bad Pete Ice Cream and was about to eat it when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Wait, did you just pull this out of your pants?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Okay, that should be logically impossible. First off, your pockets aren't that big. Second, even if they were, the ice cream would have melted already! Third, ewww! Pulling food out of your pants and expecting people to eat it is disgusting!"

"W-Whatever! Take the darn ice cream and eat it! I'm leaving!"

 _'Yeah, he definitely bought this for me,'_ thought Ignis, watching Pete leave in a hurry. _'Still, it was kinda...nice for him to do that. This just goes to show that I was right! Jerks like him can change! Just like-'_

"What idiotic thing came into mind when you decided to help that fatso?"

"GAAH!" Ignis was startled to see Vanitas suddenly pop out of nowhere right near her. "Dude, don't frickin' jumpscare me! Where did you even come from anyw-"

"Answer the damn question," scowled Vanitas, crossing his arms. "I'm kinda curious. What made you think to use your kindness to help him?"

Although at first startled by Vanitas' appearance, Ignis calmed herself and answered, "Well, it's only natural for others to help others."

"Bull. I've never once felt that way towards anyone before."

Vanitas himself knew he was lying. He had helped out Ignis before back in the Enchanted Dominion world back when she was unconscious, but she didn't need to know that. Nobody needed to know that. It was his own little secret to keep to the grave.

"Your kindness towards that fatso is a big waste. I can sense more darkness in him than light. It's only a matter of time before he screws up and is sent a one-way trip outta this world."

"Well, he was given one more chance, so that's probably to be expected," said Ignis. "Besides, everyone has darkness in their hearts. It's just...there naturally."

"Oh? That's not something you were taught by your Master," said Vanitas, intrigued. "I'm sure he'd be horrified to learn that one of his precious 'light' students had chosen to take up the dark arts."

"He didn't seem that way with Terra."

"Only because he thought he could erase the darkness within Terra. What a fool!"

"..."

"What? No rebuttal? No defending your Master?"

Ignis shook her head. "It's not...quite like that. I have to admit, that is a bit foolish. Erasing the darkness within Terra. But, only because you can't really erase darkness. You need darkness, because it's part of the balance. It makes us who we are."

"Uh-oh. Better not say that kind of stuff around your friends or Master," taunted Vanitas. "Or else they'll see you as darkness and make you a threat!~"

As much as Ignis hated to admit it, Vanitas was right. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus' reactions towards her using darkness magic was proof enough. If they reacted badly...well, she shuddered to think of what Master Eraqus would do.

Probably a year or two of punishments. Maybe permanent clean-up duty.

"Why are you here, Vanitas?" asked Ignis. "Bored and roaming around worlds again?"

"You guessed it. I'm bored outta my mind. But...I still don't wanna fight you. Yet. You're still oh-so weak."

An irk mark appeared on Ignis' head. "Yeah, I remember from my kidnapping, asshole."

Vanitas shrugged. "Not my fault you sucked so bad last time. I didn't even use my full strength against you. If you couldn't beat me then, then you can't beat me now."

"Hey, I've gotten a lot stronger since then! I've trained and even mastered new spells!"

"And all it'll take is a Silence spell to counter your spellcasting mouth of yours," countered Vanitas. "Face it, if we fought right now, you'd be a goner. Even talking about fighting you is boring enough."

"...Then, if you're bored, and you're not busy right now, I know what might cheer you up!" chirped Ignis happily, stepping on top of a nearby crate and facing Vanitas.

"What? What could you possibly offer me that is so-"

"Let's rob a bank!"

"I'm sorry, what?! Did you just-"

"Ahahaha! I'm just trolling with you! But...how about...one date?"

* * *

 **End of the chapter, everyone! Sorry, part of the chapter was delayed because of one thing...THE NEW FIRE EMBLEM GAME! THREE HOUSES! Oh my god, it was so much fun to play that I lost track of time! Sorry, guys, but I managed to recollect myself and finish off this chapter!**

 **So anyways, I wanted to talk about the changes I made for the Disney Town part for Ignis! Well, there weren't that many changes, the biggest one being for Pete's fate, but we'll all get to discussing that soon!**

 **First off, the whole FRUITBALL thing! I'm a fan of NicoB, and his Fruitball impression was so hilarious, that I just couldn't help but swipe that idea for myself! If you don't know about that, you can look it up, cause it is super duper funny! I cannot get by Fruitball without hearing NicoB's impression of it!**

 **Secondly, I know there's a sort of a minigame for each of the characters. Terra's was that racing thing, Ven had that ice cream thing, and Aqua had the FRUITBALL thing going on, but as for Ignis...I decided not to put in a minigame for her. I originally thought of doing some sort of movie making minigame, but it wouldn't make sense. Instead, she gets to spend time with Pete and the others!**

 **Third, I remember Pete having a son named P.J., which is short for Pete Junior. I figured that since this takes place 10 years before the events of the original Kingdom Hearts game, why not have P.J. and Max become kids? Especially for the Dream Festival event?**

 **Fourth, so, the Dream Festival wasn't exactly a sort of an amusement park thing, but I decided to change it up and make it seem much more lively. I mean, come on, it was a festival! There was bound to have rides and games around!**

 **Fifth, Pete's fate. I felt so bad for him, watching the Birth By Sleep thing and thought it was kinda a little stupid how he turned to the dark side and became Maleficent's slave like that, so I changed things up for him. I had Queen Minnie spare him, but of course, this generosity only lasts for a little bit. We all know Pete's gonna screw up pretty badly, so a bit of time after Ignis leaves the Disney Town world, Pete's original fate is inevitable. He's gonna be punished, banished, and then taken under Maleficent's wing.**

 **The reason why I changed his fate, even if temporarily, is to show a bit of Ignis' character. That, and Pete does kinda have a good heart, even if most of the time, he really doesn't show it. But small details can be proven very significant and important, just like in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!**

 **And now, part 2 of the world Ignis is in will be coming up next chapter! It'll be filled with humor, slight romance, smut-Okay, I was just joking about the smut part. There is none of that here! But, I assure you there will be lots of humor, and sorrow in the next chapter! Will they make out? NO! But next chapter will possibly be the biggest Vanitas and Ignis interaction ever! So, get your tissues ready and be prepared to cry...tears of laughter.**

 **READ AND REVIEW!**


	23. Disney Town (2)

**Get ready, everyone! It's the shipping chapter you've all been waiting for! I wonder what sort of shipping name should be for them if Ignis actually existed and this story was in reality? Eh, the shipping name isn't as important as the events that are gonna occur in this chapter! Let's get started!~**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own any references from other media, such as Grand Blue, or Roblox. Mage of Hope also doesn't own the song, "Wings," from RWBY, by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams.**

* * *

"...You're a fucking idiot."

"O...Okay...I was...kinda expecting rejection, I know, but...ow. No need to be so rude about it."

"I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to ask the ENEMY out on a date!" shouted Vanitas, emphasizing the "enemy" part.

"But...I really don't think of you as an enemy! Just a...frenemy? Acquaintances?" said Ignis.

Vanitas scowled at her. "We're not acquaintances, and we're definitely not FRIENDS!"

"Oh! Then, the closest we are are frenemies!"

"We're not that either, retard! Never, in a million years, will we stop be enemies! And the thought of us being _friends_ makes me want to punch you in the goddamn throat!"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" wondered Ignis.

"Uh, how about 'cause I fought and kidnapped you? That I hurt your friends and practically used your life as a bargaining chip just to get little whiny Ventus away from home?"

"Ven was always a little bit of a rebel and was always curious about the other worlds. It was only a matter of time before he actually set out on his own to explore even one world. He even told me plans of sneaking out for a little while."

"Are you-are you serious? You're seriously justifying all of my actions with slight setbacks?"

Ignis shook her head. "Oh, no. Nothing like that. I still think you're an asshole, but at the same time, I still want to hang out with you."

"Earlier, you just said you wanted to go on a date with me," reminded Vanitas. "Look, I know I've got an amazing body, and that you think one date is enough to get me in bed with-"

"What?! God, no! Nothing like that, you perv! That's not the reason why I wanted to-Ugh! Okay, maybe I was getting too caught in the moment and said the wrong thing with the right intentions."

"Wow, smartest thing you've ever said to me."

An irked mark appeared on Ignis. "Do you just like ruining fun, asshole?!"

"Yes."

"That was a rhetorical question!"

"And I gave you a rhetorical response. Who's the smarter one now, idiot?"

"Grrrrr-!"

"Seriously though, why me? Why ask your own enemy out on a date?" questioned Vanitas. "You're either brave or stupid. Actually, you're probably both."

"I told you before, and I'll say it again; you aren't my enemy, Vanitas."

Vanitas scoffed. "You say that _now."_

"Huh?"

"I hope you didn't forget that I hurt your friends, and I know they didn't pass up the opportunity too warn you about me. Why associate yourself with a ruthless sociopath like myself?"

"Well, for a couple reasons, actually," said Ignis. "First off, I was always taught not to judge someone by their appearance-"

"Oh, that cannot seriously be the only reason-"

"Hey, I said a couple of reasons, didn't I? I still have more than that reason. Well...the next reason is that, if I believed everything my friends said, then I'd probably be no different than an obedient dog."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. "Oh? This is rather interesting. You were always taught to be obedient to the 'light,' right? Then again, it shouldn't be surprising, seeing as you're rebelling by trying to learn darkness magic, a magic that you're forbidden to ever learn."

"I-It's not like I want to rebel or anything! I have no intentions of that!" said Ignis. "Besides...I've recently learned that obedience...isn't always a good thing."

"Sounds like rebel talk," pointed out Vanitas.

"Yeah...I won't deny that," admitted Ignis. "I...The last world I was in, I came very close to admitting my loyalty to a corrupt and selfish king."

"And why would you-"

"Look, at the time, I really didn't know he was like that. Sure, he was rude when I first met him, and not very kingly-like, but he told me lies about a man named Robin Hood, and how he was the cause of all the suffering in his kingdom. In reality, Robin Hood was the hero, and the king was the one exploiting all of his own citizens, making them suffer. Well, I suppose he really wasn't a king. He was more of a prince. He was just taking over for his brother, whom he had tricked and sent away on a long crusade or something."

"And then?"

"I kinda helped the rebellion against the prince. It didn't take that long, and it was easy. Well, it would have been easier if it weren't for those damned Unversed in the way."

Strangely enough, Vanitas looked away when she mentioned that. "...Right. So, I take it you won. Otherwise, I'm hallucinating and am now talking to a dead ghost."

"Hey! But, yeah. We won. During my time in that world, I've learned my lesson. Obedience towards something is good, but it depends on what that something is. Luckily for me, I was so close to swearing loyalty to that jerk prince, but I was so glad I didn't. It was a really close call for me!"

"Yeah, yeah, good for you. And because of that lesson, you learned not to believe everything your friends say?"

"Not quite," said Ignis, shaking her head. "I just think it's better for one to see for themselves rather than just believe an assumption. Though, that method can't always be good. I'll just trust in my heart and hope for the best."

"And your heart is telling you to trust me? Your forevermore enemy?"

"Well...I want to trust you. I want to be your friend-"

"Well, I don't!" Vanitas snapped. "Seriously, what makes you think that I want to be your friend, anyways?!"

"Hmm...Well, it's true that you probably won't be persuaded, but...at least give me a chance!" urged Ignis. "Go on this...this hangout with me-"

"Oh, so now you're changing it from a date to a hangout? You're wounding me, firecracker," said Vanitas, placing a hand over his heart. "Well, at least you're thinking of buying me dinner first before we get to the...heated mome-"

"GAH! No, it's not like that! I'm not here for your junk!" shouted Ignis. "...Besides, it's probably micro-sized, anyways."

"Okay, I take offense to that! You can insult me, you can tease me, and you can probably even try to kill me, and through it all, I can still and always can kick your ass later! But when it comes to stuff like you just said, then you've really crossed the line!"

"...I know I don't have that...junk, but I just don't understand why men love them so much-"

"Okay, princess, think of it like this. Women take pride in their boobs. You don't have any, since you're so fla-"

Ignis summoned her Keyblade and pointed downwards at his waist. "Finish that sentence, and I will slice through that man skirt of yours, slice off your special jewel, and **eat it raw."**

Vanitas smirked. "Ha, see? Now you get it. I take pride in my own thing, you take pride in your own. Capice?"

"Fine. Look, just go on this hangout with me! Let me prove you wrong! I wanna be your friend!"

"...Alright, fine! You've convinced me. I...I will TRY to enjoy myself. Besides, I'm bored, I have nothing to do, and our talk just now entertained me a bit."

"Sweet! Let's go-"

"Hold it!" said Vanitas, stopping her with his hand. "I'm not finished. I want to add a few conditions to this hangout."

"Just like we did with the ballroom dancing?"

"Yeah, kinda. Alright, my first demand is that I get to hold onto the tickets and choose the games and rides in this festival."

"Wha-?! How is that fair? This would be more like obeying your every whim!"

"Hold on, you might actually enjoy the choices I make," said Vanitas. "And not any of those kiddy rides and games you played. Plus, you can ask whether or not we should take on a ride or a game, and I might comply."

"Fine...I guess that's okay."

"Second condition, if we run out of tickets, then you're buying more."

"That's even more unfair than the first demand!" protested Ignis. "Isn't the boy supposed to buy things for a girl on their date?"

"First off, we're not on a date, remember? We're on a...'hangout,'" reminded Vanitas. "Secondly, even if we were on a date, which will never happen, I'm not the type of guy to buy everything for a girl. The things they buy are always so expensive."

"I'm not like those kinds of girls!"

"...I don't believe you."

"Really, I'm not!"

Vanitas still didn't believe her, as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, will you agree to the second condition or not?"

"I guess I have no choice..."

"Actually, you do. You can either choose to 'hangout' with me using these conditions, or we can forget all about this little date of ours."

"That's not a choice! That's a ultimatum!"

Vanitas shrugged uncaring. "For you, that is. Me? I don't really care either way. Oh, and I suppose there is a third condition as well. But I'm not telling you until after you agree with the terms. Do that, and you've got yourself a hangout date with yours truly."

"...It's nothing severe or harmful, is it?"

"No, nothing like that. It's actually quite the simplest of the three conditions. Now, are you in or not?"

"...Grrr! Fine! These terms are actually unfavorable for me," grumbled Ignis. "Alright, what's the third condition?"

Vanitas snatched the Big Bad Pete ice cream from Ignis. "I get to keep this. No takebacks."

"Hey-! You know what? Fine. Take the ice cream. I can always just get another one."

Vanitas tilted his head. "Wait...what's the catch?"

"I have no idea what you're-"

"Bullshit. There is totally a catch. I know you know something that I don't! What, did you poison this or something?"

Ignis crossed her arms. "Okay, before you came, I was about to enjoy that delicious ice cream you snatched from me. Why would I poison the very same ice cream I was gonna eat? And you were watching me the whole time, so there was no way I had time to put poison in this ice cream."

"Hmm...fair enough. Alright, tell me what's wrong with this ice cream or...or I'll smear it all over your hair."

Ignis gasped, clutching her head. "Hey! I'll have you know I spent YEARS grooming and making my hair as long and silky as possible!"

"And I'll be sure your long and silky hair gets mushed with ice cream if you don't tell me what's going on."

"Okay, okay, okay! Pete, the guy you saw me with earlier...he gave me the ice cream, out of his pockets. Actually, more like he pulled it out of his ass. His ass pockets. The back of his pockets. Yeah..."

Vanitas took a moment to contemplate on that information. He stared at his ice cream, then at Ignis, then back to the ice cream, and then to Ignis again...before smearing the Big Bad Pete ice cream all over the center of her armor and then casually dropping it on the ground.

Ignis shrieked, taking a step back and staring at her ice cream-smeared chest plate in shock and horror before glaring angrily at Vanitas. "You prick! What did you do that for?!"

"Yeah, no way am I eating ice cream that came from that fatso's ass pockets. So, I decided to throw it away."

"Then why'd you have to smear it all over my chest for?!"

"Eh, for fun, I guess."

"Why you-!" Ignis leapt forward, but was stopped by Vanitas pressing his palm against her head, causing her to do nothing but frail her arms around aimlessly, trying and failing to reach Vanitas.

"Yeah, yeah, you wanna kill me. Not the first time someone's attempted to," said Vanitas. "Now, why don't you hurry up and clean up the mess you made and we can get started?"

"You-YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID THIS TO ME!"

"Potato potato, same thing. Anyways, let's get going."

* * *

 _High Striker_

"You know, I'm still pissed off at you," pouted Ignis, cleaning off the last of the ice cream with yet another napkin before tossing it away in the nearest trash can. "I still can't believe you did that!"

"Yeah, yeah, may I burn in hell or whatever. Look, there's a slightly more interesting thing going on over there," said Vanitas, pointing to a hammer-like activity going on. "That game. I'm gonna try that."

"Oh! The hammer game! I love that game, too! I wanna try it out, too!" Ignis said, forgetting all about her anger for the moment.

Luckily for the two of them, the line was short, and the last customer just finished his turn with the hammer game. Vanitas walked up first, paying for two tickets; one for him and Ignis.

"Welcome! Allow me to give a short explanation of the rules! All you have to do is pick up this hammer, and then swing it down as hard as you can onto this panel! Prizes vary depending on how high you go! You get one of the grand prizes if you strike the bell on top! Good luck, and test your strength!" encouraged the owner.

Vanitas picked up the hammer and gripped it tightly in his hands before raising it above his head. Using all of his strength, he brought it down; the gauge rising until it reached an above average level, though not nearly at the top of the bell.

"Wow! That's the highest anyone's gotten today! You're allowed to get one of the mid-leveled prizes!" said the owner.

"No thanks. These look like dumb prizes, anyways. Your turn, firecracker."

"Oh, trust me, I'll definitely win for sure!" said Ignis, grinning as she rubbed her hands together. She grabbed the hammer from Vanitas, took a moment to compose herself...and then smashed the hammer downwards on the pad.

The gauge quickly shot up in a flash, hitting the bell at the top and causing a loud ringing sound to echo over and over, signaling Ignis' win.

"Congratulations!" welcomed the owner, shaking Ignis' hands in his own. "You win one of the grand prizes! Now, choose your pick!"

"Yay! I won! I can't wait to see what sort of cute things there are available!" squealed Ignis, rushing forward to see the selection of the grand prizes.

Vanitas just stood there, stunned. _'How?!'_ he thought, eyes blinking in disbelief. _'Okay, maybe my attempt wasn't enough, but I know full well that she is NOT that stronger than me! Wait a sec...I see a slight glow in her hands-DID SHE CHEAT?!'_

"Awww! These angel wings are so adorable! I'll take them!" cooed Ignis, strapping the angel wings onto her back. "Ooh! These do look like real angel wings! And the feathers are so soft, too!"

The owner nodded. "Of course! The feathers are from high-quality material! It's why that's one of the grand prizes!"

"...Hey," spoke up Vanitas. "I take back what I said. There's a prize I've been eyeing on."

"Um...I don't see why not, but you can only take one of the mid-leveled prizes right here."

"Fine, fine." Vanitas grabbed a pair of devil ears and planted them on top of Ignis' head. "There."

"Hey!" pouted Ignis as the two of them began walking away. "The devil ears don't match with my angelic wings!"

"Oh, trust me; you're no angel, that's for sure."

"Wha-?"

"Did you seriously believe I didn't notice you using magic? I bet you used enhancement magic to boost up your strength for that game."

"Eh…" Ignis began twiddling her fingers, looking away. "I mean...maybe just...a little...?"

"You totally cheated."

"Okay, fine! I did cheat! I couldn't help it! I saw those cute angelic wings, and I just knew I had to have them!" whined Ignis. "...I bet you're real disappointed in me, huh?"

Vanitas shook his head. "Disappointed? Nah, more like mad."

"Huh?"

"I'm not one of your friends. If they were here, _they'd_ be the ones disappointed. Me? I'm just mad because I lost and you won. Cheater."

"I'm...not sure whether I should feel bad or no...?"

Vanitas sighed, making a move to scratch his hair, only to remember he was still wearing his masked helmet. "Look at this rate, we're both going to use magic to cheat, and the games won't be as much fun, so how about another rule? No magic?"

Ignis nodded. "Yeah, that seems fair. Sorry..."

"It's fine. I didn't add this condition before, so it's fair. Hmm...Now that I think about it, you do look like an angel."

Ignis' face brightened up.

"A fallen angel."

Her expression turned to confusion. "A...fallen angel? What's that?"

"Basically angels who sinned or caused trouble. Impure angels, you might say. And you, my little angelic rascal, definitely sinned by cheating back there," teased Vanitas, flicking her nose with his finger, causing her to winch. "The devil ears definitely match your 'fallen angel' look."

"I'm not sure I like being the fallen angel!" whined Ignis.

Vanitas shrugged. "Whatever. Let's get going."

Ignis pouted and followed after him, though she didn't take off the devil ears off her head.

* * *

 _Pet Café_

While wandering around the Dream Festival, Ignis spotted the familiar pet café that she had grown to love because of her time spent inside, playing with the adorable puppies and kittens inside. She was so eager to enter it again, but she figured there was probably a chance that Vanitas wouldn't want to waste his time playing with the cute baby animals inside if she told him she wanted to go inside again.

So, she tried to trick him.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's go in there! PLEASE!" Ignis pleaded, tugging on Vanitas' arm and pointing to the pet café.

Vanitas glanced at the café, then read the sign nearby before turning to the energetic redhead. "You are getting WAY too excited over a bunch of baby weaklings, you know that?"

"So, is that a yes or a...?"

"Alright, fine. Just a few minu-"

"Oh! You again!" spotted one of the employees working at the pet café, who was currently sweeping the front of the café. "I see that you came back for more! You must really love the cute puppies and kittens in there! And you even brought your boyfriend, too!"

Vanitas glanced at Ignis, then at the café, quickly figuring out that Ignis may have already had come to the café and was trying to trick him into entering it again because he held the tickets.

"Eh...She's mistaken! I've never been here befo-"

"Yeah, not falling for that." Vanitas grabbed the back of Ignis' collar and began dragging her away forcibly.

"But...! But...! Puppies! Kittens! A whole heaven of them right into that wonderful café! You can't do this!" whined Ignis, frailing her arms helplessly as she was dragged farther and farther away from the café.

* * *

 _Dunk Tank_

"Volunteers! We need volunteers for at least half an hour!" announced the owner of the Dunk Tank game loudly. "Whoever volunteers will receive half of the Munny earned through this game!"

"Awww! I wanna play the game, but there's no one to volunteer!" complained Ignis.

"...You know, I'm kinda interested," admitted Vanitas. "Don't worry, there's gonna be a volunteer, alright. Follow me."

Surprised, Ignis obeyed and followed after him. _'Whoa, is he serious? Is...Is he actually considering volunteering himself? I mean, he's probably doing it for the Munny, but still...that's pretty generous of him! Maybe I had him all wrong...'_

"Hey, I heard you were looking for a volunteer, and we've got something for you," Vanitas said to the owner before pointing to Ignis. "She volunteers as tribute."

"Wha...Wha...WHAT?!"

"Excellent! Come this way!"

Ignoring Ignis' sputtering protests, Vanitas pushed Ignis forward and soon had her sitting in a chair inside the tank that was halfway filled with cold, freezing water.

"Say, how many rounds can I go with these remaining tickets?" asked Vanitas, handing the owner the last of the few tickets he had.

"Oh, my! You can definitely go to more than 10 rounds with these!"

Vanitas' malicious grin widened behind his mask. _"Perfect."_

Watching Vanitas being handed many round balls, Ignis pounded her fists against the chair arms, careful not to slip and fall down. "Gah! Vanitas! You...You FRICKIN' TEAM KILLER! TRAITOR!"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," said Vanitas, grinning wildly before throwing the first ball towards the target. It hit right on the mark, and instantly, the bottom part of the chair fell apart, causing Ignis to fall and plunge into the cold, freezing water underneath.

Ignis swam up, shivering and gasping for breath as she began climbing up the chair. "I-I-I-I-I aa-a-a-a-am s-s-s-s-s-so g-g-g-g-gonna k-k-k-kill yo-"

"Sorry, can't hear you, having too much fun tormenting you," Vanitas nearly sang, throwing yet another ball and hitting the target right on the mark once again.

It was definitely going to be a long, torturous half hour for Ignis...

* * *

 _Later..._

"You really are the worst, you know that?" complained Ignis, leaving drops of water every time she moved her wet, cold, shivering body. "Not only did you trick that owner that I was a volunteer, but you forced me to buy more tickets!"

"Hey, I'm still with you, aren't I?" said Vanitas, flexing his arm. "Ah...that was a pretty good workout."

"You call that a workout?!"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll spend one of the tickets to buy you something to eat to make up for what happened," said Vanitas, spotting a nearby food stand.

"...Well, I am getting a bit hungry," grumbled Ignis. "Alright, I want a hot dog, then! Let's go!"

Both Ignis and Vanitas found a spot to sit down and rest. Vanitas only bought himself a soda while Ignis had herself a simple hot dog. Just before Vanitas could pop open his soda and gulp down, he couldn't help but glance over to Ignis as she was eating.

As Ignis was chewing on the hot dog, Vanitas pictured it as...something else. Ignis wasn't just chewing slowly, but she didn't take bites, only chewing and swallowing and keeping the hot dog in her mouth; it sliding deeper and deeper in her mouth the more she ate. The thought of the long, juicy sausage slowly sliding into her vulnerable mouth and being perked by her lips, but the sausage being replaced by-

"Alright, that's enough outta you," said Vanitas, breaking the hot dog in half and snagging the other half for himself.

"HEY!" Ignis gulped down the remainder of her hot dog and glared at him. "What was that for-" She was then handed the soda pop that Vanitas originally intended to drink. "Uh...thanks?"

Ignis glanced up and saw Vanitas about to eat the remaining half of the hot dog. But, in order for him to do that, he would have to take off his mask. Would now truly be the wonderful moment where she would witness his true face once and for all-

And then, only the mouth area of the mask vanished, causing Vanitas to eat to his heart's content.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-YOU TROLL!" shouted Ignis, standing up and pointing at him angrily. "GAH! I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT MASK!"

Ignis could see the corner of his mouth form into a smirk as he casually licked away the mustard and ketchup on his lips. "Ah...too bad. Oh, and don't shake the soda so much. Just enjoy it."

"Grrrr!" Ignis promptly sat back down and opened the soda...only to be hit by a geyser of soda to the face from accidentally shaking it in her fit of anger earlier. "GAAAAAAH!"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"It's not funny! Where's your napkin?! I need it!"

* * *

 _Whac-A-Mole_

"I. AM SO. FRUSTRATED!"

"Wow," whistled Vanitas, watching Ignis smash more than necessary strength against the moles that keep popping out of the holes. "You must be REALLY pissed off. I mean, that machine's already got cracks, and I know full well you're not using enhancement magic this time."

"Well, of course I'm pissed off! I'm imagining these moles as you, in the hopes that I actually get to smash your face one day!"

"That's nice to know."

"AAAAANND TIME!" announced the owner. "Young lady, you are definitely our winner for certain, but...you have two options. One, either you get your prize and pay for the nearly broken machine you smashed your heart into, or you don't receive the prize, and we'll let bygones be bygones!"

"Awwww! Well, it was fun until it lasted," sighed Ignis, stretching her arms as she and Vanitas walked away.

* * *

 _Escape Room_

"Okay, so we're trapped here, and we need to use the clues around here to figure out a way out," said Ignis, scanning her eyes around the room full of various items. "And we need to do so within the time limit. Okay, Vanitas, how should we-"

She turned around just in time to see Vanitas disappearing within a Corridor of Darkness.

The owner of the Escape Room was startled to see Vanitas popping out of a dark portal instead of the exit of the Escape Room. "Wha-?! How did you-?! Where's your partner?!"

"Still in there."

"Then how did you get out?"

Suddenly, one of the walls fell apart, and Ignis stepped out from the rubble, spotting Vanitas and marching up to him. "Hey! What's the idea leaving me in there?! That's not how you escape an Escape Room!"

"Look who's talking. You used magic to get out. Do we need to review the conditions again?"

"You're the one who went off in that teleporter of yours! If you didn't do that, I wouldn't have had to use magic-"

"Hey, hey, HEY!" shouted the owner. "You're both disqualified! Cheaters! Now, hold on and let me list the billing you need to pay for my ruined wall-"

"Oh my god, what the hell is that?!" shouted Vanitas, pointing to the sky. Like rat to a cheese in a cheese trap, the owner turned around and saw nothing before realizing both Vanitas and Ignis were getting away.

"Hey, get back here! YOU ROTTEN KIDS!" yelled the owner, angrily shaking his fist at them.

* * *

 _The Dragon Maiden Play_

"Hey, there's this play that's about to begin!" cheered Ignis, reading the sign nearby. "And it's a one-time thing, only! Come on! Let's go!"

Vanitas read the sign himself. "The Dragon Maiden...? Eh, fine. But only for a few minutes. If this goes on longer, we're leaving."

The receptionist guarding the front entrance of the play spotted the two and crossed off something off her list. "Oh! There's no need for you two to pay the tickets!"

"Cool! Free play!" said Ignis.

"In fact, congratulations! You two are marked as the 100th people to attend! You get to star in the play!"

"Oh, that's so neat! I never got to see or star in a play before! Let's do this, Vanitas!" said Ignis, tugging his arm.

"Wait, wait, wait! I didn't agree to this!" said Vanitas, being dragged to the back of the stage.

Several minutes later, the spotlights lit up on the curtains, and the entry music began playing, causing the audience to quiet down as they watched the play commence. The curtains moved away automatically, and a character playing as the narrator was seen seated near the curtains on a stool, reading a book that was obviously the script.

 **"Once upon a time, there existed a peaceful kingdom with a kind king and his beloved daughter, Princess Rose! One day, an evil dragon flew by and kidnapped the princess! And so, the king has requested aid from the legendary hero knight, Hiro, to save his daughter! He has sent his most trusted aide to come and fetch the legendary hero knight!"**

"Can't believe I'm doing this," muttered Vanitas, walking onto the stage, thus being the main character, Hiro. "How did she managed to convince me to be a part of this stupid play...?"

A knight ran onto the stage and proclaimed loudly, "Legendary hero knight Hiro! The kingdom has in dire need of your assistance! Oh, woe is me! My king is suffering ever so dearly! I worry so deeply for my king!"

Vanitas snickered. "Pffft! Dude, there's no way you're NOT a virgin. I bet you definitely suck up to the king, in more ways than one."

"Uh...Yeah...uh...well...Anyways! You are herby granted an audience to the king! Please, speak further to him for more details! We are all cheering you on, legendary hero knight!"

"Whatever makes this go faster," said Vanitas, crossing his arms as the knight stepped back and allowed the character playing the king to appear on stage.

"Ah, greetings, legendary hero knight Hiro! Tis a pleasure to meet you! Quickly, you must make haste and rescue my beloved daughter, Rose!" pleaded the king. "Speak to my most trusted and powerful magician, Horace! He will surely grant you much more information than I!"

"Wow, you didn't even give me useful information on the dragon," Vanitas said. "I'm sure the magician will be much more useful than you, fatty."

Ignoring the shocked look on the king's face, Vanitas rushed up to the magician, who had leapt out of the curtains and onto the stage.

"FRUITBALL!"

"Horace! Not now!"

"Oh, my apologies!" said Horace before quickly getting into character. "Hello, legendary hero knight Hiro! I am the king's most trusted and powerful magician, Horace!"

"Speak swiftly now, O mighty WHORE-ace!" shouted Vanitas dramatically. "Hurry and tell me the secret to defeating the evil dragon so that I may bring a quick end to this stupid play?"

"True love! True love in the form of a kiss! That will defeat the evil dragon once and for all!"

"...Do I have to?"

Just then, a dragon holding Ignis, who was clearly playing the role of Princess Rose, flew down from above. The flying part was actually from invisible strings, as the character playing the dragon was only wearing a dragon costume.

"Legendary hero knight Hiro! I am the famed evil dragon! Do not worry, I have not harmed the beautiful Princess Rose!" declared the dragon. "But you are no match for me! I shall defeat you, and then take the beautiful Princess Rose to be my beloved wife!"

"Beastiality much?" muttered Vanitas.

Clasping her hands, Ignis cried out, "Oh, legendary hero knight! Please save me!"

Vanitas decided to twist things up a bit. "And why should I? I don't love you, and it's clear that the dragon loves you, so why don't the two of you get married?"

The actors were at a loss of what to do. Vanitas was supposed to follow the script, simple as that! Kiss the princess, and thus achieving the happy ending! Why was he making this more difficult?

"H-Hiro! You know that it is your destiny to save me through true love's kiss! So...So hurry up!" said Ignis, trying to stay in character.

"And like I said, I have no objections to your marriage. Have fun enjoying beastiality."

"Legendary hero knight, please save me!"

"And why should?"

"Uh...Because you're my hero and soon-to-be husband?"

"No thanks."

"Because you will be help the kingdom be rid of an evil dragon?"

"Eh, let the kingdom suffer for all I care."

"BECAUSE I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS IF YOU DON'T!"

"See, that's more like it!" praised Vanitas, applauding. "That's the motivation I need to save you! Alright, just gimme a sec..."

He rushed up and took Ignis' hands into his. Ignis couldn't help the blush that appeared on her face as her heart began racing rapidly. Was he seriously going for it? It wasn't going to be some measly kiss to the check or hand, was it? Was he going to remove his mask and reveal his face before kissing her? Was this actually going to be a genuine kiss to the lips? Her first actual kiss, being live on stage-

And then Vanitas kissed the stout of the dragon.

Silence filled the entire area. Nobody spoke a single word. Everyone, especially Ignis, was horrified and shocked over such a simple, yet shocking act.

"There. I saved you. True love's kiss, right?" said Vanitas, pulling away. "It's over, right?"

The dragon was the first to snap out of it. "A-Ah! The power of love! It...It burns...?" Unsure what to make of the unusual situation, the dragon left the stage.

Even the narrator was shocked by the sudden change of events, but stuck to the script. **"A-At long last! Peace has returned to the wonderful kingdom after the defeat of the evil dragon! The legendary hero knight Hiro and the beloved Princess Rose married and lived happily ever after! The End! I...I guess?"**

Awkwardly, the audience began clapping as the curtains rained down and closed the stage, thus indicating the end of the play.

* * *

 _Later..._

"I still can't believe what you did back on stage," said Ignis.

"Hey, I still got to the ending without killing anybody, right?" shrugged Vanitas.

"Yeah, but you were supposed to do what the script said! Not kiss the dragon!"

"Look, they said true love's kiss defeats the dragon, right? And I did do that. I kissed the dragon, thus killing him."

"Well, yeah, but you were supposed to kiss-"

"You? Yeah, right," scoffed Vanitas. "Who would want to kiss someone like you?"

When Vanitas glanced back at Ignis, he felt an...unfamiliar, new emotion within him when he saw the hurt expression on her face. He didn't know why, but he could tell that this new emotion stirring within him was...regret. And, he can also tell that the smile Ignis put on just now was forced.

He...He secretly loved all of the childish and happy smiles she put up until now. But this? This smile that she forced herself onto... _He hated that._

"Excuse me! Could I trouble you two for just a little while?"

Both Ignis and Vanitas turned and saw a duck with a tall black hat standing behind an ice cream stand. They decided to walk towards him to see what he wanted from them.

"Scrooge McDuck here, at your service! Now, I was wondering if you two would like to try out this new ice cream flavor I've been trying to invent! Free of charge! No ticket required! Just tell me what ya think and any suggestions to help improve the flavor would be nice!"

Ignis instantly brightened up. "That's it? Sweet! That's easy!" Ignis took the strangely white popsicle and licked it, smiling. "Mmm! So sweet! So good! Thank you!~"

"...Hey, old man, gimme one too," said Vanitas.

Scrooge frowned. "My, what a rude lad! I may consider not giving you one thanks to your rude attitude!"

Vanitas rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, fine. May I have an ice cream, too?"

"Much better! Here ya go!"

Vanitas allowed the mouth part of his mask to dissipate before taking a bite of the ice cream. Instantly, he regretted it and spat it out. "Ugh! Too sweet! Hey, firecracker! How can you enjoy this? I get ice cream is supposed to be sweet and all, but this is way too sweet!"

"I dunno what you're talking about!~ This ice cream is too good!~" sighed Ignis.

"Yeah, you're definitely gonna get cavities someday."

"Well, lad, if you think the taste is too sweet, might you offer some suggestions?" requested Scrooge.

"I don't know! Add salt to it for all I care!" scoffed Vanitas.

"Salt...? Yes, YES! Of course! Too much sugar will make the ice cream too sweet, but putting salt will definitely balance it out! Hmm...I wonder if I should use the sea's saltwater to help with the saltiness..?"

"Yeah, good luck with that, because there's no way I'd be eating that kind of thing if you actually made it."

"Thanks for the ice cream, mister!" said Ignis as she and Vanitas left. "What a nice guy!"

"Yeah, whatev-Hey, your ice cream's melting."

"Huh? Oh, no!" cried out Ignis, frantically searching for a napkin. "Aww man! I don't have a napkin with me! Awww! The ice cream melted really fast! Now it's all sticky on my fingers!"

Vanitas shrugged. "If there's no napkins, then just lick it off."

"Huh?! Well...if there's no other option..." Ignis glanced at her sticky fingers and began sucking and licking the sweet ice cream remains off her fingers, unaware of Vanitas' eyes on her.

Vanitas gulped and shifted uncomfortably, trying to look away, only to find himself unable to and mesmerized by the way she was cleaning her fingers. Her licking and sucking on her fingers made the masked boy wonder if her tongue and mouth would have other uses somewhere else-

"You know what? Stay here! I'll go get some napkins!" said Vanitas suddenly, turning around and hurrying as fast as he could.

"Hmm?" Ignis tilted her head in confusion. "But...I was almost done. Oh, well."

* * *

 _Fashion Frenzy_

"EEEEEK! I can't believe we get to feature in a fashion show!" squealed Ignis to Vanitas as they were inside the main dressing room.

"Ugh...Hey, firecracker, do we really have to?" groaned Vanitas, uninterested whatsoever about the fashion show. "Isn't there anything else we could be doing? I mean, we could literally be doing something else right now."

"Oh, come on! Who's ever heard of a fashion show happening in an amusement park-like festival? This is gonna be great!"

"Yeah, I'm not wearing any ridiculous outfits."

"I'm ready for the theme! Bring it to me!" shouted Pete, roaming around the dressing room as though to get a lead start for any available clothing.

"Pete?! What are you doing here?" asked Ignis, surprised.

"Well, I wanted to participate in this fashion show, and since Junior and Max weren't old enough to participate, I had them waiting with the crowd in the front seats. Besides, this fashion show required three or more people to participate, and since I'm the third person here, I was allowed in."

"Well, firecracker, it seems like this'll be an easy win for you," Vanitas said to Ignis. "I'm not even gonna try winning, and anything fatso wears will only make him seem more fat."

"Hey! I'm right here!" shouted Pete, offended.

"And I don't really care."

 **"Okay, participants! Here is your theme for the first round!"**

"First round? How many rounds are there?" wondered Vanitas.

"Three!" both Pete and Ignis shouted excitedly.

"Ugh, great."

 **"Your theme for this round is...Service!"**

"Service? What kind of theme is that? Seriously, be specific!" complained Vanitas. "Annnddd...those two are gone. Eh, might as well sit down and relax until the round starts."

 _Round 1_

After some time has passed, it was nearly time for the first round of the Fashion Frenzy event to begin. The judges consisted of Queen Minnie, Daisy, and Scrooge McDuck, who would all be judging the contestants based on their appearances on the theme. The scores would vary depending on the number of points that each judge would put down, and once all three rounds were completed, the winner would be decided through the number of points they received each round.

 **"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting! Now, let us begin with our first contestant! Ignis!"**

The curtains spread opened, and Ignis started walking down the runway. She was garbed with a slim black maid dress with an apron with her hair tied in a ponytail. In addition to her cute appearance, she added in some props; a cat tail and cat ears. She also decided to remove the angelic wings for the theme event.

"Everyone, please cheer me on, nya!~" meowed Ignis, posing like a cat, pulling one leg up, winking with one eye, and forming her hands into cat-like ones.

The crowd cheered and applauded at Ignis' design, finding her very cute and her outfit very suiting for the service theme, since she's dressing as a maid and maids only being useful for service.

"A splendid design for the theme!" praised Daisy.

"Simple, yet cute at the same time!" cooed Queen Minnie. "I also like that extra feature with the cat theme as well! Bravo!"

"Quite, so! It really does suit her!" agreed Scrooge.

 **"Next up, our second contestant...Suck My Balls!"**

"WHAT?!" the judges exclaimed with red faces as Ignis was heard laughing loudly in the background while murmurs filled the entire audience.

The second contestant happened to be Vanitas, who at least had the galls not to be anymore rude than he already was with his fake name. He began walking down the runway with little to not interest as the crowd stared in awe at his supposed outfit, which was just his regular bodysuit. He didn't bother wearing another piece of clothing whatsoever.

"That's...an interesting outfit. Did we have that in the dressing room?" wondered Daisy.

"I'm not quite sure, but it certainly does look villainous!" said Minnie. "I wonder what this young man was going for for the service theme?"

"Perhaps as a mercenary? Or a villain? We never did clarify what kind of service outfit the contestants had to wear," reminded Scrooge. "Either way, I think it looks cool!"

 **"And finally, our last and third contestant...Pete!"**

"Look out world! Here comes Captain Justice!" declared Pete proudly, stepping through the curtains.

"Ugh, Pete! That's not gonna work on a fashion show! Everyone already knows what your stupid costumes look like!" groaned Ignis from the background.

"Ooh, be quiet! I'm sure this will work! Besides, the theme was Service, and superheroes are always in servitude towards justice!"

"I...I mean, he's not wrong," admitted Scrooge.

"I suppose he does deserve a few points at least," agreed Queen Minnie.

"Eh, I'd give it a 2," said Daisy, looking bored.

 _Round 2_

 **"This theme for Round 2 has been announced to be...Fairy Tale! Now, let's get this fashion show started! Here's the first contestant, Ignis!"**

This time, Ignis donned the appearance of Red Riding Hood, wearing a simple, yet elegant commoner's dress underneath a red cape with a hoodie. The Red Riding Hood character seemed to suit her well, as not only did she dress up for the part, but her hair color seemed to fit the theme of the character as well. She even put a black bow on top of her head and was carrying a basket as a prop.

"Ooh! Yet another cute look from our first contestant!" cooed Daisy.

"The Red Riding Hood theme? Oh, that was one of my favorite fairy tales back then!" said Queen Minnie.

"She definitely captured the look! And having red hair to match with the theme definitely helped her out!" praised Scrooge.

 **"Up next, the second contestant whose name we tried to obtain, but he refused and so, we cannot divulge the original false name...The Second Contestant!"**

Once again, Vanitas wore his usual outfit. No fairy tale theme whatsoever. He still kept his masked helmet and bodysuit on. He didn't even make another single effort to dress up.

"Um...isn't that the same outfit he wore in the last round?" wondered Daisy.

"Perhaps this young man ran out of ideas?" pondered Minnie, tilting her head.

"Maybe he's trying to play as a villain from one of the fairy tales! But I wonder which one...?" said Scrooge.

 **"And last but not least, the third contestant, Pete!"**

"Bwaahahaha! I'm a villain!" declared Pete in his Captain Dark costume.

"Pete, you frickin' idiot!" called out Ignis from the background.

"1," said Minnie.

"1," said Scrooge.

"Is it possible not to give any points?" wondered Daisy, annoyed like the judges.

 _Round 3_

 **"For the third and final round, the theme is...Imitation! Now, here comes the lovely first contestant, Ignis!"**

Ignis' costume was...rather surprising. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt, red and black gauntlets, black leggings, red shoes, a red skirt, and her long red hair was tucked away inside of a completely black helmet.

She was impersonating Vanitas.

 _'Ahahahaha! I'd pay to see Vanitas' face...except that he won't ever take off his helmet,'_ thought Ignis.

"Oh, my! It's clear she must be impersonating the second contestant!" said Queen Minnie.

"Eh...I mean, I can see that she tried, but it probably needs a bit more effort," replied Scrooge.

"They must be really close if she wanted to impersonate him! I wouldn't even be surprised if they were a couple!" praised Daisy happily.

 **"Up next is the second contestant!"**

Once again, Vanitas didn't wear anything special. He still wore his usual clothing, but the judges still gave him a few points because of the impersonation theme and how it was clear Ignis was impersonating Vanitas.

 **"And last but not least, the third contestant, Pete!"**

This time, instead of Captain Dark or Captain Justice, Pete wore something horrifying. Something so horrifying, that...that if the event was actually televised, then this part would be censored.

He was dressed up as Queen Minnie.

"Oh, god! It burns!" squealed Ignis as the crowd shrieked or covered their eyes.

"0 points! 0 Points!" shouted Daisy.

"I...I don't...I don't know what to make of this," said Scrooge, stunned.

"I feel like I should be happy someone's impersonating me...but at the same time, I'm not," stated Minnie, blinking.

A few minutes later, the points that each of the contestants received were all tallied up, and at long last, the judges made their final decision giving their answer to the answer.

 **"Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen...and now, the moment of truth has come! The winner of Fashion Frenzy is...IGNIS!"**

The curtains pulled apart, revealing Ignis standing on the 1st place podium, while Vanitas was on the 2nd place one, and Pete standing on the 3rd place one.

"YES! I won, I won!" cheered Ignis.

"Yeah, just as I predicted," said Vanitas.

"How?! How did I lose?!" exclaimed Pete, stomping his foot.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Here's your prize, ma'am! A bouquet of roses!" said a game owner, giving Ignis her grand prize after she had won one of the carnival games.

"Yay! Thank you! Roses are my favorite!" said Ignis before skipping back to Vanitas, humming a tune to herself.

"You're THAT happy to receive a bunch of worthless flowers?" asked Vanitas.

"First off, they're not worthless! They're beautiful roses! Secondly, I am happy, but I'm still happy from my victory in the fashion show!~"

"Yeah, I never expected you to actually impersonate me!"

"I know, right? Well? Did I do a good job?"

"Eh...not really. You looked like a wimpy version of me."

Ignis gasped. "How dare you! I worked hard to try and mimic your looks!"

"You only had 2 minutes to dress up. And you didn't even get the skirt area right. It was supposed to be ripped...Ah! No, it's not a skirt! Damnit, never mind what I said!"

Ignis smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Vanitas. I don't think that thing around your waist is a man skirt anymore."

"R-Really?" questioned Vanitas, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It looks more like a butt cape!"

"..."

"..."

"...I'm gonna kill you now."

"Eep!"

Ignis then looked around and saw a slumped Pete with Max and P.J. A sinister idea popped into her head. Perhaps it was now time for payback for some of the previous misdeeds he did to her. "Uh...hang on. Hold onto these real quick."

"Wha-Why do I have to-"

"No time, gimme me a minute!" said Ignis quickly while rushing towards Pete. It seemed that she was talking and cheering up Pete before dragging him along by the arm, leaving his son and best friend behind for a moment. She had him right in front of Vanitas, much to the confusion for the two men.

"Hey, firecracker, what's the fatso doing her-"

Ignis quickly ran behind Vanitas, then kicked him right behind his leg, forcing him on one knee.

"GAH! What the fuck-?!"

"Oh, Pete! I guess Vanitas just couldn't help but fall in love with you when he saw you back in the fashion show! As such, he even went so far as to get roses for you to show how serious he is!" cooed Ignis loudly, causing a bit of attention from a few bystanders.

"WHAT?!"

Pete glanced at Ignis, then at Vanitas awkwardly. "Um...I'm married, and I have a son."

"He accepts polyandry," chirped Ignis.

"HUH?!"

"Yeaaahh...sorry, little man, but...I'm not into that sort of type. And you're...weird...bye...?"

After Pete left to retrieve his son and his son's best friend, Ignis simply smiled and stayed put while Vanitas was twitching in anger as he turned to face her. "You..."

"Yes? Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"

"...Five second headstart."

"Thank you. I'll need it. You're very fast."

* * *

 _Murder Mystery_

"Yeah! Murder Mystery! This seems like a fun game!" cheered Ignis as soon as the game started. This was one of the special games within the Dream Festival that was magical.

The rules were simple. One player was the Murderer, another player was the Sheriff, and the rest of the players are Innocents. The Murderer was the one person who could kill any player freely and always wielded a knife, while the Sheriff had one sole purpose; find and kill the Murderer with the toy gun. As for the rest of the Innocents, their role was also to find the Murderer and try to survive, but if the Sheriff was killed, then one of them can pick up the gun and take over the role as Sheriff.

However, there were additional rules. The Sheriff cannot randomly shoot all of the players, because if he or she so much as shoots even a single Innocent, not only is the Innocent killed, but the Sheriff is as well. Obviously, both the Sheriff and Murderer will keep their identities a secret, because if the Sheriff's identity is discovered, then they will quickly be targeted by the Murderer, and if the Murderer is discovered, the Sheriff will do everything in their power to shoot the Murderer.

Because this was a magically enhanced game, there was some magic used within the game. For example, the bullets shot by the gun are limitless and once they hit a person, the person will be hit, but not harmed nor killed, only sent out of the Murder Mystery house as they are no longer part of the game. That applies the same when the Murderer stabs someone with their knife; the person being stabbed will not be hurt nor killed, only teleported out.

Ignis, Vanitas, and several other citizens of Disney Town were next in line to play the Murder Mystery game, thus teleporting them in random spots throughout the chosen area they were in, which was inside a large mansion within the Murder Mystery game house.

"And I got so lucky, too!" Ignis said, pulling out her gun. "I can't believe I got the part of being the Sheriff!"

"Hey."

"Aaaaaah!" Ignis shrieked, pointing her gun towards the source of the voice before relaxing. "Oh, it's just you, Vanitas."

"Yeah, it's me."

"Whew! For a sec, I thought you were the Murderer or something! I mean, the Murderer could be around here somewhere."

"Well, of course the Murderer could be around here. What did you think this was? That's the name of this game," reminded Vanitas.

"Yeah, but I thought we could all gather together and solve the mystery!" said Ignis.

"We ARE trying to solve the mystery!"

"No, we're just trying to survive a slasher film!"

"I...I mean...you're not wrong there, but...Hey, that's the Sheriff's gun, right?"

"Yup! Guess what? I'm the Sheriff!"

"...Are you an idiot or something?"

"Huh?"

"What if I turned out to be the Murderer?" questioned Vanitas. "I could easily cut you down right here and then! God, are you just gullible or just an idiot?"

"Nope."

"What?"

"Nope! I don't believe you're the Murderer, Vanitas," said Ignis.

"How are you so sure?"

"Because it'd be too obvious. Plus, there's a huge chance anyone could be an Innocent! So, I believe you to be an Innocent, Vanitas! So, just stick by me, and I'll protect ya from the Murderer!"

"Y-You..."

"So, c'mon! Let's go!" Ignis started skipping ahead, humming to herself once more while wielding the gun as part of her role as the Sheriff, being on the lookout for any players, whether Innocent or Murderer.

"..." Vanitas glanced behind his back, which he had been hiding a knife. Deciding to hide it, he followed after Ignis silently, making extra care not to expose himself.

Another goal of this game was to wait until the time limit ran out, which is exactly what happened a few minutes later when all of the players were teleported out of the Murder Mystery house.

"So...who was the Murderer?" one of the players asked.

"I didn't encounter the Murderer at all!"

"Me, either!"

"I found a good hiding spot, so I didn't see anyone."

"I mean, we found out about the Sheriff, but not the Murderer."

"Huh, they're right," said Ignis, confused. "I wondered who the murderer really was."

"Oh, guess we'll never find out," shrugged Vanitas before grabbing Ignis' wrist and dragging her away. "Alright, let's get to the next game."

"H-Hey!"

* * *

 _Later..._

"What kind of amusement park doesn't have a roller coaster?!"

"Well, sir, this is technically still a festival-"

"And you have all these carnival games set up!"

"Well, there is ONE ride similar to the roller coaster ride."

"Seriously? Well, why didn't you say so earlier? What is it?"

"The train ride! Only for children 10 and under!"

"..."

"Uh...Vanitas? Why did you summon your Keybl-DUDE, PUT THAT DOWN!"

"YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO RIDE SOME KIDDY RIDE?!"

"AIYEEEE! MOMMY!"

* * *

 _Tunnel of Love_

"No," both Ignis and Vanitas said before walking away from the Tunnel of Love entrance.

The Tunnel of Love owner's jaw dropped as they walked away. "But...but it's free for couples!"

"No!"

* * *

 _Hydro Blaster_

Ignis, Vanitas, and a small boy were currently firing their water guns right in the center of the mouths of the open fake clowns, trying to fill up the balloons that would increasingly expand the more water was placed in the center.

Vanitas kept glancing from his target to Ignis, noting that her balloon was growing more bigger at a faster pace. He tended to be a little competitive himself, and he was not about to allow her to win. He needed to do something, a distraction for at least a little while!

And then, he eyed his water gun...

Ignis was grinning happily, noticing that her balloon was growing bigger than the other balloons. She knew it! She was going to win! She was going to win first place and the grand prize! She-

She was then sprayed in the face by a geyser of water.

Gasping for air, Ignis whirled around and saw Vanitas aiming his water gun at her, thus obviously being the culprit. Eye twitching, Ignis turned and pointed her water gun at him. "Oh! So it's gonna be like THAT, huh?!"

She splashed Vanitas with water just as the bell rang, and the other player, a small boy, had won the game by being the first to fill his balloon entirely. But, both Vanitas and Ignis no longer care about the game.

They only cared about the new competition between them now.

Ignis fired a few shots of water first, causing Vanitas to cartwheel and miraculously dodge all of them as he made his way to a nearby fortune telling table stand. He pushed the fortune teller out of the water and kicked the table, using it as a shield. He peeked out of the table and started firing his round of water shots.

As if in slow motion, Ignis tilted back and moved her body around, dodging the water shots and narrowly missing them, getting not even a single shred of water onto her already drenched body before finding a nearby sign and using it as her own shield.

The people had already cleared out of the way and was watching the water showdown between Ignis and Vanitas as they kept firing at each other with their water guns, though every time they dodged, it felt as though they were in slow motion doing so, which made their movements both graceful and epic all at the same time, making the crowd astonished and in awe.

This continued until both of them ran out of water.

Hurriedly, the two of them rushed up to the Hydro Blaster owner and handed in their water guns. "Refill them!" both of them shouted.

"Wha-?! You think I'm gonna refill them after you two took them without permission?! Get outta here!"

* * *

 _Fruitball_

"Hey, there! Are you back to play some more MOTHER FLIPPIN' FRUITBALL?!" shrieked Horace to Vanitas and Ignis.

"...Wow, you are absolutely right. This guy's nuts about Fruitball," said Vanitas.

"You remember the rules, right?" called out Ignis as she and Vanitas were now facing each other on opposite sides; both having summoned their own Keyblades.

"Yeah. It's like tennis, but with fruit. Gigantic, large, fruit."

"Oh, dear! I just remember! You two must have a team name of your own!" called out Horace. "It's part of the rules!"

Vanitas got annoyed and was about to comply when he remembered the whole rose proposal incident earlier before. He was still pissed off at Ignis for putting him in what appeared to be the most awkward and embarrassing position of his life, so he thought he might as well get her back for that.

Vanitas smirked and raised his hand. "You know, you're right! In fact, firecracker over told me what her team name wanted to be!"

"Wait, I did?" wondered Ignis, confused.

"Yeah. You wanted to be Team **Flat."**

Ignis only grew more confused...until it dawned to her which part of her was...flat. Her hands instinctively went to her chest armor and her face redden in anger and embarrassment. "You...YOU!"

"Very well! She'll be Team Flat!" declared Horace, pointing to Ignis. "No takebacks!"

"No, no, no! Wait-! Ugh!" groaned Ignis, noting it was too late to change her team name. Then, if Vanitas could declare her team name without permission, it should work the same for her. "...You know what? Vanitas told me the same for his team name! He wanted his to be Team Tiny Wiener!"

"Oh, you bitch!" shouted Vanitas, knowing full well what she meant.

Ignis mockingly stuck her tongue out at Vanitas, only furthering to piss him off. "BLEH!"

"Then, that settles it! Team Flat VS Team Tiny Wiener! Let the game begin!"

When the first fruit shot out, Vanitas was the first to make his move. He leapt up and utterly slammed his Keyblade with so much force, the giant watermelon recoiled and knocked Ignis' Keyblade out of her hands, securing one point for Vanitas' side and leaving Ignis shocked by the sudden force.

"W-Where did this strength come from?!" exclaimed Ignis before another fruit was shot out and she was forced to recover her Keyblade to get back into the game.

In the first rounds, no matter how she did, she either missed the fruit target because they were too fast, or her strength itself couldn't deflect the fruit back towards Vanitas. It also didn't help that they were much larger sized than before.

"Hah! Just give up, firecracker!" scoffed Vanitas. "One more win, and it's all mine for the taking!"

"Wait a second..." said Ignis, casting scanning magic on Vanitas. It didn't take her long to realize he had been using magic to enhance his speed and strength. "YOU'RE USING MAGIC?! THAT'S CHEATING! YOU MADE IT A CONDITION NOT TO USE MAGIC!"

"Hey, shut up! I wanna crush you, even if it means breaking the rules!" shouted Vanitas.

"Grrr! If that's the case, then I'm gonna do the same, too!" said Ignis casting very strong enhancement magic spells on her own. When the next fruit was shot towards her side of the field, Ignis didn't hesitate to take the initiative. "DIE!"

She slammed the end of her Keyblade as hard as she could, making the fruit spin around and rush towards Vanitas at a pace so fast, his instincts saved him as he dodged out of the way before he could become mush.

"Awww, yeah! I got a nice serve!" cheered Ignis.

"Are you shitting me?! That wasn't a nice serve at all!" yelled Vanitas, slightly freaked out over as he thought he had saw the light for just that instant ago. "That nearly knocked my head off, you b-"

"HIYAAAH!"

Ignis delivered yet another fast paced fruit towards Vanitas, forcing him to lean back in time to dodge the swift fruit. He felt the rushing wind and force behind the serve and knew it was caused by an even stronger force than before.

"Hey! Don't dodge, you coward!" yelled Ignis.

"Who's the coward, you psycho?!" yelled back Vanitas.

The tension heated up the more the two of them played. They kept scoring points on their own side of the field, and occasionally, they kept making ties on their scores over and over. They continued using enhancement magic to try and knock the other player out. The continuation of Fruitball happened until finally, all of the fruit was gone and smashed. By the end of it all, the entire Fruitball playing field was nothing more than a battlefield of smashed fruit everywhere.

"Oh, dear! It looks like we're out of fruit for FRUITBALL!" said Horace. "And unfortunately, I can't get anymore fruit today, so this game will be the last Fruitball game for this year's Dream Festival! And the score for both teams is...a TIE!"

Ignis and Vanitas groaned, knowing neither of them had won. They didn't lose, but they didn't win either, much to their dismay.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Little Red, are you sure you should be hanging out with a...shady guy like him?" Pete asked to Ignis, referring to Vanitas, who was just standing around, drinking a smoothie.

"Yeah! He's totally fine! Eh...he's a bit rough around the edges, but once you get to knock him, he's a nice asshole!"

"That...comment doesn't reassure me at all."

Ignis sighed. "Look, watch this. If I run and leap at Vanitas, he will most certainly catch me in his arms! COMING IN!"

Vanitas' eyes widened when he saw Ignis running towards him. Instead of catching her in his arms like Ignis predicted he would, he simply sidestepped out of the way the moment she jumped, causing her to crash right on her bottom.

"OWWWWW! You were supposed to catch me!~" whined Ignis, rubbing her bottom.

"And what made you think I was gonna do that?" questioned Vanitas before continuing to drink his smoothie.

"Nice demonstration there, Little Red," deadpanned Pete.

* * *

 _That night..._

For the next several hours, Ignis and Vanitas spent a lot of time together, playing more games, exploring more parts of the Dream Festival, participating in several events that left a couple of different reactions from them, and so forth. When it started getting dark, only the lanterns lit up all around the Dream Festival, and everyone was growing more excited as the night grew closer for the final event of the Dream Festival.

The fireworks event.

It was apparently supposed to start any minute, without warning, just to surprise everyone attending the Dream Festival. Several people were sitting on the grass, looking up at the night sky and anticipating the start of the fireworks, while others were still wandering around the Dream Festival, checking out some more of the carnival games or trying to find a good spot to sit down on.

Ignis and Vanitas were still exploring the Dream Festival, checking out the stalls that were selling other things. When they arrived at a ribbon stall, Ignis couldn't help but awe at the differently colored laced ribbons.

"Wow!~ They all look so cute!~ I just want them all!" cooed Ignis. "...Oh, well! Time to move on!"

"What? You're not even considering to buy even one?" wondered Vanitas.

"Well, you hold the tickets! Thus, you make the decisions! Besides, you'd probably refuse me even a single ribbon anyways."

"...I'll take that ribbon," Vanitas said to the ribbon owner, handing over a ticket.

"Eh...EEEEHHH?! You're actually buying me a ribbon?!" exclaimed Ignis, shocked. "You, of all people?! ...Who are you and what have you done with the douchebag Vanitas I know and lo-care?! OW!"

"Oh, shut it," grumbled Vanitas, having whacked her on the head before thrusting a red and silver colored ribbon in her hand. "You just looked really annoying back then. I figured that you'd be even more annoying if I-If you didn't get your own ribbon, so I picked a random one for you. There, now you don't complain anymore."

"Awww! That's so sweet of you! Thanks, Vanitas!" said Ignis.

"I already told you, I didn't do it for you!"

Come to think of it, Vanitas recalled something that happened so long ago, he had forgotten about it until now. He had taken Ignis' headband right after he kidnapped her to show proof to Ventus that he did kidnap her. Honestly, he didn't care what he did to the headband, but searching through his pockets, he felt and pulled out Ignis' headband.

Spotting her familiar-looking headband, Ignis quickly touched her hair, noting that she didn't have her headband on. "Eh?! How did you get my headband?! Are you secretly some sort of magician, Vanitas?!"

"Idiot, I snagged this off you a long time ago. Back when I kidnapped you. Of course, you don't remember because I did this while you were unconscious, but I took this. Did it seriously take you THIS LONG for you to figure out you didn't have your headband on?"

"Uh…"

Vanitas raised his fingers and flicked her on the forehead. "Idiot."

"Owie! That hurt!"

"You deserved it for not paying attention to yourself, moron. Here." Vanitas shoved the headband back to her. "Take it. I don't need it anymore. It already served its purpose, anyways."

Taking back the headband, Ignis placed it back on her head, good as new. "By the way, what did you need my headband for?"

"I needed proof to Ventus that I kidnapped you, so I took that off you. Now, it's nothing but a useless accessory to me now."

"Oh...well, thanks for returning it back to me! You're being really nice to me, Vanitas!" chirped Ignis.

"...You know I'm not a nice guy. Don't ever say stupid stuff like that to me again," grumbled Vanitas, crossing his arms.

"Hmm...alright!" Ignis eyed her ribbon, wondering what to do.

"...What are you even doing?"

"Well...I...I want to tie my hair up with this ribbon."

"So, do it already."

"I...I don't think the ribbon will look good on me."

"You didn't even try it on, you sissy. And what makes you think it won't look good on you, anyways?"

"Well, having a tied ponytail with a ribbon along with wearing a headband might make it look weird!" protested Ignis.

"..." Vanitas snatched the ribbon and headband off from Ignis before doing something to them before her very eyes. When he finished, he handed the new item back to Ignis.

Somehow, Vanitas managed to attach the ribbon to the headband, combining it to create a ribbon hairband. The colors of both the original headband and the ribbon clashed with each other, but Ignis didn't care, as she was both surprised and happy towards Vanita's contribution towards the creation of this new ribbon hairband.

After tying her hair in a low ponytail and holding it up with the new ribbon hairband, Ignis smiled brightly and glanced over to Vanitas. "Tada! What do you think?"

"I guess it looks better," said Vanitas. "Your long hair was getting annoying, anyways."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!" pouted Ignis.

"Long hair during a battle is always bad news. It can get in the way. A lot. But, if you cut off your hair or tie it in a way where the enemy can't grab it, you're safe."

"Cutting my long, luscious, silky hair isn't an option! I guess I'll have to get used to this new hairstyle of mine! Hey, hey! Vanitas! Does this make me look super girly?"

"I thought you liked being a tomboy," said Vanitas.

"I do, but I still love girly stuff, too! I love ribbons, sweets, stuffed animals-"

Ignis stopped and paused. Come to think of it, Vanitas never received anything today. Sure, he hung out with her, ate a few snacks and drinks, and sometimes won prizes, but he always handed those prizes, even the grand prizes, to her because he had no use for them. While she was happy to receive them, at the same time...she felt so bad that she couldn't do anything for him.

Thus, she decided to give him a special gift, even if she has to force him to accept it.

From her bag, she activated her storage magic and snatched out a Tsum Tsum doll, the customized Vanitas doll that she made out of fun. She thrusted it to his chest and stepped back. "Here! I'm giving you something as thanks for always giving me the cute prizes and for the new ribbon just now!"

Vanitas glanced at the doll he was given, unsure what it was. "Uh...what is this?"

"It's a popular toy called a Tsum Tsum! They even had an option of customization! So, I made a few, including you! That Tsum Tsum doll is meant to represent you!"

Vanitas took a double take at the Tsum Tsum doll he was holding. Now that she mentioned it...it did resembled him in some ways.

"I don't want it."

"Too bad! You're keeping it! I want you to keep it! Plus, if you throw it away or burn it, I'll never forgive you!"

Vanitas scoffed. "Like I care about your forgiveness-"

"Vanitas!" said Ignis before sighing. "Alright, alright. I can't stop you, anyways. You can destroy the doll. But, could you just...wait until the festival is over and you have to leave? Then, you can do whatever you want with the doll."

"...Fine." Vanitas stored the Tsum Tsum doll away in his own storage magic and turned to Ignis. "Just so you know, we only have 2 tickets left, and the ticket selling place is already closed. Choose wisely."

"I have! Let's go to the Ferris Wheel! It's one ticket per person, and there's only the two of us! A perfect way to end the day!" Ignis said excitedly.

"...You know what? Alright. I'd rather take the Ferris Wheel than that stupid carousel ride, anyways."

"How rude! The Merry-Go-Round is super cute!"

"It's for babies! And it's not even that fun! It just goes round and round endlessly!"

Through their childish banter, the two made their way to the Ferris Wheel, where there were so little people attending, as all of the others went to find good spots to witness the fireworks. The two paid with the last of their tickets to ride on and proceeded to get inside their ride.

However, the Ferris Wheel came to an abrupt halt when the two of the reached the top so suddenly. It no longer seemed to be moving, and it appeared that they, along with the other few customers in the other rides within the Ferris Wheel, were stuck.

"Great, just great," groaned Vanitas, leaning back and crossing his arms. "We're stuck until maintenance fixes this."

"I did hear that this Ferris Wheel was pretty old. Maybe that's why it's acting up just like right now," said Ignis before hearing a loud sound. She pressed her face to the nearest window and gasped. "Wow! The fireworks are starting!"

Having nothing better to do, Vanitas turned his head and watched the fireworks event with Ignis. It was a very good view and fortunate for them, because they were on the highest point of the Ferris Wheel and practically had front row seats to the fireworks.

While Vanitas had some mild interest in the fireworks, he focused more of his attention towards Ignis, who was in awe at her first fireworks event. Yes, she has heard of fireworks, but not once in her life has she ever seen them. They were just as amazing as the stars she often see at night with her friends back in the Land of Departure, such as some of the days like the day before the Mark of Mastery exam.

He would never admit it, but...Vanitas actually had an enjoyable time today. He spent around like...12 hours with her, and sure, there were a few conflicts, some insults between the two, but overall, both had a great time with each other. Actually, both of them somewhat enjoyed their conflicts, as it brought out who they were; a short-tempered girl and a vulgar-sounding guy who loved insulting, teasing, and using inappropriate language.

Somehow, the two of them got along...at a certain level.

Vanitas...wanted to do this again. He wanted to hang out with Ignis again, just to spend more time with her. At this point, it was no longer about making Ventus jealous, although that would be a great bonus. As much as he cursed Ventus for having feelings for Ignis, which in turn, caused Vanitas to have a crush on her, at the same time, he felt...for the first time, joy at Ignis' side.

Okay, that wasn't entirely true. He did feel a sick, twisted kind of happiness whenever he sadistically harmed his enemies, but with Ignis...It felt like a pure, good kind of happiness. Normally, such of thing would disgust him, but with Ignis, it was different. He wasn't growing soft on her, and he still thinks of her as an enemy, but for some reason...when she mentioned that she didn't think of him as an enemy...it did feel as though a sort of a load was taken off his shoulders.

 **Wings**

 **By: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams**

 _One life,_

 _Is not a long time,_

 _When you're waiting,_

 _For a small sign._

Vanitas no longer paid any attention to the fireworks, only towards Ignis. Luckily for him, her attention was towards the fireworks, and it helped that his mask didn't alert Ignis of him watching over her. It felt rather...nice, watching her instead of the fireworks like everyone else was doing.

Nobody would dare hang out with someone like him, especially in a simple date in this festival...all except for Ignis. Despite knowing they were enemies, she still reached out her hand and was stubborn, refusing to take no for an answer. This hangout was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Vanitas took full advantage of the hangout opportunity to have fun.

He didn't know what Ignis saw in him that made her not want to be enemies with him. He still upholds his destiny to become one with Ventus, to get rid of this agaonizing pain that he feels every single day, but the time with Ignis...lessened that pain. He could feel Unversed being slaughtered in the other worlds, presumably by Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, thus being inflicted pain himself. It took everything out of him today not to express any signs of pain or weakness to Ignis whatsoever.

What was really frustrating wasn't the fact that his Unversed kept being destroyed, though it was both painful and bothersome. No, it was that even after spending 12 hours with Ignis, he still couldn't figure out what was it that attracted him towards her. Even a small hint, a small _sign_ would make things easier.

 _Patience,_

 _Is hard to find._

 _Shadows,_

 _Seems to fill your life._

Vanitas was practically darkness incarnate. He was born from Ventus' darkness, and he knows full well that if and when he dies, he'll disappear into the darkness. The shadows were basically his only friend in his life. Nothing seemed to shine through towards his heart brimming with darkness...except her.

Even if she made a small influence, that influence was more than enough to pierce an arrow of light through his heart. He felt disgusted with himself when he was certain that this warm feeling inside of him was...love from his crush on Ignis, but...it wasn't entirely a bad feeling. He just felt disgusted that it was love, since love was something he never received, especially when Xehanort never showed him any signs of parental love. Ventus, on the other hand, received all of the love from his friends, which was one of the reasons why Vanitas was so jealous of him.

As much as having Ignis around felt...warm, Vanitas knew that eventually, he would have to kill her. Now that she's grown stronger and has slightly caught Xehanort's attention, there's no way the old man won't order him to eliminate her. He clenched his fist, but he knew it was inevitable. As messed up as it sounded, if he had a choice between Ignis and reuniting with Ventus, he would definitely choose the latter. His time with Ignis will be nothing more than a memory when the time comes anyways, so he shouldn't feel...sadden when the time comes for him to finish her.

 _Don't be disappointed,_

 _Don't let your heart break._

 _Don't spend another minute,_

 _In this way._

 _It's okay._

Vanitas then noticed tears glimmering at the corner of Ignis' face and frowned. It was already bad the first time he saw her cry, which was after her confrontation with her friends back in Radiant Garden, but seeing her cry right now...well, he never wanted to see her cry. He himself personally enjoyed making others cry, whether through pain, humiliation, and so forth, but Ignis? She was an exception. The only exception.

"Hey, I get that the fireworks are amazing, but you don't need to be such a crybaby about it," stated Vanitas, making a failed attempt of cheering her up.

Ignis sniffled and wiped away her tears. "Oh, I didn't realize I was crying. Sorry. I was just...Never mind, you'd probably think it'd be a stupid reason, anyways."

"Nah, I'm all ears. Not like I'll care for your reason anyways, so go ahead. I'll try not to insult you afterwards."

"Well...I wasn't crying about the fireworks. They're amazing, but...I started thinking about Ven and the others, and how I wished they were here to see the fireworks. But, when I think back at them..." started Ignis, sniffling as she wiped more of her incoming tears away. "I get reminded of the last time we met...It...It was really bad, but don't wo-"

 _RIP!_ Ignis flinched at the sound of some cloth being ripped and saw Vanitas had ripped a bit of his...already ripped sash skirt before handing the ripped part to Ignis.

"It's annoying enough to see you cry. I don't need to hear your entire life story. Just dry your tears," muttered Vanitas. "You look ugly when you cry."

"Hey-!" pouted Ignis. Still, she knew why Vanitas had taken the time to go so far as to rip out a piece of clothing for her. He cared about her deep down, but he refused to admit it out loud. Just his generous action was enough for her, though, as she took the ripped cloth and started wiping away her tears.

Glancing back at Ignis, who had calmed down and was no longer crying, Vanitas thought her smiling face served as a better look on her than her crying one. The light from the countless lanterns in the festival and the colorful fireworks reflected onto Ignis' appearance and made her look more radiant than before. It helped that the angel wings she wore on her back reflected on what he thought of her as.

An angel. An annoying, short-tempered, yet stubborn and kind angel.

 _Dry your eyes now, baby;_

 _Broken wings won't hold you down._

 _You'll take flight soon, baby._

 _You'll be lifted up,_

 _And you'll be there._

Though they've hung out for around 12 hours, it still felt like time flew by way too fast. Truth be told, he was starting to lose hope in figuring out what was it that made him have a crush on Ignis? Was it just a phase that he'd eventually get over with time? Was it something he'd get over if he killed her? Such thoughts troubled him whenever he thought of why he was...slightly in love with Ignis?

Vanitas had no clues as to why he liked Ignis. Sure, she had a few positive traits, as well as negative ones, but she was just a normal girl that shouldn't be of much interest to him. The thought of anybody discovering he had a crush on her, especially Ventus or Xehanort, was absolutely humiliating.

But, at the same time, he knew that he absolutely must find the answer to the question that had always been haunting him. Why was he so intrigued with Ignis? Even more so than Ventus? This searching...it was all pointless, but perhaps...he should give it more time. Given more time, he should find the answer he was looking for.

Because right now, looking at the fallen angel before him, just the sight of her felt worth it.

 _Twelve hours,_

 _Is a long night._

 _When you're searching,_

 _With no hope in sight._

 _Aimless,_

 _On the inside;_

 _And the damage,_

 _Makes you want to hide._

 _I know that it seems pointless,_

 _I know that it feels fake._

 _I know you can't stand the thought of,_

 _Being stray,_

 _One more day._

 _Dry your eyes now, baby;_

 _Broken wings won't hold you down._

 _You'll take flight soon, baby._

 _You'll be lifted up,_

 _And you'll be there._

Soon, the fireworks event came to an end, thus signaling the end of the Dream Festival. Ignis turned to Vanitas with a brighter smiler than before. "That was so amazing! Today really was the best!"

She lunged forward, grasping Vanitas' hands into her own tightly, holding them close to her chest. "Thanks, Vanitas! You really made my day! Let's do this again someti-URK!"

Suddenly, Vanitas yanked his hands back and gripped Ignis' throat tightly, gritting his teeth as his hold on her tightened. Gasping sounds escaped Ignis as she clutched onto his hands, trying to breath and to get his hands off her throat. Soon, she was easily lifted off the ground and up in the air thanks to Vanitas' superior strength.

One thing Vanitas hated was direct contact. He was constantly reminded of the abuse he received from Xehanort. Oh, the old man didn't physically abuse him himself or anything of the sort, but the time spent with the old man wasn't...pleasant. There were many other methods of abuse the old man did that didn't have to include dirtying his own hands and abusing Vanitas with his own hands, though it was questionable every time they sparred.

It was one thing for simple touches, like Ignis dragging him around the festival and stuff like that, but too much contact like Ignis grabbing his hands just now triggered something within Vanitas. Such a simple, innocent act from Ignis caused him to react violently, and his hatred towards her intensified.

That's right...just because he hung out and enjoyed his time with Ignis, doesn't stop her status as an enemy. Eventually, he's going to have to kill her anyways, along with her stupid friends, except for Ventus. He still needed Ventus to be completed, after all, no matter how much he hated the blond bastard.

If he's going to kill her anyways...why not do so now? Just save everyone the trouble of finishing her off in a fight later and just do so now? It'd be one less troublesome enemy to deal with later.

But, at the same time, Vanitas found he couldn't do it. He even found his grip loosening around her neck, yet he still held her up in the air. What was wrong with him? Why was he hesitating?! It should be simple just to wait for to die from suffocation, or better yet, snap her neck!

Perhaps...it was the question that was lingering in his mind. Why did he care so much for her? Was that what caused his hesitation? His own curiosity working against him? If so, then he couldn't kill her until he received the answer he's been desperately searching for.

Lowering her back to the ground, Vanitas then pushed her back to her seat before pouncing onto her, gripping her wrists firmly with all of his strength, thus making it impossible for Ignis to oppose him physically. He forced her neck to the side, burying his face into her collarbone as his masked vanished back to the darkness before sinking his teeth into her neck.

"AH!" cried out Ignis, hissing at the sudden pain from her skin being pierced. She bit back a cry and squeezed her eyes shut; Vanitas' hands holding her wrists firmly in place. It grew more painful the deeper Vanitas' bit down, but Ignis knew. She knew that the pain she was feeling right now was nothing compared to the pain Vanitas must have felt when he had first strangled her. Whatever caused him to be triggered like that, it must have been some sort of awful trauma to force him like that, which is why Ignis was upholding Vanitas' well-being over her own.

A metallic-like taste made its way to Vanitas' tongue the deeper he sank his teeth in. _Blood._

Well, it shouldn't be surprising, considering how deep his fangs were digging. He was like a vampire, biting down something he cherished, yet deeply hated at the same time. He wanted to kill her, but at the same time, he didn't. He liked her in so many ways, yet disliked her as well. Mixed feelings twisted into conflicting ones inside of him, and he thought it best to display his hatred and crush on her through marking her.

Ignis couldn't stop the painful whimper escaping her lips as the pain increased the more deeper the bite grew. She didn't have a single clue why Vanitas was acting this way, but if it helped eased his pain, even a little, then she felt it would be a good thing to do. Feeling his head shift a little closer to her neck, Ignis felt the briskly, spiky black locks-Wait, black locks?

It was plain obvious to anyone that in order to bite someone, one must take off any hindrances to their mouth, such as a mask. But Ignis knew Vanitas wouldn't normally take off his mask except for right now, and even though she couldn't see his true face, she felt honored that he chose to take off his mask in front of her, even if the intentions weren't...good.

Despite the pain she was feeling, Ignis chose to endure it for Vanitas' sake. She had no idea what she had done to offend him, nor did she know anything of his backstory, but she knew he must be suffering deep down, and that right now, this was the best, possible way to comfort him.

Some blood formed from the bite marks on Ignis' neck when Vanitas pulled back, having already donned his mask. The two of them stayed silent as the Ferris Wheel slowly started moving, being operational once again. At last, Vanitas stood up and faced Ignis, breaking the silence between them.

"...I'm not apologizing."

"Yeah, I figured."

"You're not even gonna question why I tried to choke you or bite you to death? Not gonna take revenge?"

"Oh, I'm upset, but...I figured you might be more hurt than me."

"...This changes nothing between us," said Vanitas, summoning a Corridor of Darkness right next to him. "Just because we hung out today, doesn't make us allies. If you were trying to trick me into joining the good side or whatever...then you failed. We're not friends, and we never will be."

"...I know," sighed Ignis, watching Vanitas leave through the portal of darkness.

When Ignis got off the Ferris Wheel, she wandered around the Dream Festival for a little bit more. It seemed some people were getting ready to leave. While what happened between her and Vanitas a while ago wasn't...pleasant, she really did enjoy her time with him. She wasn't going to give up on him, but...it seemed the more she tried to get to know him better, the more difficult he was becoming.

"Oh! There you are!" said Queen Minnie, running up to Ignis. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Hmm? Oh, I've heard of you! Queen Minnie, right?" asked Ignis, getting one on knee out of respect and to be eye-to-eye level with each other. "I heard a lot about you from the other citizens here."

"Wonderful! I came to look for you to give you this! Your Million Dreams Award!" Queen Minnie handed Ignis the Bueno Volcano ice cream, an ice cream shaped like a miniature volcano that was both sweet and spicy at the same time.

"Uh...But...Okay, I remember I did win, but I swapped the original prize for another chance for Pete to redeem himself. What happened?" Ignis asked. "Don't tell me Pete-!"

"Oh, no. Pete's been behaving himself for now," assured Queen Minnie. "Why, just a few moments ago, I saw him holding both his son and dear young Max on his shoulders just to give them a ride! How heartwarming!"

"Oh...good to know Pete's doing alright. But, why give me the original prize?"

"I believe you deserved it. You were the only one willing to give Pete another chance, and someone who was willing to give up their own prize for someone else's sake is...well, a hero in my book! I felt it wouldn't be fair, and...I admit, it was rather poor judgement back when I wanted to punish Pete back then. So, I'm giving this to you to prove that you are not only an outstanding citizen...but a hero as well!"

"Well, thank you, Queen Minnie! I'll be sure to enjoy this!" said Ignis before watching the queen leave for her other duties.

This would be the third ice cream that she would truly get to enjoy. The first one was stolen by Vanitas, while the second one melted too quickly. It would have been nice to get a few couple of bites from the Big Bad Pete ice cream that Vanitas had stolen...

Speaking of Vanitas, Ignis was worried for him, but she couldn't chase after him. He didn't give any indication of where he was going, not that he planned on telling her anyways. Besides, it...probably wouldn't end so well if she chased after him right now. But back when he bit her, that was the closest they ever got, besides the time when they ballroom danced.

She wanted to feel his chiseled chest through his black suit, his muscular body, feel the tingly edges of his spiky black hair, and hold him close. It was rather exciting to learn that he had not only lowered his mask for her, even if it was meant for biting purposes, but also that he had spiky black hair. This piqued her interest quite a bit, and she wanted to-

All of these thoughts made Ignis realize that the reason behind her interest on him was because...she had a crush on him.

"Oh, no! HE'S HOT!" cringed Ignis, dropping her Bueno Volcano ice cream and then collapsing on her knees, covering her red face with her hands. It would take a while for her to recover and leave behind the world known as Disney Town.

* * *

 **Oh, finally! I managed to finish the Disney Town world, and it took some planning and a lot of time, with all of the special Vanitas x Ignis moments that I wished for and planted in this chapter!**

 **So, I'm going to try something different for this story! Every time a song is placed into a chapter, I'm going to describe and explain the purpose of why it's there and how it relates to the plot, the character, and so on!**

 **And so, the song, "Wings." The reason why I chose this song to be featured is because it does sound like a love song, and in movies, whenever one gets close to the sentimental, romance scene, there's usually a slow love song playing in the background. But another reason why I chose this song is because of the lyrics. Apparently, they're meant to be Vanitas' words to Ignis, and his thoughts on his date with her. It also helps that even though he hates her, he sees her as an angel.**

 **The part of where Vanitas comments that she may be a fallen angel is somewhat accurate. Technically, she's still on the side of light even though she's learning darkness magic. In fact, it's kinda fitting that she would fit the role as a fallen angel. Well, she's not literally going to transform into a fallen angel, it's just an expression.**

 **Fallen angels are usually angels who sinned or have done evil, and in this case, Ignis still has a bit of an angelic personality, yet she has "sinned" because she's trying to learn darkness magic, a magic she's forbidden to learn by her master, and she's spending time with the ENEMY.**

 **The angel and demon contrast fits for Ignis and Vanitas' relationship at hand. Ignis would be the angel, and Vanitas is obviously the demon. Opposites attract, a Romeo and Juliet comparison, forbidden love, and so on that pretty much describes their relationship.**

 **As for why Vanitas bit down Ignis, it's quite simple. All of his life, he's been mentally and physically abused by the one person who's taken care of him; Xehanort. As such, he doesn't really know true happiness or love. If he were to encounter such a thing and enjoy it, he would do everything he could to ensure such a feeling never erases from him. It's similar to trying to get rid of the pain he constantly feels everyday, thus he'll do anything to make Ventus become one with him and hopefully destroy the pain he feels a lot. In a way, Vanitas biting down Ignis would be a mark of possession for him, as he has conflicting feelings for Ignis.**

 **The time he spent with Ignis caused conflict within Vanitas. He's trying to learn love, but at the same time, he wants to rid himself of the painful feeling every time an Unversed is destroyed and sent back to him. He's torn before a previous life of abuse and pain, and a life filled with light and healing, opposite to his path filled with darkness and destined to become one with Ventus.**

 **If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! Read and review, and there's just one more world, a short one, before we get to the crossover worlds! People, remember to vote for whether the crossover worlds should stay in this story or another story, and...STAY CLASSY!**


	24. Destiny Islands: Dark

**Hey there, guys! I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! I invested so many hours into making that long-ass chapter! I loved and laughed along the way! Now, for all of you wondering why Ignis was keeping quiet or not bringing up about the whole choking thing, well, she's going to confront Vanitas about it the next time they meet, so don't worry about that so much! Just give it some patience until the next they meet!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Into Oblivion (Riku's Theme)" by Lizz Robinett.**

* * *

Even behind her Keyblade Armor, Ignis still kept a red face as she wandered around the Lanes Between with no destination in mind. Ever since her date with Vanitas ended...in both good and bad terms in her opinion at least, she couldn't stop thinking about Vanitas. It was only after their date that she finally realized that she had a full-on crush on the masked boy.

She wanted to pound her head against the next tree she saw, she wanted to pace back and forth and think about how she was going to deal about this situation, she wanted to dip her head in a cold lake, anything to get her mind off of Vanitas! That chiseled, muscular body with toned abs...that masked helmet that irritated yet made her curious as to what his true face held...his spiky, black locks...that bad boy, haughty attitude that made her want to punch him, but at the same time, caught her attention in more ways than one...and that young, but husky voice that-

"AH! Stupid floating rock!" cried out Ignis, having accidentally crashed her Keyblade Glider onto a few meteroids. The crash had knocked some sense back into Ignis and had her paying attention back on the road. Now that she was fully conscious of herself, she looked around and realized she may have wandered a bit too far from Disney Town, and had possibly have gone through circles while thinking about Vanitas.

Glancing around, Ignis began flying across space, hoping to find a nearby world to rest and recollect her thoughts so that she doesn't accidentally bump into other floating objects in space, or possibly something worse. Eventually, she spotted a very familiar world that she didn't expect to return so soon.

Destiny Islands.

Just seeing the peaceful island world caused Ignis to remember the first inhabitant she met; a young, little girl named Hinatsu. Back then, they didn't really spend too much time together, as Hinatsu's strange and rare illness had taken over, causing the girl to have a very high fever that forced Ignis to call for help and to help escort the girl and her little brother back to their home island.

Hopefully this time, her, Hinatsu, and her little brother, Sora, will have an even more fun time than the last time they met.

Speaking of Hinatsu, Ignis had been studious in her training for sealing magic. It appears that there were many different uses for sealing magic instead of just some sort of magic that traps a demon away for a millennium or whatnot. The main reason why Ignis was studying a different kind of magic was for Hinatsu's sake. Initially, no matter how skilled Ignis was at healing magic, she can't cure Ignis' mysterious illness. Therefore, Ignis decided to try and "postpone" her illness.

In other words, Ignis was going to find a way to seal away Hinatsu's magic.

Perhaps it was inaccurate to simply state that she planned on sealing away her magic, as even if Ignis did managed to do so, the only thing she would be doing is just sealing away Hinatsu's ability to use magic. That wouldn't necessarily cease the illness that was affecting the poor, small girl. No, it was more accurate to say that Ignis planned on sealing Hinatsu's magical amount.

If Ignis trained and acquired more magical powers, she might be able to cast the spell to seal away a large amount of Hinatsu's magic power. If that happened, Ignis planned on only temporarily sealing the magic power at least until Hinatsu was much older, and her body could handle taking in that much power. Ignis wasn't quite sure how many years the magic power would have to be sealed.

Either way, she couldn't cast sealing magic on Hinatsu just yet, as she still needed more training and experience in casting sealing magic. For now, she'd like to visit Hinatsu again and hope that she was alright.

Once she landed in a secure spot within Destiny Islands, Ignis discarded her Keyblade Armor and roamed around. It didn't seem like anyone was around, and while she did arrive in the island to rest, she couldn't help but wander around in search for anyone in sight. Perhaps to talk? Spend some time with just anyone?

"Miss Ignis?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Ignis turned around and saw Hinatsu, shyly hiding behind a palm tree. She also seemed to be holding the same red fairy tale book from the last time they met,

"Oh, Hinatsu! Hi!" welcomed Ignis, walking up to her. "Hey, are you okay? Last time, you suddenly collapsed and-"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get sick all of a sudden," apologized Hinatsu, hiding her face with her red book. "I-It just happened! One of my fevers and-"

"No, no! It's alright! It's not your fault that your sickness came over you," assured Ignis. "I should apologize. We didn't have too much fun the last time I came here and-"

"No! It was my fault...Because I got sick, we had to stop playing," admitted Hinatsu. "I'm sorry...I bet you don't wanna be my friend anymore."

"What? No, why would you think that?" asked Ignis, somewhat horrified. "Hinatsu, just because you got sick doesn't mean I won't be your friend! If I stopped being friends with people who get sick, I'd be a horrible person!"

"But...I get sick almost every day," Hinatsu admitted. "I'm always sick, and I often get fevers a lot. Because I'm always sick, not many kids want to play with me. They say I'm always trouble, or that they don't wanna sick or cooties from me...I'm...I'm not a very good friend to have..."

"Then those kids are kids you shouldn't associate yourself with!" declared Ignis.

"Associate...That's a new word. What does that mean?"

"Oh, well, associate means connecting with a friend, or something like that! Anyways, those kids that said those awful things to you, they shouldn't be friends with you! And for your fevers, you can't help it! Nobody can control their own sickness!"

"I...I dunno...I still don't think I'm a very good friend if I get sick all of the time," admitted Hinatsu.

Ignis shook her head. "I think you're a good friend. What about your little brother? What was his name again? Sor…"

"Sora. He...he thinks I'm a bit annoying, and that I'm a...bookworm. But, after the last time we met, he started being a little bit more nicer to me. When I was sick in bed, he tried to fetch me soup."

"Awww! How sweet!" cooed Ignis.

"But he accidentally spilled it all over my bed. He got...grounded for a week."

"Oh. Well, it's the thought that counts, right?"

Hinatsu tilted her head. "The thought that counts? What does that mean?"

"It's a saying. It means that something is much more important than a simple gift like a toy or a doll. That a person's kindness is much better than any gift."

"Mama...Mama said that Sora was in big trouble, though," said Hinatsu, confused. "If Sora's kindness is the thought that counts, then why did he get in trouble for?"

"Er...Your mother was probably just upset that Sora spilled soup all over your bed," answered Ignis.

"Then, Sora did a bad thing by giving me kindness?"

"No, no. Er, not exactly. When he delivered soup to you, that was an act of kindness and a good thing. The bad thing was that he accidentally spilled it. If he never spilled the soup, then...Gah, this is really confusing to explain to a kid. By the way, where is your brother anyways, Hinatsu?"

"He got grounded again for running around the hallways with muddy shoes," sighed Hinatsu. "That was yesterday. Now he's helping Mama clean up the house. Papa says he's running a bit late in his fishing job and that he'll pick me and Riku up tonight."

"Riku? Is he a friend of yours?" wondered Ignis.

Hinatsu nodded. "Mmm-hmm. He gives me flowers sometimes because he said I'm a really good friend. But, I don't know his face is always red or pink whenever he gives them to me."

Ignis couldn't stop the huge grin forming on her face. "Oh hoo hooo!~ It seems to me that your cute friend has a thing for you!~ A small crush, perhaps?"

"Riku...wants to crush me? I guess that makes sense. He always crushes Sora whenever they have a sword fight."

"What? No, I mean-"

"But...I guess Riku can crush me really easily. I don't really play sword fighting with Riku and Sora, so even if I fight Riku, he'll probably beat me. I'll probably have to tell him to stop his crush on me."

"No, no, no! He doesn't want to hurt you!" exclaimed Ignis, shaking her head. "He likes you! Like, really, really like like you!"

"I know he likes me. And Sora. And-"

"Jeez, why is this simple explanation so hard to get through to a kid?" Ignis wondered, scratching her head.

"...Miss Ignis? I...I like your ribbon," spoke up Hinatsu.

"Hmm? Oh, the ribbon on my ponytail! Yeah, it was a gift from...from someone really special to me!" said Ignis, turning a bit red as she giggled from the sweet memory from the last world. "Yup!~"

"I see..."

"Hinatsu, when you meet a special person in your life, they'll give you something sweet! Like...Hmm?" Ignis then noticed Hinatsu clutching her chest. "Hey! Hinatsu! Are you alright?!"

Hinatsu started wheezing, taking a couple of deep breaths before looking up. "I...I'm okay...Whew...This time's fever went by really quickly. The fastest, so far."

Ignis only grew more concern for the poor, small girl. _'I've got to master some sealing magic already!'_ she thought. _'But...what if there was a way to temporarily null Hinatsu's sickness? Even a little? I've got an idea, but even if she does this, her Magic Power's just going to fill up every time she rests. Worth a shot, though.'_

"Hinatsu! I was wondering, how much do you know about magic?"

"Um...There are a few magic users in Destiny Islands, but most of the people here don't use magic. Mama, Papa, and Sora don't use magic."

"Well, at least the existence of magic is acknowledged in this world," Ignis muttered to herself. "Say, Hinatsu? I'm a magic user. Wanna learn magic from me? Just for a little while?"

"I...I don't wanna...I don't wanna hurt anyone with magic," said Hinatsu timidly.

"We're not really hurting anyone. I can teach you healing magic and all kinds of stuff."

"Will healing magic cure my illness? Even if a little?"

Ignis shook her head. "Er...no. There's a difference between healing and sickness. Healing magic is only for things like cuts and bruises. Curing sickness is only through medicine, not healing magic."

"I...think I understand?" wondered Hinatsu. "What kind of magic will you be teaching me?"

 _'I've already got some teaching experience. I mean, I did teach Arthur a bit about swordsmanship, but this isn't a lesson on swordsmanship. It's more towards magic, and as much as I love magic, this is making me a little nervous. This is my first time teaching magic, and to a kid, no less!'_ thought Ignis. "Hmm...I guess we can start with the basics. Like, fire magic!"

"...Isn't that dangerous? What if something catches on fire?"

"Oh, don't worry! We're only using basic spells!" assured Ignis. "Like...we'll be setting that bush on fire! Don't worry! I'll just put it out with water magic after! You might want to stand back, though."

Hinatsu nodded and backed up all the way near the ocean, for safety near the water. She watched as Ignis started gathering magic power around her palm. Fiery fumes swirled around and formed around Ignis' palm as she focused.

"Fire!" yelled Ignis before shooting the fireball from her palm towards the targeted bush. Like a bullet, the fireball shot out from a speedy pace and set the bush ablaze instantly. Next, much to Hinatsu's astonishment, water swirled around Ignis before forming an orb of water roughly the same size as the fireball from earlier. "Water!"

The water ball shot out and splashed onto the bush, extinguishing the fire completely and leaving nothing more than an ashen bush behind. Hinatsu could do nothing but clap at Ignis' demonstrational lesson.

"Awww, thanks!~" cooed Ignis, giving her a V-sign. "Hina, come here!"

"Hina?" wondered Hinatsu, walking up to Ignis. "Only my little brother calls me that, though."

"Oh...Do you not like others calling you that?"

Hinatsu shook her head. "No, it's fine. You can call me that if you like."

"Awww! You are so cute!~" squealed Ignis. "Anyways, what you just saw was me casting two types of spells! Why don't you try casting Fire?"

"How do I do that?" wondered Hinatsu.

"I can tell there's a lot of Magic Power inside of you," explained Ignis. "People with Magic Power inside, even if it's just a little, always have the power to cast Magic. You can use magic in a variety of ways! But first things first! You have to concentrate! Gather the Magic Power inside of you and push it out! Like...well, it's like your magic power's a well full of water. If you want to scoop out water using a bucket, that's where you have to push it out afterwards!"

"I...I'm still confused."

"Yeah, to be honest, I don't have too much experience teaching," admitted Ignis. "Look, all I know is that if you have Magic Power, you just gotta...bring it out, somehow! Like, concentrating! Stay quiet, don't move a muscle, and focus on the target you want to cast magic on!"

Hinatsu nodded and raised her arm, closing her eyes, and trying to focus. Ignis could sense a slight shift in Hinatsu's own magic power, like she was on the right direction, but...it seems that her magic power concentration was getting a bit too high-!

"FIRE!"

A small pillar of fire rose up within the length of a few trees, setting them on fire. Seeing her magic having burnt a few trees, Hinatsu shrieked and fell to her bottom, startled by the immense power she accidentally unleashed. She didn't mean to-! She only wanted to set another bush on fire-!

"Watera!" cried out Ignis, wiping out the fires in an instant with her second-tier water spell. "Whoa! That was pretty intense!"

"I-I'm sorry..." apologized Hinatsu, looking sad. "I didn't follow your lesson properly and I ended up burning a few trees..."

"No, no! It's alright! You casted the spell perfectly! Er...well, there was a slight problem," said Ignis, bending down to her level. "You put too much magic power in that spell. The more magic power you pour into a spell, the more powerful it'll become. But, if that's the case, then you'll run out of magic power really fast! And, not only will you run out of magic power, you'll be tired and unable to cast magic until your magic power recovers."

"Hmm? But...I don't feel tired," admitted Hinatsu. "I actually feel a little bit better after casting my very first spell! I was starting to get another fever, but after casting that spell, well...I still feel dizzy and my head hurts, but it's a lot better now!"

 _'Just as I thought. I don't know how much magic power is contained in that poor, small body of hers, but I bet it's probably even larger than my amount, and I've been training for 10 years,'_ thought Ignis. _'It's a miracle she's even still alive and-No, stop that. This isn't the time to feel sorry for her right now. If I can help her even a little right now, at least until I managed to master some sealing magic, then I might be able to ease her pain even a little temporarily.'_

"Let's continue the lesson, alright?"

"Yeah!" agreed Hinatsu excitedly before her face fell and she looked away in shame. "Oh...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so excited about this."

"Hmm? Why? It's okay to be excited about learning magic!" assured Ignis.

Hinatsu shook her head. "No, it's not...Because, even though you told me that there's healing magic and all, I...well, magic can still be used to hurt others. I hurt those trees...I shouldn't be happy about learning something that can hurt trees and other people..."

Upon hearing the innocent, yet heartwarming response, Ignis found a somewhat new respect and love for Hinatsu as she swooped down and hugged a surprised Hinatsu to her chest. "Awww! You are so cute and sweet, Hina! It's so kind of you to be so considerate! And you should always remember to do that!"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" asked Hinatsu as Ignis placed her back on the ground.

Ignis kneeled down and ruffled her hair. "Listen, Hina. I'm a traveler. I travel to other wor-other places and I met many people. Some of those people are magic users like me, but some of them aren't good. You're right about one thing. Magic can be used to hurt, and people who use magic to hurt others are bad people."

"Bad people...they don't get presents from Santa, do they?"

"That's...one way of putting it, yes. But people who use magic to heal and protect others, they're good people. I'm teaching you magic because I feel that you'll use magic to help others."

"Helping others...that's always good, right?" asked Hinatsu.

"Yup! I'll teach you magic for a little bit longer, and then we'll play, alright? Oh, and last time, we didn't get to read that special fairy tale book of yours, right? Well this time, I promise to help you read it!"

"I'd...like that."

"Great! Oh, and there's one more thing," said Ignis. "I'd really like it if you kept this whole secret magic training and you being able to use magic a secret."

"I...Okay, but why?"

"Well, some people might not like it if you can cast magic. I don't want you to be...bullied or anything like that."

Hinatsu clutched her fairy tale book closer to her. "I...Some bullies already tease me at school because of my sickness...I don't wanna give them another reason to bully me...Okay, Miss Ignis. I promise."

Ignis initially frowned upon learning Hinatsu being bullied, but hid it behind a smile and a pinky promise with Hinatsu. It was one thing for kids her age to avoid her, but bullying her? That was a new low.

Still, the best she could do for Hinatsu right now was hang out and help her to the best of her abilities. She couldn't tell Hinatsu about the real origin of her sickness because, she was a kid. She probably couldn't understand what was happening to her, and Ignis didn't want to burden her with the history of the Argentums, who were said to be the most wicked and most cruelest of any Keyblade wielder's enemy. Hinatsu was a normal, silver-eyed girl who didn't have anything to do with the Argentums from the past.

A girl who was suffering under a rare and unusual illness.

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

Ignis could say, without a doubt, that Hinatsu definitely had potential to become a very powerful mage in her future should she choose to pursue that path. She seemed like a cute, smart kid, as well as a fast learner, as she managed to cast several basic spells after some time of practice and slight mess-ups. Whether it was due to her blood being an Argentum, or her natural talent at magic, it didn't matter, as Hinatsu proved to be a very talented mage. Perhaps it would be better if Aqua taught her? Aqua is, after all, not only a Keyblade Master, but also the most skilled at magic.

If Ignis wasn't there, then some of the environment in the current island they were in would have likely died thanks to Hinatsu. The problem with Hinatsu was that despite her good concentration, she tended to let loose too much magic power even in the basics of spells, unleashing destruction in her spells. She accidentally set fire to more trees, sent a tree literally flying with a small tornado, crushed a nearby crab with a rock pillar, nearly engulfed the two of them with a massive wave, and much more disasters that Ignis had to fix by the end of their lessons.

Ignis read from the history books that the Argentum clan members were absolute _monsters_ with magic, and she had witnessed it for herself. If Hinatsu was capable of this much power at her age right now, imagine how powerful she would become as she got older.

But at the same time, Hinatsu' large magic power seemed to have a massive backlash on the little girl. After all, she was still suffering under that rare illness of hers thanks to her magic power amount. If Hinatsu can't endure the pain of this backlash while growing up, then the illness will consume her and end her life.

That's why, Ignis has to master sealing magic as quickly and effectively as possible. Yes, she must take her time mastering some of the sealing magic spells, because one mishap, and something might go terribly wrong that could affect Hinatsu for the rest of her life. At the same time, however, she mustn't spend too much time, either.

At the end of their lessons, Ignis decided to make Hinatsu promise not to practice magic unless she was there to supervise her. At first, Ignis initially planned for Hinatsu to practice during her spare time and whenever she was alone, but after witnessing the destruction from the magic Hinatsu casted, it was probably better if Hinatsu didn't practice magic unless Ignis herself was around, for safety purposes and to not bring an early end to this world.

Once their lessons finished, Ignis spent time playing with Hinatsu. They didn't play games like hide-and-seek, hopscotch, and whatnot, but they spent time reading Hinatsu's fairy tale book, since they didn't get to last time. Any words that Hinatsu didn't understand, she would point it out and it would be Ignis' job to help her figure out what they were.

"Oh! That's what that word means! Im-pri-son! Imprison!"

"Yup! Wanna try reading the sentence?"

"Okay, Miss Ignis! Um...'Rapunzel was imprisoned on top of the tall tower!'"

"Yay! You did it!"

"Hina!" called out a voice from out of nowhere.

Both Ignis and Hinatsu looked up from the book and saw a small, silver-haired boy with green-blue eyes holding a wooden sword running up to them. He also seemed to be hiding something behind his back.

"Oh, hi, Riku!" said Hinatsu, waving her hand at him. "...Where's Tidus, Selphie, and-"

"Oh, they left for home a little while ago," said Riku. "Um...who is this?"

"I'm Ignis! You must be Riku! Hina's told me a bit about you!" welcomed Ignis.

Riku's face turned a bit pink. "R-Really? What did she tell you? Um...n-never mind! Hina, I have something for you! H-Here!"

Pulling out from behind his back, Riku wiped out a handful of purple flowers meant for Hinatsu. However, instead of being happy, Hinatsu curled up and hid behind Ignis.

"I-I don't wanna get crushed by you, s-so you don't have to give me flowers!"

"W-What?"

Ignis groaned to herself, remembering her previous conversation with Hinatsu about Riku. "Say, Riku? Can I borrow Hinatsu for a sec? It won't take long."

"O-Okay...?"

Taking Hinatsu by the hand, Ignis lightly dragged the small girl along and knelt down in front of her once they were far away. "Hina, Riku's not going to hurt you. He won't even think of crushing you."

"But...you said-"

"Trust me. Riku won't ever, ever hurt you. He's...well, he's nice, right?"

"Yes...?"

"Nice people don't ever hurt their friends. Trust me, he doesn't want to crush you. He likes you. So, like him back."

"Should...Should I accept the flowers?"

"Yup! It's a sign of good friendship! ...Kinda."

"Okay..." Hinatsu nodded and then rushed back to Riku. Ignis couldn't hear what they were talking about, but judging from Riku's now brightened expression and the way he handed Hinatsu the flowers, it seemed like things were alright between the two. Plus, it was kinda cute seeing a young boy bravely handing over some flowers to his crush.

With Riku joining in the fray, the three of them had a good time together. After reading the fairy tale book, they had fun roleplaying some of the stories, such as Red Riding Hood, The Gingerbread House, Rapunzel, and much more. While the day was still out, both children sat down and listened to Ignis' travels, though she made sure not to reveal too much due to world order. All she did was change a few things in telling her traveling stories and not mentioning anything about the Keyblade or Unversed.

Soon, the blue skies changed into a sky full of glittering stars as night fell over, indicating it was early evening. The three of them had a great time together, laughing and playing with each other until the night came.

Glancing over to the docks nearby, Ignis knew it was only a matter of time before Hinatsu's father came to pick both Hinatsu and Riku up to take them home

This entire setting...being with friends and looking up at the stars in the sky...reminded Hinatsu of the last night she had with Aqua, Terra, and Ventus right before the Mark of Mastery exam, and the night before she was kidnapped and her life changed completely.

Technically, it didn't really change. She could still go home now, except she doesn't have any directions as to where home is. Even if she did, she didn't feel like returning right now. She still wanted to learn more about the balance between light and darkness, and staying back in the Land of Departure wasn't going to help with that at all.

"...Miss Ignis?" spoke up Hinatsu, pulling her arm. "Can you...sing a song? I really liked it when you sang to me and Sora last time."

"Oh? Then, you want to hear that same song again?"

"I...I don't mind if you do a different song, though. I-I mean, it's your decision, and -"

"No, no. It's fine," assured Ignis, patting her on the head. "Riku, do you wanna hear me sing?"

"...Okay. Sure."

"Great!" Ignis cleared her throat and stood up, staring up at the night sky glimmering with stars as she sang.

 **Into Oblivion (Riku' s Theme)**

 **Sung by: Lizz Robinett**

 _"Whispers of who I was, who I'm meant to be,_

 _They're constantly echoing_

 _And beckoning..._

 _Cast my home aside, lead me into the sky_

 _Just realize what our destiny holds_

 _Our stories unfold_

 _Just waiting to rise_

 _Guided blindly by shadows within the dark,_

 _Is this what's become of me?_

 _An enemy?_

 _Cast my sight aside, lead me into the night_

 _Can't fight away what has taken control_

 _Of all that I know_

 _And stolen my light_

 _With this burden I bear, I'm alone._

 _There's so many mistakes to atone._

 _You deserve so much better than this broken soul._

 _I must fight this battle on my own._

 _But I'll prove to you how much I've grown._

 _Cast the past into the darkness that still lies_

 _To be with you, I will do what I must_

 _I'll hold tight your trust_

 _I'll be by your side._

 _Don't be afraid, what was lost can be found_

 _Hear what I say, don't let go of my hand_

 _Our futures unplanned_

 _Our destinies bound!"_

Ignis bowed as Hinatsu applauded for her, but she noticed Riku staying silent. "Riku? Are you alright...? Did you not like the song?"

Riku shook his head. "No, I liked the song. It's just...when I heard it, I felt...sad. It's a good song, but...I felt...sad."

Before Ignis could say anything, she saw a light from a distance and saw it was the light of a lantern coming from a boat that was approaching the island they were in. The man riding the boat must be Hinatsu's father, coming to pick up both his daughter and Riku.

After bidding the two kids farewell, Ignis rushed off to a hiding spot within the island so that she doesn't get spotted by Hinatsu's father and be questioned. After waiting for a while and determining that the two kids left the island, Ignis fled the world of Destiny Islands on her Keyblade Glider and soared away. She would eventually find herself in a new world.

A world on the brink of destruction.

* * *

 **Hello, guys! Short chapter, but expands more for Hinatsu than the last time Ignis went to Destiny Islands!**

 **So, I forgot to mention this in Chapter 16, but the song that Ignis sang was Sora's theme, foreshadowing his future and how his actions will save others, like Roxas and Aqua and people like that! Hence, the reason why part of that chapter is named, "Light." Sora is more reliant towards the light, which is another reason.**

 **For this chapter, it's named "Dark" because of Riku. Well, it's based on the nature of the song Ignis just sang, which is Riku's theme, and it foreshadows his own future. Riku relies on darkness, but only to help his friends, another reason for the name of this chapter.**

 **Now, this is it! Next chapter will be the start of the first crossover world Ignis will be going to! At the end of Chapter 21's notes, I put in three hints as to what the crossover world would be, and at the end of this chapter, I put in one last hint! Now, it's your job to figure out what the next world will be like!**

 **Also, in case this story suddenly gets deleted because of the crossover thing, I've made copies of the chapters just in case, so no need to worry about that! I did put up a poll in my profile, making you guys decide whether the crossover worlds should be in this fanfic or in a separate, crossover one. And so far, the decision to putting the crossover worlds in this fanfic is winning thus far, but you still have time to vote!**

 **After all, I won't be updating this story for a while, so you guys still have time to decide! Read and review!**


	25. Weyard (1)

**Yes! Here it is! The moment you've all been waiting for! The new arc Ignis will be in for a long time! Please also note that this arc is very long and will consist of the two games related to each other! Ignis is now in the crossover game world that I've given hints about, and the first person to actually guess the correct answer for this crossover world is...Gaogamon! Congratulations! Now, let's get to the story!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Heart series, only the OCs. Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning.**

* * *

"It...It...It's-! IT'S SO COLD!"

Ignis found herself shivering as she was found in some snowy plateau in the middle of nowhere. Discovering another world during her travels in deep space, Ignis decided to land there to check it out, and as she was flying through the lands, she was suddenly attacked by some bird monsters before crash landing in the wintery plateau.

Since she landed in this world, she might as well check it out, and if there's nothing of interest around, she'll leave right away. Rubbing her arms, Ignis walked forward, enduring the cold environment while in search of a town or any lifeform. Her current armored attire was made for battle, not for winter gear, so she never expected to be in a winter wonderland.

Any thoughts of finding warmth or trying to evade the coldness dissipated when she heard the sound of a tree falling down. Turning her head, she then heard a low growl and saw a large bear monster emerging from a nearby forest; its glare directed towards her before letting out a roar.

"Crap!" she yelled, brandishing her Keyblade as she prepared for battle. The bear monster slashed at her, but its movements were slow, allowing Ignis to easily dodge before countering with a few slashes before jumping back to gain distance between them. Much to her surprise, the bear monster went down quickly, falling facedown on the snow.

Before she could ponder on what just happened, she heard a young girl's scream. "Aah! Ew! My feet's stuck!"

 _'That voice is close by!'_ thought Ignis, running towards the source of the scream. The snow made it difficult for her to run, as the snowy grounds in the area proved to be both steep and deep to around ankle-level. While the snow did prove to be a hindrance to her rushing to the girl's aid, Ignis still arrived in time to see the astonishing scene before her.

A young teenaged girl around her age with long blue hair tied in a high ponytail and donned in white robes was frantically swinging her staff around, trying to knock away any of the strange dark blue slimes attacking her. The blue-haired girl couldn't move because there was some sticky goo attaching her legs to the snowy ground, thus the girl was forced to rely on her metallic staff. When one of the slimes sprung up to attack her from above, the blue-haired girl yelped and closed her eyes, awaiting for any pain from the attack.

"Barrier!"

Hearing a strange sound, the blue-haired girl opened her eyes and found she was in some strange dome. Tapping the dome, she found she was trapped in the dome, while the slimes outside tried tackling the dome, only to bounce off it.

"Blizzard!"

The slimes were instantly frozen in blocks of ice, freezing them in place as the shield surrounding the girl was brought down. Taking this chance, the blue-haired girl swung her staff at the frozen slimes, destroying them. Seeing the monsters before her were destroyed, the blue-haired girl collapsed to her knees, sighing.

"Excuse me!" called out Ignis, who was still scrambling through the snow to get to the blue-haired girl. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"H-Huh? No, I'm alright," said the blue-haired girl, getting up with help from her staff. "Was that you just now? Did you save me?"

'Yeah," said Ignis, nodding.

"But...you used Mercury powers...and yet, you don't seem to be a Mercury clan member," muttered the blue-haired girl, shaking her head, confused. "Who are you, anyways?"

"No idea what you were saying just now, but I can tell you who I am. I'm Ignis, a simple traveler aiding those in need!" introduced Ignis.

Although she was puzzled by Ignis' powers, the blue-haired girl dismissed those thoughts for the moment and bowed her head. "My name is Mia. Thank you for saving me just now."

"No problem!"

"Ah...but it looks like I'm stuck," said Mia, glancing down at the sticky goo at her legs. "I have a certain...power that'll help me get out of this mess, but I have used it too much today. I require some rest before I can use that power."

"In that case, allow me," offered Ignis, kneeling down and placing her hands close to the goo. Mia watched in amazement as Ignis started casting water magic to wash away the goo, thus freeing Mia.

"Oh, my! I never knew there were outsiders who knew of the Mercury Clan's power!" gasped Mia. "It shouldn't be possible...but perhaps there may have been a few ancestors who have left the clan long ago...That would explain the lack of blue hair..."

"You keep mentioning something about a Mercury Clan?" wondered Ignis. "I don't know what that is, but...I'm not from the Mercury Clan. I've never even heard of the Mercury Clan before."

"Oh, pardon me. I've spoken too much. This Mercury Clan business, it doesn't involve you, so you don't need to worry," said Mia. "I was just amazed at your abilities just now. It was very similar to mine."

"Abilities? Does that mean you can use magic, too?"

"Magic? I suppose to outsiders, my power does seem like magic, but I have been taught that it is not magic."

"Right...well, what are you doing out here, anyways? Are you a traveler, too?" asked Ignis.

Mia shook her head. "No, I come from a place not too far from here called Imil. I was out gathering herbs when I was attacked by those monsters you saw."

"You shouldn't be out here if there are monsters like those slimes around."

"Oh, I can handle a few weak monsters, though I'm not fully experienced in the art of combat. My skill is more versed towards healing."

Ignis brightened up. "Hey, me too! I'm good at healing and defensive magic!"

"Oh? But you seem to be quite skilled in other offensive abilities, too."

"Well, that, too, I guess. But, you're gathering herbs all alone? Why not have someone accompany you in your hometown?"

"Well, many of my townsfolk are sick, and not many are fighters," said Mia. "It is quite tiring to continuously use my healing abilities, and I have used too much, today. I thought it best to gather some medicinal herbs to help ease the cold that's been going around, but...well, you saw my situation earlier."

"You still need to gather herbs, right?"

"Yes."

"Hmm...How about I help you? I'm pretty unfamiliar with this area, and I'm a good fighter. I can protect you while you try and gather herbs for your people," offered Ignis.

"Oh, no! I couldn't possibly trouble you!" said Mia.

"It's no trouble at all. Like I said, I'm a bit lost. Besides, you're going back home after you gather your herbs, right? Maybe as payment for helping you, you can take me to your home?"

"Well...if you insist, then I'd be grateful for your assistance. I'll try to gather as many herbs as I quickly can."

"Okay, then I'll do my best protecting you!"

Keeping her vow to her new friend, Mia, Ignis fought off any monsters they encountered, defeating them with ease due to her fighting experience with the Unversed, and the fact that the monsters were surprisingly weaker than the Unversed. Mia was surprised to witness how skilled Ignis was at combat and had questioned the Keyblade, only for Ignis to answer her that it was just one of the many abilities she possessed; an acceptable answer that wasn't quite a lie nor a truth. After a while, Mia had collected the herbs she needed and escorted Ignis back to Imil, with Ignis still acting as her bodyguard along the way.

To Ignis, Imil seemed like a very large village, and she was certain that if there were people like Mia living in Imil, then surely the villagers must be as kind-hearted as her. But what caught Ignis' attention at first wasn't the village that they were approaching. No, it was the large cyan blue structured tower.

"What is that?" wondered Ignis, pointing to the cyan blue tower.

"Hmm?" Mia's gaze fell upon the tower. "Oh, the Mercury Lighthouse? Yes, it is quite the sight to see, isn't it? Unfortunately, if you plan on visiting it, I'll have to stop you right there."

"Hmm? What's wrong? Are visitors not allowed?"

"Yes. The Mercury Lighthouse is exclusive only to Mercury Clan members such as myself. Besides, even if you tried to sneak in, a magical force will prevent any intruders from venturing further inside," explained Mia.

"Awww! I was so curious!" whined Ignis. "Then, what's the whole point of this lighthouse? I've never seen a lighthouse before, but I heard that it's used to light up at nighttime to help ships explore the seas!"

"Well, this isn't quite the type of lighthouse you've heard of, although I have heard visitors exploring the lighthouse long ago. Though, they only came for the holy, healing water known as Hermes' Water, which is said to not only heal wounds, but also stave off sicknesses and ensure physical health."

"Wait a second, the lighthouse produces amazing, healing water?" wondered Ignis. "If that's the case, then why spent all your time searching for herbs?"

"Unfortunately, the lighthouse no longer produces Hermes' Water."

"Oh...Well, I guess that answers my question.

Mia nodded. "Come along. We're nearly there. Just a few more minutes, and we should arrive at the entrance of Imil."

Upon arriving at Imil, Ignis gazed at the scenery before her. Houses made of wood were covered in snow, a frozen river leading to a waterfall that also appeared frozen for the winter, a large fence surrounding the village to keep any intruders or monsters in or out, and not many civilians outside the cold environment.

"Please pardon me, Ignis," said Mia, bowing her head. "Because of my duties as this town's healer, I cannot give you a tour. I have so many tasks to do, I-"

"If you don't mind, I can help," offered Ignis.

"Oh, ple-"

"No, it's fine. It's really, really, fine! I told you before, I'm a healer too! Er...I don't really have healing spells that can cure sicknesses, so the most I can do is just heal wounds and stuff."

"But-"

"Listen, Mia, I know we just met today, and that you think that asking a total stranger like me for help might be rude, but I already said that I'm available and I really want to do this," assured Ignis. "So, don't worry about it."

"Even so...I can only pay you a little-"

"Oh, I'm not doing this for money. I just want to help, that's all."

Mia bit her lips and turned away for a moment, thinking about the situation. It was true; she was always busy, and despite having to rely on both of her healer apprentices, Justin and Megan, she knew it still wasn't enough. Both Justin and Megan were good, but they were still young, and their healing skills weren't as good as hers yet, so she still needed all the help she could get.

"...Okay," Mia finally agreed. "To be perfectly honest, all of my duties as a healer has been tiring me out, and I could use all the extra hands I can get. You said you can only heal injuries, correct? Well, there's a small group of craftsmen that live here in Imil that could require your assistance. They should be in the bar area of the inn by now."

"Cool! Thanks! I'll do my best!"

"Oh, and Ignis?"

"Yup, yup, yup? What's wrong?"

"...Once this is all over, and we still have some time, perhaps I can give you a tour of the town?"

"Okay! I'd like that!"

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

Ignis had to admit, she had been pretty naïve in thinking that this was all going to be easy. It _wasn't._

She assumed that being a healer was easy. Just focus your healing magic, and zoom! The wound's closed up, and the person you're healing is instantly better. At least, that's how it's always been for Ignis back in the Land of Departure.

But here? In a completely different world? It was different. Yes, back in the world of Nottingham, she had patients needed to be healed, but they weren't severely injuries, and their injuries were light, so it was easier. In here, though, it felt ten times more difficult.

Rushing all over places around Imil to tend to patients proved to be a bit of a challenge, but treatments towards each patient had to be done so carefully, and, as she discovered, Ignis cannot heal sick patients. She already received a scolding from Mia after trying to hastily heal one of the more serious injured people, but she was given a demonstration of Mia's own healing abilities. Compared to her current skill in the healing arts, and Mia's, Ignis was a bit ashamed to admit that Mia was probably more skilled at healing than she was.

Ignis may have the stronger healing powers, but Mia's own healing process was more careful, caring, and slightly slower than hers. Whereas Ignis' own healing was more hasty, yet still stronger in terms of magical strength. The only other healer she's known throughout her life was Aqua, but her healing magic wasn't as strong as Ignis. Even so, she should take the time to use this experience to better herself.

When Ignis finished with healing injuries, she focused on assisting Mia in healing the sick people from the cold that's been spreading throughout the village. The herbs were grinded and mixed to create medicine that Ignis helped Mia create before passing it over to several sick people. Ignis also got the chance to meet Justin and Megan, two young children who were Mia's apprentices in becoming healers themselves.

When all was finished, it was close to nightfall, yet sundown still lit the sky. Justin and Megan were out somewhere, and it was just Mia and Ignis alone, standing near the fence surrounding the frozen river as they gazed at the sundown.

"I know it's bad to be outside when there's a cold going on, but at times like these, I just can't help but appreciate the scenery," admitted Mia. "I'm sorry, is that weird for me to say?"

"Huh? How is that weird? I think it's pretty normal," said Ignis. "Back before I left for...'traveling,' I always stayed up late and watched the stars at night with my friends. Of course, sometimes when that happens, we tend to either fall asleep outside or we wake up late and get a lecture scolding from our master."

Mia giggled. "I suppose you must have had some hard times the next morning, then."

"Yeah. Master Eraqus is kind, but he's always so stern and strict. I mean, he's not a bad teacher, but it is kinda scary when he's so strict a lot."

"I understand the feeling. My father taught me everything I learned, from using my water powers to healing. Sadly, he isn't here anymore, but I try and honor his memory by using my powers to help others."

"That's honorable," said Ignis. "Say, Mia? I know you scolded me earlier from healing that man but-"

"If I hurt your feelings, I apologize."

"No, no, not that. I can't say being lectured is fun, but you did help me see something. You're more skilled at healing than I am, and that's coming from someone who's been training in both combat and healing for 10 years."

"10 years? Then, I suppose we both have the same training years," spoke Mia. "I don't mean to brag, but I've mostly been healing than fighting for my training. I find it more comforting that way."

"I like spellcasting! I just like throwing spells all over the place!" said Ignis excitedly. "Bam! Boom! Whoosh! Of course, I don't mind using my spells to heal, either, but I just like destroying things!"

"Er...I don't mean to be rude, but do you...destroy people?"

"What? Oh, no, no, no! I'm not a sadist! If it's training, it's fine! I don't like hurting people, either. One time, when I was a kid, I got so excited, I blew up a mountain!"

"A mountain?!"

"It was more like a small hill, but to me, it was a mountain. Eh...I remembered the punishment I received after that. Never blowing up a mountain again."

"I see you use your powers for destructive forces," said Mia. "Alex is the same, though he's quite careful and seems more capable of combat than me."

"Alex?" wondered Ignis.

"Oh, he's my cousin. We trained together with my father long ago, but he has mysterious vanished one day."

"Huh," Ignis said, leaning against the fence. "Well, I'm sure-Aaah!" The fence suddenly broke apart, causing Ignis to nearly fall back while grasping at the air, trying to grab at something. She stumbled and managed to regain her balance, but not for long, as she ended up slipping on the ice. But, it didn't stop there. The ice was so slippery, it was making Ignis slide at top speed up the river.

"Ignis!" cried out Mia, horrified. She didn't go into the icy, frozen river, so she had to take a slight detour down the other side of Imil to reach the waterfall, which was exactly where Ignis was sliding towards.

Because of everything that was happening so fast, Ignis couldn't think straight and ended up sliding towards an open cavern in the frozen waterfall, only stopping when she finally reached solid ground. But by then, she had closed her eyes and braced herself for impact, only to feel not the icy cold floor, but a...slightly less colder, solid floor.

"...Huh?" Ignis opened her eyes and relaxed, taking a more sitting posture as she looked around her surroundings. How did she end up here? And more importantly...

Why was there some, shivering, slightly frozen orangish-reddish creature here?!

"S-S-S-So c-c-c-cold..." sputtered the strange creature.

"Gaaah! I'll save you! Fire! Fire! Fire!" cried out Ignis, casting fire magic to melt the ice and heat up the strange creature. Once the ice melted all over the creature's body, he instantly felt better and began bouncing up and down.

"Wow! I feel all warm now! Thanks!"

"...This little guy can talk...I really am in a different world," said Ignis, stunned.

"Huh?"

"N-Never mind. So, who are you, and what are you doing here, little guy?"

"Oh, right! Well, I'm Fever, and I'm a Mars Djinn!"

"A...Mars Djinn? Djinn? What is that?" wondered Ignis.

"Basically, I harness the power of fire, as all Mars Djinn does. Djinns like me are essentially elemental entities!"

"Wait...if you have the power of fire, then why didn't you use it to break yourself out of the ice?"

"Well, I've been traveling around, hiding from bad people, and I ended up using all of my power to create this cavern underneath the waterfall."

 _'That kinda explains the huge hole in the waterfall,'_ Ignis thought before allowing Fever to continue talking.

"I wanted a rest a bit, so I slept to recover my power, and then, the next thing I knew, I was completely frozen stiff! I couldn't use my powers yet, as they were still recovering!"

Ignis sweatdropped. "Yeah...probably not a good idea to hide inside a really cold place in the middle of some winter wonderland."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Ignis!" called out Mia, sliding into the cavern. "Thank goodness I managed to get in here! I was wor-Is that a Djinn right next to you?"

Surprised at Mia's knowledge of the Djinn, Ignis nodded. "Yeah, but how do you-"

"I also happen to have some Djinn with me," Mia explained, holding out her palm. A blue orb emanated from her palm and transformed into a strange, blue creature similar to Fever. "This is Fizz, a Mercury Djinn that's been staying with me for the past few days."

"Ooh! A Mars Djinn! It's great to see one for the first time!" squealed the female Mercury Djinn excitedly.

"Huh. I imagined the Mercury Djinn to be more...awesome looking, to be honest," admitted Fever.

"Excuse me?! I think my appearance is quite elegant! Besides, we Mercury Djinn look different! Mostly similar, but we do have differences!"

While Fever and Fizz were arguing with each other, Mia tended to Ignis, checking her over as part of her role as a healer. "Are you okay? Did you have a concussion? Anywhere that hurts?"

"Well, my butt hurt a bit when I slipped and fell, but other than that, I'm fine," assured Ignis. "Seriously, though, can we go inside some warm place or something? It is FREEZING."

Mia nodded. "Of course. Come along. You'll stay in my room for tonight."

"What? Oh, no, I don't wanna trouble-"

"Ignis. You were the one who persuaded me to allow you to help with me with the villagers, and I agreed, because I trusted you, and I was right. You were an extremely big help, and, to repay you, I want you to sleep over at my home. It's not the most grandest house, but it is warm, and my grandparents would be more than happy to have you as a guest."

"But-"

"Besides, I want to do this. You wanted to help me, despite my insistence that you didn't have to, so this'll make us even."

"Well...Okay. Just for tonight, though. I might have to leave tomorrow, but if there are any more people sick or injured, I'll help out with that before I leave."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Great, let's-Oh, crap! Those two are throwing fire and water magic at each other!"

"Oh, no! Mr. Mars Djinn, sir! Please stop! Fizz, don't you dare throw that water at him!"

* * *

 _The next day..._

"Okay, then. I should finish healing the rest of these patients on my own. You can go ahead and take a break, Ignis," said Mia, washing her hands clean from any medicine she just applied to a patient.

"Well, today's a bit easier," commented Ignis as Fever was accompanying her.

"Today was just one of the easy days. There's still a cold going on, so people are bound to get sick again. Don't let your guard down just because we've cured one person."

"Sorry. I guess that was a bit naïve for me to say."

"No, no. It's alright. Could you do me a favor and go check on my grandparents?

Ignis nodded and left for Mia's house. For some reason, while Mia's own Mercury Djinn, Fizz, was somehow able to convert back into an orb of light and hid itself within Mia's body, Fever was unable to do the same with Ignis, though the result was the same for Mia when Fever temporarily flew into her body the same way as Fizz. Thus, it was decided that Fever would stay with Mia, just as Fizz was.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that her and Mia's powers, although similar, were very different. One difference was that while Mia seemed to hold water elemental and healing powers, Ignis could do the same, but she could also cast other types of magic, such as fire. Perhaps there's more to this world than just Mia's healing powers or Djinn that Ignis herself has yet to discover.

Ignis proceeded to knock on the front door, only to find it slightly open. Curious, she opened the rest and saw Mia's grandfather kneeling on the floor, heaving heavily while Mia's grandmother was tending to her.

"Miss?! Mister?!" exclaimed Ignis, rushing towards them. "Is Mister alright?! Oh, man! What's happening to him?!"

"This is terrible! He's come down with a very nasty cold!" cried out Mia's grandmother before turning to Ignis. "Get Mia! Please, get Mia!"

"A-Alright! On it!"

Ignis rushed out of the house, running back to the last place where she saw Mia. By the time she got there, Mia had just finished healing the last of the sick patients in the area she was in. Having explained the situation quickly, Mia followed Ignis back to her home hastily to tend to her grandfather's aid. When they arrived, they saw Mia's grandmother standing near her husband, who was in bed and coughing violently. The most surprising thing, though, was the three unknown intruders that were also standing by the bed.

The three intruders were three young boys, around Ignis and Mia's ages. One had blond hair, a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck, and appeared to be a young swordsman. The second intruder was the tallest of the trio, has spiky red hair, and appeared muscular. The third and final member was a young, frail-looking boy with purple eyes wearing green and purple robes, carrying a staff in his hands.

While Ignis was just as curious as to who and why the intruders were here, she knew there was more important matters to attend to, such as the recovery of Mia's grandfather. She, along with Mia and her grandmother, were standing near the bed where Mia's grandfather laid onto.

"How are you feeling?" asked Mia kindly. Her grandfather's response was only more violent coughs as the cold seemed to be having a worst effect on him due to his immune system being weak on the elderly.

"That's not good...It sounds horrible!" commented Ignis.

Mia's grandmother shook her head. "He's been coughing for quite a while, now."

Mia nodded and looked down at her grandfather. "You'll feel better soon." Having promised that, Mia concentrated and casted her healing spell, Ply, onto her grandfather. The spell, Ply, appeared in the form of a fairy sprinkling down sparkling dust onto the grandfather.

The effects of the healing spell seemed to be proving effective, as Mia's grandfather's coughs seemed to lessen, and the color on his pale face was slowly starting to return to normal.

"How do you feel now?" asked Mia.

"Much better..." sighed Mia's grandfather.

"Well, that's great!" Ignis chirped, relieved.

Just as Mia's grandfather sat up and was about to jump out of bed, Mia stopped him. "No, Grandpa. You mustn't push yourself too hard!"

"Yeah, just go lie down, Mister!"

With a small groan, Mia's grandfather obeyed the two girls and laid back to bed, falling asleep. "Thank you, Mia," thanked Mia's grandmother. "I can't imagine how this village would ever manage without you. Oh, and thank you too, Ignis, for helping Mia-*cough*!"

Noticing the slight cough coming from her grandmother, Mia turned to her. "Don't mention it. You should rest in bed too, ma'am."

"Need anymore warm blankets? Some water?" offered Ignis.

"No, no, dearie...I'll be fine," assured Mia's grandmother before sliding into bed with her sleeping husband before drifting off to sleep as well.

Confirming that the two were well and asleep, both Mia and Ignis walked towards the three teenaged strangers now that their previous situation has come to pass. "Who are you? Can I help you?" Mia asked.

Before any of the strangers could explain themselves, an eerie, grayish blue-colored light illuminated the entire village for an instant before fading away. The entire group fell silent, unsure of what had just occurred.

"...What was that?" Ignis spoke up before turning to Mia, only to be surprised by the horrified expression on the young, blue-haired girl's face. "Mia?"

"Oh no...Oh no, oh no, oh no...!" Mia rushed towards the nearest window; her horrific expression turning more horrific with realization of what was confirmed to be true. "The lighthouse...It can't be! Only I can...Alex! Oh no!"

Before anyone could ask her what was wrong, Mia dashed out of the house towards the direction of the Mercury Lighthouse. Whatever terrified her had to mean that it was somewhere in the Mercury Lighthouse.

"M-Mia?! W-Wait up!" shouted Ignis, following after her. She had no idea what was going on, but she had a feeling that Mia was going to run into trouble of wherever she was heading. Besides, there were monsters roaming around, and even though her bodyguard duty was over, she still felt obligated to protect Mia.

Luckily, the Mercury Lighthouse was a short distance away, and it would only take several minutes to reach there by foot. Ignis did encounter a monster or two along the way, but they didn't hinder her path much as she made her way towards the lighthouse in search of Mia and to possibly help her with whatever trouble she had.

As she grew closer, Ignis noticed a large body of water around the base of the lighthouse, surrounding the sides of a tiled bridge that led to the base of the lighthouse. She's only ever seen pictures of lighthouses in books, but this peculiar lighthouse seems...strangely structured. After all, lighthouses aren't meant to look this complex, and it appears that the Mercury Lighthouse is a lot more spacious inside, possibly having more areas to explore.

"Someone...is here."

Perking up her head at Mia's familiar, soft tone, Ignis saw Mia not too far from her looking up at the side of the lighthouse. Confused, Ignis made her way towards Mia, clearing her throat loudly to get Mia's attention.

"Mia? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, Ignis...you followed me here. You didn't have to."

"I was worried. You suddenly ran off after seeing that weird light," explained Ignis. "What happened back there?"

"I...that light from before...I recognize it as the seal on the Mercury Lighthouse being removed. That light from earlier is evidence of the seal being removed. I know now that someone is here. Can you hear it, too?"

"Hear what? All I hear is the sound of water."

Mia sighed. "I suppose it isn't surprising. Alex is the only one other than I who can enter the Mercury Lighthouse. That means that he must have entered here, but why would he...Oh, no."

Mia hastily walked towards what appeared to be the entrance of the lighthouse, which was currently being blocked by a statue with a gap between the entrance and the tiled floor they were in. "Ugh! This statue is blocking my way! This wasn't here before!"

"Seriously?" questioned Ignis, glancing at the statue. "Hmm...maybe I can-"

"Um...excuse me?"

Both girls turned and saw the three strangers from before, surprised that they haven't noticed them until now. "You three! You're the three strangers from before! My apologies, but you're not supposed to be here."

The tall redhead pointed out to Ignis, "Then, why is she here?"

"I...came here to check up on Mia. Once I was done, I planned to leave."

The short, staff-wielding member stepped forward. "Our apologies. We didn't mean to intrude, or eavesdrop on your conversation, but we want to help out! My name is Ivan. The red one's Garet, and our leader, the one with the yellow scarf, is Issac. It's nice to meet you."

Mia bowed her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you three, too. I'm Mia, and this is Ignis. As much as I welcome your proposal, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline. The responsibility of looking over the Mercury Lighthouse is mine alone, along with Alex, though I can't fathom why he would unlock the seal..."

As Mia turned back to the statue, muttering to herself and trying to figure out how to move it, Ivan huddled with Garet and Issac, whispering amongst themselves their next move.

"So, what should we do?" whispered Ivan. "It seems Mia came here to make sure the lighthouse doesn't get lit, like we are."

Garet said, "Well, she won't be going anywhere with that statue blocking the way."

Ivan told them, "It's simple to move the statue. After all, you and Issac both have the power to do that. Plus, I feel like we need Mia's cooperation."

"Why?"

"Because, like she said, one of her responsibilities is watching over the lighthouse. That must mean that she knows the ins and outs of exploring the lighthouse. And even if she doesn't know all, we might actually need her healing powers. The only healing we've got are just the items in our bags. We could use a temporary healer in our team."

Issac nodded. "Ivan makes a good point, Garet. We might need Mia's help."

"Alright, fine. But what about the other girl? The one with red hair?"

"Ignis?" wondered Ivan. "I don't think she has any malicious intentions. She's probably not with Saturos and Menardi."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, for one, she came here to check up on Mia. And two, if she was with them, she would have already been inside the lighthouse with them."

"That's true," said Issac. "Still, I don't want her to get hurt. She doesn't seem like she has any weapons on her. But she does have armor, so I guess that counts as a form of protection."

"It's possible that she has a dagger somewhere on her person," perked up Ivan. "I have a hidden dagger with me at times in cases of emergencies!"

"Wait, really?" wondered Garet.

"Well, whatever case is, we still need to get inside the lighthouse, with or without the girls' help," said Issac, walking forward towards the statue. Thrusting his palm forward, Issac concentrated, allowing a strange energy to flow out of his body and materialize in the form of a giant hand that caught Ignis and Mia's attention.

"What...is that?" asked Ignis, shocked.

Jerking his arm forward, Issac caused the giant, ghostly hand to move forward, pushing the statue out of the entrance, revealing a glowing, blue barrier with the viscosity of water being the next obstacle in their path.

"Did...did you do that?" Mia asked Issac, who nodded in response. "I knew it! I saw a ghostly force pushing it!"

"You saw it, too? Oh, good! I thought it was just me!" admitted Ignis.

"You...you guys can see our Psynergy?" asked Garet, surprised.

"Psynergy?"

"Psynergy...is that what you call that power?" asked Mia.

"We had thought that you were using Psynergy when you healed that old man, Mia," Ivan said.

"That's a special power, handed down to members of the Mercury Clan from generation to generation," explained Mia. "It is called Ply, a power generated through meditation. It was once much stronger."

"This Mercury Clan sounds a little like the people of Vale, don't you think?" Garet asked Issac.

"Yeah...in a way. But, none of us possess any healing abilities."

"Sure, but they're the sworn protectors of a special power, just like us!"

As much as Mia was curious about the people of Vale and wanted to ask the strangers more, she knew her duties as guardian of the Mercury Lighthouse was much more important. "I have to go. I have to find whoever entered the lighthouse." Hopping over the gap and standing in front of the barriered entrance, Mia rested her palm onto the watery barrier, focusing her own "Psynergy" onto it. A moment later, the watery barrier vanished in a flash of light, allowing entryway into the lighthouse.

Ignis stepped forward. "Mia-"

"Ignis, I know what you want to say, and I'm sorry. I can't allow even you inside. Please, just take these strangers back to Imil. I'll be back shortly once I deal with the other intruders," Mia ordered before entering the lighthouse.

"...You're not seriously planning on obeying her, are you?" Garet asked Ignis.

Ignis sighed. "I dunno. I'm just as curious as you guys to explore this place, but I don't wanna make Mia mad. But at the same time, as her friend, I can't let you guys in."

"Please, we need to!" pleaded Ivan. "We-We can't explain right now, because we're in a hurry, but we're trying to prevent a disaster from happening! We need to get in the lighthouse!"

"Disaster?"

Issac nodded. "I know we're strangers, and naturally, one can't trust strangers so easily, but-"

Suddenly, a scream interrupted Issac midsentence and alerted the four of them, wondering what was happening. The first to act, Ignis jumped over the gap and hurried inside, not caring that Issac and his friends were following after her.

The entry hallway was a simple blue tiled walkway bordered by two streams of water on both sides. Beautiful female figurine statues stood on the bordered streams of water, holding jugs of water, further depicting the Mercury Lighthouse's beauty.

And standing in the middle of the hallway was a giant Lizard Man, who was raising its axe, ready to slash it downwards onto Mia, who was lying on her back with a terrified expression, holding up her staff in an effort to protect herself.

"No!" yelled Issac and Garet, rushing forward to save Mia.

"Barrier/Whirlwind!" both Ignis and Ivan yelled in unison. A barrier shielded Mia, deflecting the axe attack, while the small tornado Ivan casted sent the Lizard Man flying, making it slid back a far distance. By that time, both Issac and Garet managed to arrive at Mia's side, holding up their weapons to defend her as the barrier surrounding Mia disappeared.

The Lizard Man quickly recovered and let out a threatening, loud roar from the top of its lungs, revealing how enraged it was at having the five humans interrupt his kill.

"T-Thank you..." Mia told her saviors, getting her and clinging onto her staff tightly.

"No problem. Just hang tight! We'll stop this thing!" promised Issac. Looking over to Garet, both boys nodded before charging forward with battle cries coming out from their mouths.

 _'I better help them out!'_ thought Ignis. "Haste!"

Issac's body glowed for a moment, and he suddenly felt his body becoming lighter than usual, prompting him to move faster. Because he was faster than Garet at the moment, he decided to make the first move and attack before the Lizard Man had a chance to.

"Flint!" yelled Issac; his blade illuminating a golden yellow color before slashing at the Lizard Man's chest, leaving a large gash in the monster's scaled chest. Roaring, the Lizard Man decided that its first victim should be the one who inflicted the wound onto him. Turning to the side, the Lizard Man swung its axe at Issac, only for it to be intercepted by Garet's own axe.

"Gh-! So...heavy...! Forge!" Flames burst around the steel part of Garet's axe, increasing his physical power and lessening the burden on Garet's part.

Deciding to help out, Ivan called out, "Impact!" Whatever spell he casted boosted Garet's strength even further, making him throw back the Lizard Man's weapon, effectively overpowering him in terms of physical strength.

"Frost!" shouted Mia, freezing the Lizard Man's feet and tail. Even though she knew the monster could easily break out with his own strength, a few seconds of delay was all that she and her team needed to finish off the Lizard Man.

Hoping to chop off the Lizard Man's axe arm, Issac leapt forward and slashed at the arm, only to inflict a bit of a gash and fall on his behind. It seems he wasn't strong enough on his own, and it was only due to the assistance of the Flint move from earlier that he was able to deliver a deep wound to the monster.

The distraction and assistance from his teammates was all Garet needed, however, to finish off the monster. Infused with both a Mars Djinn's power and Ivan's spell, Garet jumped up and slashed downwards from the Lizard Man's shoulder down to its waist, defeating it.

"...Oh, yeah. He's definitely dead," Ignis commented, as nobody could survive being slashed in half like that.

"Booyah! Oh, yeah! I totally beat that guy!" cheered Garet, throwing a fist bump in the air.

"Only because we supported you," reminded Issac. "Plus, I was the one who got the first hit, remember?"

"Yeah, but I dealt the finishing blow."

"Look, it was all a team effort! Everyone did their part, and we all did a good job," said Ivan, walking up to the boys and patting them both on the shoulders.

Mia nodded. "Yes, thank you all for assisting me! I wish I could stay and chat, but I really must be going!" Without wasting another second, Mia hurried out of the hallway and towards the next room.

Garet cleared his throat, bringing Ignis' attention towards him. "So, still think we should obey her? After what we've seen just now?"

"...Alright, you've convinced me," sighed Ignis, crossing her arms. "I'm worried for Mia now, and honestly? I wanna check out the lighthouse, too. Er...what did you say your names were, again?"

"Issac."

"Garet!"

"I'm Ivan! I'm sorry, we forgot your name, as well. Might you tell us?"

"Sure! I'm Ignis! Nice to meet you all! We should probably hurry and meet up with Mia before she gets herself into trouble again."

"Agreed," said Issac before he and the others hurried to catch up to Mia.

Though it took a while for the team to track down Mia, they eventually found her after going through a series of large rooms; many water-themed as evident of various water sources and female figurine statues everywhere. The team were rather surprised by how large and deep the Mercury Lighthouse truly was, and it was entirely possible that due to the statues being female, there must have been some sort of water goddess that the Mercury Clan worshipped long ago.

They found Mia unable to proceed further due to another statue hindering her path from jumping from one gap to the other side of the room. "The path is blocked again," they heard her sigh. "What am I going to do?"

Issac's response to her plea was to simply use the Move Psynergy to "move" the statue into the gap, providing a solid pathway.

Mia's eyes glim with gratitude and happiness. "You all saved me again, haven't you? Thank you so much!"

"Mia! Would you stop running off like that? We were so worried about you!" scolded Ignis. "What if you ran into another monster while we were lost? You could have been hurt! Or worst!"

Mia's happy expression downgraded to one of shame. "I...You're right. I'm sorry I rushed off like that. I was so desperate to finding out the intruders who entered this lighthouse-"

"Yeah, that's really not an excuse. Iggy's right-"

"Don't call me that, Garet. I hate the nickname, Iggy."

"Right, sorry. Ignis is right, though. You could have been killed!"

"Once again, my apologies," apologized Mia, bowing her head. "I didn't mean to worry all of you, and I will be more careful."

"If that's the case, then let us come with you," offered Issac. "You'll be safer with more people, and considering that you faced a monster earlier, there's bound to be more lurking around."

"...I suppose you're right. Do you have business in the lighthouse as well?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. I am sure that there will be more places ahead that I cannot pass alone. And normally, only those of the Mercury Clan are permitted to enter this place. However, I sense something special in each of you, like I can trust you all! Please, assist me in finding the intruders!'

"We were planning to do that, anyways," admitted Garet.

"Let's get going. The more time we spend talking, the less we'll have dealing with the problem," informed Issac, receiving nods from his companions before they pressed further into the Mercury Lighthouse.

* * *

 _Much, much later..._

"Ugh! It's all cold and wet here!" complained Garet, hugging himself and using his fire Psynergy to warm and dry himself up.

"Well, that's to be expected, given that Mercury is the element of water, and this IS the Mercury Lighthouse," commented Ivan.

"Dude, I'm cold and wet, too, but you don't see me complaining," Ignis stated, though she herself was drenched and shivering.

"And Garet, stop constantly using your fire Psynergy," scolded Issac. "You'll need that for battle."

"I can't help it!"

"Um...Why would Garet need to use his fire Psynergy?" wondered Mia, raising her hand. "I don't think he needs it for battle, considering that water beats fire, and it seems that the monsters here are all water-based.

"Yeah. Water elements totally beats fire elements," agreed Ignis.

"That may be true, but it doesn't necessarily mean that water will always beat fire," explained Ivan. "You see, both water and fire elements works as both double-edged blades to one another. Water can easily extinguish fire, but fire can also do the same to water, provided that the fire is much more bigger than water."

"Er...an example?" asked Garet, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well, let's say there was a small flame here, and tons of water. You get rid of that flame with the water. Easy, right? But let's say there's a huge fire and all you've got is a bucket of water. That's not enough to fan out the flames. It might reduce the flames, but that won't be enough. The water will evaporate quickly and turn into a bit of steam."

"Oh! Kinda like a puddle in the middle of a sunny day!" said Ignis. "If you leave it like that, eventually, the puddle will be absorbed into the ground and dry up, disappearing!"

Ivan nodded. "Exactly! You never know when fire might be useful in a water elemental fight."

"I'm not sure whether I should feel insulted or proud of that," Garet said, frowning.

"If I were you, I'd feel proud! After all, I love casting fire magic! It's my favorite kind of magic!" Ignis giggled.

"Speaking of which, I've noticed something during our previous battles, Ignis," spoke up Issac. "You were using Psynergy, which makes you an Adept, no doubt. But...you were different elemental attacks, not just fire. You used ice, a bit of earth, and even wind."

"Oh, I'm so glad you brought that up! I've been pondering that myself!" admitted Ivan to his relief. "I was wondering why that was the case!"

"What? Can't you guys cast other elemental spells, too?" wondered Ignis.

"We can't. We are Adepts, users of Psynergy. And each Adept can only wield one type of element. And there are four elements in total. Earth, water, fire, and wind. I'm a wind Adept, whereas Garet is fire, and Issac is an earth one."

"And because I'm a Mercury Adept, I'm a water elemental caster," said Mia.

"Why call yourself a 'Mercury' Adept?" asked Ignis. "I'm sorry, this is just really confusing."

Ivan nodded. "It's alright. I believe we have time for a little history lesson. Like I said, there are four elements. Adepts who control the power of earth are called Venus Adepts. Adepts with the power of wind, like me, are Jupiter Adepts. Fire wielders like Garet are called Mars Adepts. And people with the power of water, like Mia, are Mercury Adepts."

"Venus...Jupiter...Mars...Mercury...That's gonna take a while for me to comprehend," said Ignis. "I like fire, but-Hang on. You mentioned Psynergy, but all I see is just magic. Back in my homeland, me and my friends are taught magic and swordsmanship. Nothing about Psynergy."

"That's...actually not surprising," said Ivan. "I mean, Mia didn't even know her own 'magic' was called Psynergy until we told her."

Mia nodded. "Until my father told me that it was just a special power, I always thought of my healing as magic as well."

"Huh. But, what kind of Adept am I, then?" wondered Ignis. "I mean, I can actually control all the four elements, but my friend, Aqua? She's a better talented mage than I am."

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I think your powers are amazing," admitted Issac. "I mean, I've never heard of an Adept who can freely control all four elements."

Ignis nodded. "Agreed. I...Well, I came from a far away place. I don't think my power is Psynergy, though. I've always referred to it as magic. Besides, I don't think I'm an Adept."

"What makes you so sure? There's so many mysteries around Weyard that we've yet to uncover. Perhaps there is a clan of Adepts out there that can use all four elements," theorized Ivan.

Ignis shook her head, knowing the reason why is because she came from a different world, and she highly doubt that her power is even Psynergy anyways. "Yeah...I doubt that. Plus, there's another reason why I don't think that I'm an Adept. The Djinn."

"Djinn? What about them?" wondered Garet.

Ivan instantly knew what she meant, and his eyes widen in realization. "Oh! I get it!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Only Adepts can equip Djinns to themselves, Garet. Only the Djinn themselves can accept Adepts as part of them and use them in battle. Ignis can't do either of that. Sure, she can hold onto them as a companion, but she can't let them in her body or use them in battle, thus making her different than normal Adepts."

Ignis said, "Yeah. I gave Fever to you, Garet, because he was really eager to have a fire Adept as his new owner. As for me, we tried, but Fever couldn't share his power with me."

"I don't know if it's because you're not an Adept, or maybe you've got too much power," said Issac. "Maybe, in exchange for you being some rare Adept who can use all four elements, you're not allowed to host Djinn into your body and use them."

"Gaaah! This is all so confusing! It's hurting my head!" complained Garet, ruffling his own hair harshly. "Okay, that does it! Ignis isn't an Adept! She's probably some special person with special powers!"

"But...we all have special powers," pointed out Ivan.

"Look, we can just get her to talk to Kraden, and then we'll find out for sure," offered Issac.

"Who's Kraden?" asked Ignis.

"Kraden's this old guy who's also a scholar. He knows everything!" answered Garet.

"More importantly, he's also our dear friend, but yeah, Garet's right," said Issac. "He's the smartest person we know. Maybe he has some clues as to what you are, Ignis."

Ignis nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I'd like to meet this Kraden someday."

After their brief rest, the group headed further into the lighthouse, facing more and more obstacles the deeper they ventured into. Not only did they face puzzles that they had to deal with both Psynergy and magic, but they had to deal with tough monsters along the way. However, with both trust and teamwork, the group prevailed through these obstacles, even obtaining a few treasures and even a new Mercury Djinn called Sleet for Mia.

For Ignis, there was only a few problems she had with the group that she noticed throughout their time in the lighthouse. The teens she was with are...much more inexperienced than she was in terms of combat. She had about 10 years of training under a Keyblade Master and with fellow Keyblade apprentices, plus, after exploring several worlds, she had grown much more stronger than before. But Issac and the others? They haven't gone to other worlds. They haven't faced the many types of opponents she's had to face. The life lessons she learned during her journey.

Plus, from the sound of it, it seems that Issac and his team had just recently left their homes and that they only trained in the art of Psynergy, not weaponry, so naturally, they were novices. Especially Mia, who barely had to fight, when she spent her entire life healing the sick and injured. They were a little immature, at least, Garet was, but they didn't really fool around and took their battles seriously.

Ignis couldn't reveal everything about herself, as when Issac and the others frequently asked questions about her magic, and about her Keyblade after witnessing her use it in battle, summoning it and then dismissing it like magic. All she could tell them was the name of her weapon, and that weapons such as the Keyblade can only be wielded by those that have chosen their masters. It was similar in the concept that Adepts can use Djinns so long as the Djinns accept them and allow them to use their powers.

What surprised Ignis the most was the Adepts' ability to Summon. After using a Djinn's power, one can further exploit that power in the form of Summons, which can take out multiple monsters at once, as demonstrated when Issac and the others used Summons during their fights inside the lighthouse. Ignis herself has been trying to learn summoning magic from one of the magic spellbooks she received from Merlin, and so far, little progress has been made. She could only summon a little of her familiar, but that was it. It wasn't enough to determine what type of familiar she could summon, so she was unsure what sort of creature her familiar was.

After exploring around the lighthouse and going deeper, they finally arrived at a large waterfall, where they managed to find a secret pathway at arriving at the top floor of the Mercury Lighthouse with the power of Ply, Mia's special power. As it turns out, the waterfall was supposed to help one reach the top, and one by one, they allowed the waterfall to levitate them to the top, only for a bright light to blind them.

By the time they reached the top, it was too late.

* * *

 **So? How was the first chapter of the Golden Sun saga? There's more where that came from, like with the next chapter! I wish I can detail more of the lighthouse, but...it's really hard for me. Like, I like describing things, but it's a constant problem when I can't find the right words to do so. I really want to try and describe more of the lighthouse, but this is the best I can muster for now. Sorry if I disappoint you guys about that.**

 **So, yeah. Psynergy is basically magic combined with psychic abilities, kinda. The only mind reading power is only acquainted with the wind element. In a way, Jupiter Adepts are much more psychics than the other elemental-type Adepts.**

 **The reason why I chose the Golden Sun Universe next was for Ignis. Originally, I didn't plan on having three crossover worlds, but I realize the need to do so for Ignis. She needs to grow up much more stronger, not just in her new belief between the balance of light and darkness, but also in other areas, like in power. This world is going to mainly focus on her controlling more of her magic more and possibly discovering and learning new ways to make her magic stronger. And, with Adepts like Issac, whom they've spent years refining their Psynergy, they might give Ignis some pointers.**

 **Anyways, that's all! Read and review, and hopefully, because of this crossover world, this fanfic won't be reported or put down. Bye!~**


	26. Weyard (2): Mercury Lighthouse

**So, I noticed that not a lot of folks know about the game, Golden Sun. Understandable, considering the first game came at around 2001. Still, I am a huge fan of Golden Sun, though admittedly, it's been a long time since I played the game ever since I sold it. For now, I'm just relying on walkthroughs, and if any of you all are interested and want to know more of the story of Golden Sun, you can watch the walkthroughs as well. Either way, I'm gonna try and convey the story of Golden Sun in this arc anyways.**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs. Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

The entire lighthouse-no, the entire land surrounding not just the Mercury Lighthouse, but also Imil, had started rumbling, as though an earthquake were to take place any second. A blue light shined brightly from the apex of the Mercury Lighthouse for a brief moment before being replaced by a rotating sphere of aquatic light hovering above the center of the apex.

After Ignis and her friends levitated up the waterfall, they had landed on an elevator which made its way to the top floor of the lighthouse. However, the blue light was more than just for show, as suddenly, they were overwhelmed by the sudden power of the light and lost consciousness for several seconds. By the time the elevator reached the top, they started to wake up; their bodies a bit aching, but otherwise, the five of them were okay.

"Ugh...what was that...?" groaned Ignis, clutching the side of her head.

"I...I felt an immense power overtake me, and I blacked out!" commented Ivan, using his staff to help himself stand before glancing over to his friends. "It seems I'm not the only one."

"My head hurts like crazy..." said Garet, helping Mia stand by offering his hand to her.

"Thank you...Here, let me take care of that for you," Mia offered, casting Ply on Garet's forehead to ease his headache.

Issac looked around, slightly dizzy, but remaining calm. "Everyone, let's rest a little, and then we'll explore this area."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," agreed Ignis, staring at the mysterious, spherical ball of water. "I wonder what caused us to black out? And what's that weird watery ball thing over there?"

"What?" Mia glanced up and gasped horrifically at the sight before her. "No...no, no, no!" Jumping onto the platform, Mia started rushing up the stairs that would lead to the upper platform where the rotating sphere of aquatic light was.

Following Mia's gaze, Issac, Ivan, and Garet also seemed horrified as they hurried to where Mia was heading, leaving a very confused Ignis behind. Though confused, Ignis shrugged and decided to follow after them, wondering what the issue was.

"It's too late! The lighthouse has already been lit!" cried out Garet.

"Wait, how can you be so sure? And what's the problem here, anyways?" wondered Ignis, as she hasn't been informed of Issac's reasons behind his quest.

"It...It can't be!" cried out Mia, shaking her head in disbelief. "The beacon cannot be lit without the Mercury Star!"

"Again, why is this a problem?" Ignis asked again.

"...The Elemental Stars were stolen from Sol Sanctum, on Mt. Aleph," explained Ivan.

"Mt. Aleph? Sol Sanctum? ...Are you healers from Sol Sanctum?" wondered Mia.

"Not...exactly. I mean, we're not healers, but we are Adepts close to Sol Sanctum," replied Issac.

Garet added more to the explanation. "We came from a village called Vale to recover the three Elemental Stars. But unlike you, we're not healers."

"Vale?"

"Yup. Our village was there to protect Sol Sanctum, but the Stars were stolen."

"That...that sounds just like my clan," admitted Mia. "Except, the Mercury Clan members have always sworn to protect the Mercury Lighthouse, ensuring no intruders would get in."

"That's...kinda similar, I guess," agreed Ignis. "But, wait! I have so many questions! What are the Elemental Stars? The Mercury Star? Sol Sanctum? Mt. Aleph? Vale? I'm sorry, this is all just so confusing to me!"

"I believe we should discuss this in a more appropriate time, Ignis," suggested Ivan, noticing tears whelming up in Mia's eyes as the Mercury Adept fell to her knees.

"I...I have failed in the one duty placed upon me...This is terrible..."

"Issac! Garet!"

"Whoa, what was that?" Ignis wondered as she and the others glanced around for the mysterious voice.

They all turned around and, on the other side of the central area, there was another elevator in use, and it was currently being occupied by four individuals. One was a young girl with a ponytail, another was an elderly man wearing a dark brown cloak, the third was a young man dressed in green, and the fourth appeared the most odd, as she looked like a strong warrior with reptilian scales and mashed with the color red.

"So it's you, Issac!" shouted the young man.

The reptilian woman crackled maliciously. "Hehehe! Those kids are still alive? And you came all this way to save Kraden and Jenna?"

"That's not all...We're after the Elemental Stars!" hollered back Garet, clenching his fist at the sight of his enemies before him.

The reptilian woman shook her head. "In other words, they came to stop us. Let's take care of them now, before they can do any harm!"

"Whoa, we're gonna fight?! Seriously? Who are those guys?" wondered Ignis.

Issac decided to give her a short introduction. "That woman in red is called Menardi. She helped kidnapped our friends, Kraden and Jenna, the old man and the girl over there. That other guy is named Felix, Jenna's older brother."

"Okay, red girl is Menardi. Old man is Kraden and the other girl is Jenna. Other guy is Felix," Ignis said, nodding. "Wait, if Jenna's his sis, why doesn't he help her?"

"Wait, Menardi!"

Another, strange voice pierced through the tension in the air before the owner of that voice stepped out from hiding behind the swirling watery sphere. He appeared to have silvery blue hair and red eyes, and his appearance reminded Ignis of a humanoid shark-like look.

Menardi was about to explain the situation to the silver blue man. "Oh, Saturos, they want to-"

"I know. I heard everything." Turning to Issac's group, Saturos grinned. "They were lucky to survive the eruption of Mt. Aleph. You have endured so much, and now you want to throw your lives away?"

"No! We came here to stop you!" yelled Garet.

"We may have failed in preventing you from lighting this lighthouse, but we will stop you here!" swore Ivan, determined.

"You will receive punishment for trespassing here!" shouted Mia.

"If you're going to fight us, we won't object. But know this; we will stop you, we will take back the Elemental Stars, and we will rescue our friends!" said Issac.

"...I honestly have no idea what's going on!" said Ignis. "But...if you're planning on hurting these guys, then it's my duty to help protect them, even if it means fighting you!"

Seeing his enemies determined to stop him, Saturos welcomed the challenge laid before him. "Fine. If that is your wish, prepare to have it granted."

"Saturos, are you planning to fight them alone?" wondered Menardi.

"Menardi, I can't expect you to leave our hostages alone and help me, can I?" Saturos replied, almost in a mocking tone as he snuck a glance towards Felix, who noticed the quick glance and gritted his teeth in irritation. Felix may be their ally, but Saturos would never trust him to leave with the hostages alone, considering that one of the hostages was his dear sister, after all.

"Hmm...that's true."

"Besides, I want to see how much their powers have developed. So, head for the next lighthouse! Now!"

Menardi nodded and turned to Jenna, motioning her to come closer with her finger. "Come here, child..."

Jenna, though visibly shaking, took a step back and shook her head; defiance shown in her eyes.

Unamused, Menardi slowly started to grow angry at the young girl's defiance towards her. "Do you mean to defy me?"

"..."

"...I should teach you a lesson, child, but I'm feeling generous today." Menardi whirled towards Felix, who didn't flinch at her heated gaze, though he did sneak a worried glance back at his sister for a second. "Felix! I'd get your sister to obey me, if you hope to keep her from harm!"

Knowing full well that Menardi would go through her threat, Felix turned to his sister. "Jenna, please...Just do as she says for now."

The old man named Kraden nodded in agreement with Felix. "It's alright, Jenna."

Trusting her older brother and friend, Jenna nodded and timidly walked towards Menardi, who snatched her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, causing Jenna to yelp in surprise. Felix instinctively placed a hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade, but Kraden stopped him, giving him a knowing look that Menardi wouldn't harm Jenna without reason, and that she was only threatening Issac and his friends. Felix didn't remained relax, however, but he did refrain from attacking Menardi.

Issac and Garet clenched their weapons tightly, frustrated that they can't do anything in their current position to save Jenna. Their enemies knew that they would never attack so long as Jenna was in harm's way, considering that it was well-known between the two groups that the two boys deeply cared for Jenna.

"Issac and Garet shouldn't have come after us," muttered Felix.

Winching as Menardi's grasp on her slightly tightened, Jenna could only speak an apology at her helplessness. "I'm sorry, Issac...Garet…"

"I'm counting on you, Saturos!" called out Menardi, stomping her foot once. Apparently, that action caused the elevator her group was in to react, causing the elevator to descend down and out of sight.

The last thing Issac and his group heard from Menardi's group was from Kraden. "ISSAC! GARET! DON'T DIE!"

"Jenna! Kraden!" cried out Issac, wishing to rush right over, jump down, and save his friends.

"Hold on!" Being the hot-headed boy he is, Garet tried to do exactly what Issac wished to do, only to be met face-to-face with Saturos, who blocked his path.

"Gotcha."

Saturos then delivered a swift punch to Garet's gut, making the red-haired boy spew out spittles from his mouth before crashing into Issac, who caught him. Mia, Ignis, and Ivan rushed in front of the two, holding up their weapons to defend them and themselves from the threat before them.

"If you want to save them, you'll have to beat me first!" declared Saturos confidently.

"Big deal!" shouted Ignis cockily. "There's like, five of us, and only one of you! A five-on-one battle like this will be easy peasy!"

Garet shook his head. "Yeah, but Saturos is extremely powerful. I could sense it when I faced him just now."

Ivan agreed. "You have to be extremely careful when fighting him. We have to match his strength."

"Match me? Pah! You think you can match the great Saturos?" challenged Saturos.

"We think? No," stated Issac, gripping the hilt of his sword much more firmly. "I _know_ we can."

Saturos scoffed. "You overestimate your chances."

Ignis stepped a bit closer, as though protecting the four behind her. Now that she's carefully evaluating Saturos, she realized that Ivan and Garet were right; Saturos seems like a tough opponent. Possibly much more skilled than her four friends. Even though her friends were strong, she has battled alongside them during their adventure in the Mercury Lighthouse, and they were novices compared to her. If anyone stood a chance against Saturos, it was definitely Ignis and Ignis alone.

Ignis still didn't know what was going on, but all she knew from the conversation that happened earlier was that some treasures called the Elemental Stars were stolen from their home in Vale. Well, more specifically, the Elemental Stars were stolen in a place in Vale, called Sol Sanctum, which also appeared to be located in some mountain called Mt. Aleph. All she knew was that after this battle was over, she was going to have to ask Issac and the others A LOT of questions.

Seeing as Issac and the others weren't going to back down, Saturos unsheathed his blade and started marching towards the group. "Fine then! I'll just teach you all a lesson!"

As Saturos was growing closer, he suddenly stopped, and his movements started getting slightly sluggish and slow before he turned his gaze onto the rotating ball of water that was significant proof of the Mercury Lighthouse being lit.

Mia was the first to notice his strange movements and comment on it. "What's happening? Saturos is moving strangely."

"W-What's this?! The light of Mercury...it's weakening my Psynergy!" cried out Saturos.

"Wait, what?" wondered Ignis. "I have no idea what's going on, but if whatever's happening to Shark Face is true...then we have a chance!"

"Yeah!" agreed Garet. "Let's take this chance to-Wait, Shark Face?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself! He really does look like a shark!"

"What the hell is a shark-?"

"I must finish this quickly..." murmured Saturos before facing his opponents. "Come on, fools!"

Saturos launched himself towards the first target he laid eyes on; Ivan. Ivan held up his staff and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact, only to hear a large clank sound, and nothing more. Opening his eyes, he found that Ignis had intercepted Saturos' attack with her own Keyblade and was keeping him at bay.

Seeing that Saturos was distracted, both Issac and Garet, being the front liners of the team, charged towards Saturos on both sides to prevent him from escaping left and right. As they swung their weapons at him, Saturos leapt back for distance.

"Mia! Let's attack with our Djinns!" suggested Ivan, ready to take out one of his Jupiter Djinn, Gust. "Gust! Strike him down!"

Mia nodded. "Understood! Sleet!"

Ivan sent a strong gust-like attack towards Saturos while Mia had Sleet project a stream of icy targets from above, as though they were frozen icicles raining. However, Saturos blocked their attacks with pillars of fire he summoned using his Psynergy, proving that he was, like Garet, a Mars Adept.

After Saturos was distracted with intercepting the two Djinn attacks, Ignis took the initiative while Issac and Garet stayed back for a while to receive buffs from both Mia and Ivan. While being applied temporary buffs, both Issac and Garet watched in amazement as Ignis matched Saturos in terms of swordsmanship.

Their movements were rapidly fast, almost blinding as the two skilled combatants were clashing with each other over and over. It was clear to anyone that both combatants had formal training, whereas Garet and Issac were never trained in swordsmanship or axemanship, only picking up suitable weapons for their liking and just doing basic techniques anyone can do, such as slashing and stabbing. Mia and Ivan aren't even close combatants, as they were more reliable on the backlines.

Saturos stepped back and then rushed headfirst towards Ignis after a slight separation from each other. He moved so fast, Ignis was astonished by his speed before attempting to strike back. Saturos slashed from waist to shoulder to Ignis, whereas Ignis aimed for his face. Both of them leapt back to regain their breath after clashing for a while.

Ignis had light, yet several slash wounds all over her body, but the most recent slash carved into her armored chestplate. If it weren't for her armor, she would have been dealt a devastating slash to her chest. As for Saturos, his most challenge had come from the girl he was fighting against, and after all their clashing conflicts, the only wound she dealt to him was the bloody slash across his cheek.

"I knew Ignis was strong, but I didn't think she'd be equally skilled with Saturos in terms of swordsmanship!" said Ivan, astonished.

"Yeah, I had a feeling that Ignis is much more experienced and stronger than us," admitted Issac. "We should pay attention to her movements more, Garet. Actually, maybe you should. It would help instead of you just suddenly rushing in with no plan."

"Hah?! The hell was that?!"

"You heard me!"

"Guys, we finished casting buffs on you! Take over Ignis' place and bring her to me! I'll heal her wounds!" shouted Mia.

Both Garet and Issac knew they could finish arguing later, as there was much more important matters to attend to. They nodded to each other and rushed to Ignis' aid, stepping in front of her.

"Ignis, go get some rest! We'll handle things from here!" assured Issac.

Ignis, who was healing herself for the moment, said, "You know he's more skilled than you guys! He-"

"Well, thanks to you, he's tired down!" said Garet. "Don't worry! Just leave everything to us!"

"Fools! Don't underestimate me!" yelled Saturos, thrusting his palm forward. A volley of large fireballs rained from the skies and started heading towards the group.

Ignis was about to cast a shield spell when she was forced to defend herself from Saturos' attacks. Issac and Garet wanted to help Ignis, but they had to deal with the threat that was the rainfall of fireballs. Issac pressed his palms on the floor and conjured up a wall of earth while Garet focused his fire Psynergy to make the fireballs fly to another direction. Ivan casted a tornado to try and disperse any incoming fireballs, while Mia concentrated and formed a water shield in front of her.

Unfortunately, because Saturos was a much better skilled fire Adept, that meant that his fire Psynergy was extremely powerful as well, more powerful than even Garet's. As such, Ivan, Issac, and Garet could only defend against the fireballs for a few seconds before being overwhelmed by their power and then get blasted by the fireballs after their Psynergy wasn't strong enough to withstand the fireballs. As for Mia, she was the only one to escape unscathed with the water shield still up.

"Issac! Garet! Ivan!" yelled Ignis, who locked blade to blade with Saturos.

"Just seeing your friends get hit and you get distracted! How weak!" Saturos crackled before delivering a kick to her stomach, driving her back.

"Gh-! Mia! You know what to do!" Ignis shouted, sneaking a glance over to evaluate the situation and determining Mia was the only one not severely injured.

"Oh? I'd finish that other weakling off, but I'd rather not let my guard down around you!" Saturos said, rushing in and locking blades with her again. "You're the only one amongst your friends who's proven to be a challenge thus far!"

Ignis reached out and gripped Saturos' blade, winching in pain as she held onto it tightly and blood started pooling down from her hand. "Earth Clone!" chanted Ignis, using her earth magic to produce a replica of herself made entirely of earth. The real Ignis had leapt back while the earth replica, which had taken the same posture of herself before she had retreated away, held Saturos' blade firmly, unmoving as Saturos tried to free his blade from the earth replica.

"Watera!" yelled Ignis, now casting water magic and sending two waves to engulf Saturos on both sides while he was still trying to regain his weapon.

Realizing the danger he was in, Saturos jumped up high as it was his only escape path, narrowly escaping the two tides that would have trapped him in a watery cage. "Shit! What kind of elemental Adept is she?!" cursed Saturos out loud before realizing Ignis was above him, ready to bring down her Phoenix Fairy.

"I've got you!" yelled Ignis, swinging down Phoenix Fairy.

"Fool! You've left yourself wide open!" hollered Saturos, twisting his body to dodge the slash attack before counterattacking with a fireball. Because she was in midair and hadn't expected the counterattack, Ignis was hit by the fireball and sent crashing to the platform, sliding across the floor until she reached an arm out and pressed her palm against the floor, halting her sliding before she reached the edge. If she had gone over the edge, it would have been a very, very, VERY long fall down from the lighthouse's top floor.

"Fizz!" called out Mia, sending out her second Mercury Djinn to heal Garet, her last patient. Issac and Ivan were already mostly healed, still trying to get over the fact that they survived Saturos' assaulting fireball barrage.

Witnessing Ignis crashing to the floor, Ivan and Issac gasped. Spotting Saturos about to descend down and finish off Ignis with his blade, Ivan gathered his Psynergy and shot out a wind blast that hit Saturos and sent him flying away from Ignis and landing on the platform.

"Issac! Garet's still being healed! Distract Saturos!" ordered Ivan, using the power of wind to levitate Ignis towards him and out of harm's way.

"Got it! Now's the time to use this!" shouted Issac; a surge of golden light bursting from his palm as two of his Venus Djinn shot out into the air. "Ramses!"

The appearance of an Egyptian Pharaoh spiritually arrived, and using his grand power of the earth Psynergy, summoned boulders and launched an explosive fist towards Saturos. The boulders, Saturos easily sliced through using his sword techniques, but for the explosive fist sent by Ramses? Saturos took the full force of such an attack even after quickly coating himself with fire Psynergy to protect himself from any fire damage.

While Saturos was still recovering from the Ramses assault, Ignis was fully healed by Mia and was now standing side-by-side with Garet and Issac; the two boys also healed and prepared to fight.

"He's tough...I think this is my first time fighting a swordsman ever since leaving home!" panted Ignis. "I clearly underestimated him!"

"I dunno...I think you did pretty good," said Garet.

Issac nodded. "Right now, we have to attack all at once! Mia and Ivan can standby for support, and we three will attack from three directions! If we can corner him and attack with everything we've got, then this is fight is ours!"

"Keep dreaming!" growled Saturos, rubbing the soot off his face. "ERUPTION!"

Several pillars brimming with volcanic energy erupted from below, but in a flash, Mia, who had been preparing to use some offensive water Psynergy of her own, put out the pillars using lots of water Psynergy. Normally, such an act would leave her exhausted and depleted of anymore Psynergy, but for some reason, she didn't feel fatigued.

However,, Garet, Issac, and Ignis still got hit by the powerful fire Psynergy and were injured, but not to the point where they couldn't move. With Mia and Ivan supporting them, Ignis didn't have to worry about casting shield or healing spells for a change. Still, she wanted to buff up her three-man team for a bit, especially when they're about to face off against an enraged, skilled fire swordsman again.

"Enwater! Barfira!" chanted Ignis. Her, Garet, and Issac's bodies were glowing red from the Barfira spell, while the Enwater spell coated their weapons with a shimmering water effect, though it didn't dull their blades and rather, it enhanced them in a peculiar way.

"What did you do?" wondered Issac.

"I made sure our weapons could deal water-elemental attacks, and our bodies are coated with fire resistance spells. But, this will only last for a short while! Let's go!"

Ignis took the first charge ahead while Issac and Garet followed behind her, only dispersing to attack Saturos from different sides. It was a whirlwind of attacks from the three fighters as Saturos tried to keep up with their movements and focus on the defensive. Because Ignis was the more experienced fighter out of the three, her attacks were more stronger and faster, whereas Garet and Issac maintained a good balance of speed and strength together, yet not on the same level as Ignis. While that was the case, it did help that thanks to the buffs they received, they were getting to the same level of power as Saturos and slowly wearing him down.

Ivan and Mia were safe from the background, casting their Psynergy to assist their friends. For Mia, because she was the most skilled with healing, she had the healer's role, though she did occasionally sent a few offensive water spells towards Saturos. Ivan's role in casting buffs to his team was very minor, as he mainly focused on offensive wind and thunder Psynergy spells.

Saturos knew he made a mistake. No, not just one, but several mistakes ever since the beginning of this fight. First, he should have known better than taking on five opponents all by himself. Perhaps with Menardi's help, things would be much easier, but he couldn't risk Felix escaping with the hostages. Felix had grown strong, but he wasn't as strong as him or Menardi.

Secondly, Issac's group's fifth, mysterious member. Alex had kept tabs on Issac's group and informed him and the others early on that Issac had gained a Jupiter Adept on his team, and that since they were heading to the Mercury Lighthouse first, he also informed them about the existence of his cousin, Mia, and how she might pose a threat. Alex's prediction was correct, but Saturos knew he couldn't even blame Alex for not recognizing Issac's most recent, new member; the red-haired girl in armor.

After clashing with her, Saturos came to a quick realization that she was much more talented than Issac and the rest of his friends. Even worse, she seems to be possessing various elemental Psynergy, like fire and water. It wasn't possible nor fair! There was no such thing as a multi-elemental Adept! Plus, she was quite skilled with...the key-shaped sword she seemed to be carrying.

And finally, the Mercury Lighthouse's effect on his body. Saturos already didn't like the Mercury Lighthouse even before entering it, but he knew it was an extreme necessity in order to lit the beacon, which he succeeded. As much as he hated to admit it, he was losing to the group of brats-!

"Guys! Get away! Quick! I'm about to unleash another Summon!" warned Ivan. Fatigued, Issac, Garet, and Ignis backed away back to their group before Ivan sent out two Jupiter Djinn and unleashed his most powerful Jupiter Summon yet.

"Another troublesome Summon-! I'm prepared this time!" roared Saturos, gathering forth countless of fireballs to prepare for whatever devastating special attack would be unleashed onto him.

"Atalanta! Come forth!"

Far above in the skies, a beautiful green-haired goddess-like woman appeared, summoning forth an array of green arrows that began raining down upon Saturos. Not going down without a fight, Saturos unleashed his volley of fireballs, targeting the arrows. Each arrow was destroyed with each fireball the moment they came into contact with one another, creating a fireworks show of explosive green and red light in the skies above.

"Now to deal with your troublesome lot once and for all!" yelled Saturos, letting loose all of the remaining fire Psynergy he had left in the form of several volcanic pillars just like before, only more in number and power this time.

Just before Ignis could defend with one of her most strongest defensive spells, Mia beat her to the punch, as she had something to help block the Eruption spell, as well as attack Saturos at the same time.

"Nereid...I summon thee!"

Raising her arms in the air, Mia felt her two Mercury Djinn leaving her body and a large amount of water Psynergy filling her with power. The Mercury Djinn formed to summon forth the all-powerful water-elemental Summon, Nereid. Nereid took the appearance of a Japanese-looking princess riding a giant tortoise. With a flip of her fans, Nereid brought forth an enormous water sprout that not only engulfed the volcanic pillars, but also Saturos as well.

When Nereid vanished; her role as a Summon being finished, all that was left was a drenched platform with Saturos barely standing. He was panting with his head down and he had stabbed his sword onto the ground to hold himself up.

"It's over! Give up, Saturos!" shouted Issac. He knew that he and his friends were just as exhausted as Saturos, and they didn't want to continue fighting anymore than they needed to.

"Shut...UP!"

With one last effort, Saturos pulled his sword out of the ground viciously and threw it towards the ground as hard as he could. The sword actually headed towards a fatigued Mia, who was shocked to see her life flashing before her to move-!

When suddenly, Ignis shoved Mia out of the way and got the hit instead. Because of her cracked armor that was dealt many hits from Saturos' attacks and from previous battles, the flying sword had been the final nail to piercing through her armor and getting stuck inside her. Blood spat out from Ignis as she had taken a hit for Mia, having been pierced by the sword meant for her. Luckily, though, the sword had hit only her side and not any vital spots.

"Ignis!" Mia knelt down to Ignis, who fell to her knees. "One of you, help me remove the sword from her, gently! I'll heal her!"

Issac and Garet bent down and took different roles as Mia began the healing process. Garet held Ignis tightly to prevent her from frailing around, while Issac slowly and carefully started pulling the sword out of her body. Crying out in pain, Ignis twisted and struggled, but Garet, having the most physical strength out of them all, held down Ignis while Mia tried to close her wound with her healing Psynergy.

"Why you-! Plasma!" yelled Ivan, sending down a wide bolt of purplish-whitish lightning down on Saturos. Because he was completely drenched from the Nereid Summon, the thunder spell worked much more effectively on Saturos, causing him to scream painfully before collapsing on his back. He was still alive, as his body was twitching and he was groaning in pain.

"Yeah! We got him!" cheered Garet, throwing a fist pump to the air.

"Ugh...I'm okay...I'm okay..." panted Ignis, slowly feeling better as Mia focused on healing the remainder of her wounds as Issac tossed away the bloody sword that impaled Ignis.

"Who...who would have thought that the Mercury Lighthouse held such power?" muttered Saturos, pounding the ground with his fist in frustration. "If only my Psynergy had been at its full power..."

While the group was both exhausted and injured, they didn't miss what Saturos said and were rather curious. "Saturos, you said you were weakened. What do you mean?" asked Ivan.

Realizing that the others heard his muttering, Saturos looked away. "I...I meant nothing."

"I shall tell you what he means," spoke a mysterious voice.

Recognizing whose voice it was, Mia gasped. "That voice! Could it be-?! Alex?!"

Stepping out from hiding behind the rotating sphere of watery light, a young man with long blue hair appeared. Garet and Issac were on high alert, Mia looked shocked, and both Ivan and Ignis were both confused as to what was happening.

Nodding, the young man named Alex acknowledged his presence to the others. "It's been a while, Mia."

Clenching her fists, Mia stood up and glared at Alex with anger and disappointment in her eyes. "Alex, do you realize what you've done?"

Smirking, Alex showed no remorse for his actions. "Ha! Of course! I have freed a great power that long had been sealed away." Turning his gaze towards the sphere of watery light, Alex muttered, "Mercury, the lighthouse of water...what a mighty force."

Mia didn't want to believe it. She honestly wanted to think that Alex was tricked or forced into lighting the lighthouse, but right now, he was proving that he had done such a horrific act out of his own free will. "Alex, you...are you mad?!"

Shaking his head, Alex turned back to Mia. "No, Mia. Don't you understand? The lighthouse granted you great power during your battle with Saturos."

"Great...power? What do you mean?"

"Didn't you feel much more powered up than usual? Like you could do anything? As though you were invincible?"

Mia pondered about it for a moment before nodding slowly. "It's true...I could use my power without ever depleting it."

"Don't you see? The Mercury Lighthouse supplied you with limitless Psynergy."

"Psynergy? So, it is true? My power really does come from Psynergy?" wondered Mia.

"You and I are both members of the Mercury Clan. Masters of water Psynergy," explained Alex. "As long as we, Mercury Adepts, remain close to environments brimming with water, or at least symbolized for water, we can gain much stronger water powers. Your battle with Saturos-no, not just this battle. Your battles during your exploration in the Mercury Lighthouse proved that, no?"

"That...That's true...I did feel unusually stronger whenever I used my water Psynergy."

"It's...the same for me," admitted Ignis. "My water magic was much more stronger than usual, and I don't often use water magic that much."

"Tell me, Alex," spoke up Ivan. "Why wasn't Saturos able to use his full power?"

Alex nodded. "Ah, yes, I shall explain it all. Saturos is aligned with Mars, the clan of fire. Fire and water are opposing elements. His full power was bound by the water Psynergy of the lighthouse."

"Didn't Saturos know that?" asked Mia.

"Of course he knew. However, he failed to appreciate the power of the lighthouse. As did I..."

"Is that why we were able to beat Saturos?" Garet asked.

Alex shook his head. "No, there is more to it. I stood by, watching your battle from afar."

"Wait, you were watching us? All this time?" wondered Ivan, surprised.

Alex nodded, "Yes. I did not help, because I was certain Saturos would win. But I was wrong. You have all become such great fighters in a short time. Plus, you had the aid of an...unknown outsider."

Everyone turned to Ignis, as they knew it was probably her that Alex was referring to. It was also thanks to Ignis playing a huge part in the previous battle that Issac and the others managed to get through a difficult time.

"Hey...wait a minute! So, you're saying that part of the reason why we won, is because the Mercury Lighthouse weakened Saturos, because he's a fire Adept, right?" asked Ignis.

Alex nodded. "Yes, that is correct. What about it?"

"But if that's the case, then why didn't Garet, a fire Adept, also get weakened? Huh? How do you explain that?"

"Yeah!" agreed Garet. "I didn't get weakened at all! But, I suppose that was a good thing in this case. Ha! Suck it, Saturos!"

All Garet got in response from his comment was Saturos weakly lifting up his middle finger at him.

"...Yeah, seems fair. If I was in his position, I probably would have done the same," admitted Ignis.

Alex cleared his throat. "Well, that is a rather good question. Very well. Mia and I are both members of the Mercury Clan, thus making us water Adepts. Saturos also comes from a clan called the Mars Clan, thus making him a fire Adept. Clans tend to be...a cultural thing. Elements tend to be stronger or weaker depending on the type of environment they're in. For instance, this cold plateau is the perfect place for water Adepts to live in, while volcanos are ideal for fire Adepts."

"Okay...?"

"There is a downside and an upside to being in a Clan. An upside to a Clan is that your element becomes much stronger being born in that Clan instead of just randomly receiving an elemental power and receiving no training for it. What I mean is, me and Mia were naturally born with water Psynergy powers, but if another random person in this world were to also gain water powers, their powers would be much weaker than ours because they haven't received training and they weren't born in the clan."

"What's the downside?"

"You gain the strongest elemental Psynergy, but you don't obtain any resistance to other elements in different environments. In this case, Saturos, whose been born in the Mars Clan, lacks resistance to water-elemental environment. And we are standing on top of the Mercury Lighthouse, an environment aligned with _water._ Additionally, because the lighthouse was lit before your fight with Saturos, any water Adept would instantly become strengthened."

"Yeah, okay...but that still doesn't explain Garet's case," said Ignis.

Alex proceeded to give a different explanation. "It's because Garet was born in Vale and grew up there. Adepts in Vale are exposed to all four elements because of Mt. Aleph and the elemental stars, so naturally, Garet had a greater resistance to the effects of the Mercury Lighthouse. The same goes for Jenna, Felix, and even you, Issac. Because you all lived and grew up in Vale."

"That...makes a lot more sense," said Issac, nodding to Garet.

"Ngh…" Saturos started to get up, though he was in no condition for another fight with Issac and the others.

"Saturos is up again?! But we beat him!" cried out Ivan.

"Me? Beaten? Never!" spat out Saturos, clutching his injured arm. "I lost to this lighthouse, not to you!"

"I was merely stalling you until Saturos regained his strength," revealed Alex.

"You were just buying time? That's not fair, Alex!" whined Mia.

"Oh? You were all engaged in a five-on-one battle while Saturos was all alone with no recovery items. And, you had a...unique guest that could wield all four elements, and you say I'm not _fair?"_ questioned Alex, raising an eyebrow.

"..." Mia had no rebuttal for that statement.

Watching Alex help Saturos by making him lean against him for support, Garet cried out, "I won't let Saturos escape!"

"And just what are you going to do? Will you finish him off?" challenged Alex, now staring at Issac.

"...I dislike having to kill. But, for my duty, I will do so if necessary!" declared Issac, readying his sword.

Slightly amused, Alex said, "If that's the case, you will have to fight me, as well. I've seen how you fight. And you are all exhausted. You cannot hope to win. And I doubt you are the type to 'finish' anyone off!"

"Of course, you are welcome to believe whatever you want," Saturos added in before he and Alex mysteriously vanished, startling Issac's group.

They reappeared in the other side of the platform, close to the elevator that Menardi and her group took. It seems that the elevator had ascended back up after dropping Menardi and her group down to the lower levels of the lighthouse.

"Aw, he can teleport?! That's not fair!" cried out Ignis.

"He warped again!" shouted Garet.

"Again? He's done that before?" wondered Mia.

Garet nodded. "Yeah, in Sol Sanctum."

Ivan wondered about something. "That Psynergy, Warp...Does that mean Mia can use it?"

"Really? Oh, I hope so! That would be super convenient!" said Ignis excitedly.

Mia shook her head. "No, that's impossible. Even Alex didn't have this kind of power before."

"Ah, well, I can't stay the same Alex you knew forever," Alex told her sympathetically. "And so, I bid you adieu."

"Issac!" cried out Ivan. "Saturos still has the Elemental Stars!"

"That's right! We can't let them leave now!" cried out Garet.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get them!" shouted Ignis.

"Ha! As if!" laughed Saturos. "Too bad for you, but Menardi already has them! And the only way you'll ever be getting them back is from her cold, dead body!"

"That reminds me...Issac, do you still have the Mars Star?" Alex asked, receiving a silent nod from the boy. "Good. I appreciate your honesty. I suppose you'll be willing to pursue us for the Elemental Stars?"

Issac nodded once more. "As long as you hold them, me and my friends will do anything to get them back."

"I see. I look forward to it. I shall see you all soon, then. Goodbye."

Saturos had one last thing to say to the group as he looked up to them. "I look forward to our next battle." Alex warped the two of them towards the elevator, which took them downwards and out of sight, leaving Issac's group alone.

"...I'm not sure how I feel about this," spoke Ignis out loud.

"...They're gone," spoke Ivan softly in disbelief.

Garet gritted his teeth. "Shit...we couldn't even save Jenna...!"

Mia looked down, ashamed and disappointed in herself. "I don't deserve to be a healer...We...We couldn't stop them from lightning the beacon. I...I've failed my clan. I've failed my duty..."

Ivan shook his head. "That's not true! We can still beat them! All we have to do is stop them from lightning the other lighthouses! The beacon of the Mercury Lighthouse has already been lit, so it's too late for this lighthouse. But we'll stop them next time!"

Garet couldn't agree more. "That's right! We can save Jenna and Kraden at the next lighthouse! So, let's go, go, go!"

"Hold on! Hold the hell on!" called out Ignis. "Just what is going on? Ever since we arrived at the top base of this lighthouse, things have been going all over the place, and I still have no idea what's happening! I helped you guys fight against those guys, I at least deserve an explanation!"

Mia nodded. "Yes, I have to agree. Even though I know a little, I'm not exactly having the complete story here. Just what's going on, Issac? Everyone else?"

Issac turned to his friends and nodded, knowing the two girls deserved to know the truth. "Okay, it all started one day, three years ago. There was a storm, the most deadliest one we've had in Vale, that came late at night. It summoned monsters and even had boulders raining from Mt. Aleph."

"Oh, Mt. Aleph is the dormant mountain near our hometown, Vale," added in Garet. "And within that mountain, there's a chamber temple called Sol Sanctum."

"I do remember Alex mentioning those terms," said Mia.

Continuing his explanation, Issac stated, "That night...was the worst night of my life. The boulder claimed the lives of not just my father, but also Jenna and Felix's parents, and Felix himself."

"Wait, Felix? But, wasn't that green-cloaked guy named Felix?" wondered Ignis.

"Yeah. That was definitely Jenna's older brother."

"But you just said that the boulder killed Felix as well. How is he still alive, then?"

"Well, at the time, we _thought_ that the boulder killed Felix," said Garet. "It turns out that Felix did survive thanks to Saturos and Menardi. Plus, the storm was their fault."

"Wait, how can a storm be their fault?" asked Ignis. "You can't just conjure up a storm and-wait, this world has Psynergy and magic. Of course you can."

"It's...not that simple," said Ivan. "Yes, in my case, I can make a small thunderstorm thanks to my wind Psynergy being affiliated with both wind and thunder, but a storm on that grand scale is an entirely different story. You'd need like, a whole army of Jupiter Adepts to pull that off!"

"Yeah, and the storm only came because Menardi and Saturos triggered a trap in Mt. Aleph while they were trying to get deeper inside Sol Sanctum," added Issac. "The trap was Psynergy-based, and it must have been powerful enough to trigger the storm. The village suffered a lot of damage, and the storm cost the lives of my father and Jenna's parents."

"Oh, Issac...I'm so sorry," apologized Mia, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine. I've gotten over it. It's been three years ever since."

Garet nodded. "Yeah, and during that time, we've been practicing our Psynergy, so that the next time something like that happens, we'll be ready! Back then, we were too weak, but now, we're much stronger!"

"Yeah, one day, Kraden, our scholarly friend, took me, Garet, and Jenna out on an expedition to Sol Sanctum," said Issac. "Although, one of Vale's rules stated we weren't allowed to travel to Sol Sanctum."

"Wait, if that's the case, how and why did you go?" asked Ignis.

"First, Kraden told us that Sol Sanctum was important for our alchemy studies to become better Adepts and thought the learning experience might be worth it. Second...We...kinda snuck in while the elders weren't looking. "

"Amazing how we didn't get caught that time," said Garet. "I mean, as a kid, I tried to sneak into Sol Sanctum, too, but I was always caught."

"That's because you were too loud. I was there, you know, and I remember the suffering I had whenever I got grounded," complained Issac, glaring at his childhood friend.

"So, what happened inside Sol Sanctum?" wondered Mia.

"Right...Well, after exploring around, we finally arrived in the deepest chambers within Sol Sanctum," continued Issac. "You should have seen it; it was incredible! And within those chambers laid the greatest treasures within Mt. Aleph...the Elemental Stars. The Elemental Stars are basically four orbs of purified energy based on their elements. They each represent one element; earth, fire, water, and wind. Their sole purpose is to be cast into the lighthouses depending on their element, so that the lighthouses can be lit."

"What's so bad if the lighthouses gets lit?" asked Ignis.

"It's like...super bad," commented Garet. "If all the four lighthouses are lit, it's the end of the world!"

"What?!"

"That's...not quite specific, but that is the outcome that will happen if the four lighthouses are indeed lit," said Ivan. "Each lighthouse being lit will unleash a devastating power called Alchemy, a destructive force, in which will be misused and eventually lead to the destruction of the world. As such, alchemy must remained unsealed, and for that to happen, the lighthouses must not be lit."

"I see...But then, why do Saturos and Menardi want the lighthouses to be lit?" asked Ignis.

"We're not really sure," said Issac. "I doubt they'll tell us, anyways. But, after we got inside the chambers, Kraden ordered us to collect the Elemental Stars."

"Seriously?! Is he working for the bad guys, now?!"

"No, no! He wanted to examine them! Plus, we were pretty curious, too. Also, he's not with them. If he was, he wouldn't have needed us to go with him to Sol Sanctum, and he wouldn't have been taken hostage by Saturos and Menardi."

"Well, we did got almost all of the Elemental Stars," said Garet. "But just when we were about to get the Mars Star, Saturos, Menardi, Alex, and Felix arrived. They took Kraden and Jenna captive and ordered us to get the Mars Star. After we did, Mt. Aleph started erupting-"

"Erupting? Didn't you just tell us that Mt. Aleph was a mountain?" asked Ignis.

"It's both a mountain and a volcano."

"...What?!"

"A mouncano! A voltain! ...Yeah, I'm really bad at combining words, but it's basically both a mountain and a volcano. Anyways! Because Mt. Aleph was erupting, Saturos and his group knew they had a limited amount of time to escape, so they decided to take Jenna and Kraden with them. Kraden, because of his usefulness of knowledge of alchemy and other things, and Jenna, because the bad guys knew that we would come after them to save her! And, they knew we had the Mars Star, so they were hoping we would come."

"And they were right," growled Issac, clenching his fists. "We failed to stop them from lighting this lighthouse, and we couldn't save Jenna and Kraden. I...I feel like a failure."

Ignis placed her hands onto Issac's clenched fists and shook her head. "No, you're not! You tried your best! Sure, we failed, but there's always next time! You guys have three more chances! It's like the old saying; If you don't succeed, try again."

Mia nodded. "That's right. We won't let Alex get away with this. Let's go after them now!"

"We? Mia, are you coming with us?" wondered Garet. "Because, I don't mind if you do, but..."

"The people of Imil need you, Mia," told Ivan. "They need a healer to help aid them, after all! We've seen the state of Imil, and there was a lot of sick-"

"It's okay," assured Mia. "I remember something just now. _'The fountain shall be filled as long as light fills the lighthouse.'_ That's an old saying. The fountain will run over with healing waters now. I do have mixed feelings about leaving, but Imil will be fine as long as the fountain continues to flow with the Water of Hermes."

"The Water of Hermes...the famous waters that have said to cure any illness and wounds to anyone!" gasped Ivan. "Issac! Garet! We can use that water to heal Tret!"

Issac's eyes widened. "Oh, you're right! And it might work more effectively because he's...you, know!"

"Tret?" pondered both Mia and Ignis, confused.

"Come on! Mia, you know your way around the lighthouse, right? Take us to where the healing waters are!" pleaded Garet.

"O-Okay!"

Taking the elevator, which descended down to the beginning levels of the lighthouse, Issac and his companions soon found the healing fountains at the base of the lighthouse, where several people had gathered to drink or collect the healing waters. Many of them, Issac and the others recognized as the former sick people of Imil, all looking healthy and much better than before.

"Oh! I do believe I have a bottle!" said Ivan, taking out an empty bottle with a cork from his bag.

Issac nodded. "Let's use any many bottles as we have and fill them up! One bottle might not be enough to heal Tret!"

Mia and Ignis watched in confusion as Issac, Garet, and Ivan took out as many empty bottles as they had and fill them with the Water of Hermes pouring from the Mercury Lighthouse, sealing them close with corks at the top.

"...Who's Tret?" wondered Ignis.

"A friend of ours who's deathly ill," said Ivan. "If we don't get this to him, he'll die."

"That sounds horrible!" gasped Mia. "Where is he?!"

"In Kolima Forest," replied Garet.

"That's a bit far from here...I've never traveled that far before, but I'll do my best to support you guys as we travel there tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? No, we gotta go there, now!"

"Excuse me! I'll have you know that since I'm leaving my hometown, I have to at least prepare myself and say goodbye to my loved ones! I can't just up and leave just like that!"

"Mia's right, Garet," assured Issac, placing a hand on his hotheaded friend's shoulder. "We're all exhausted and need to rest up for today. Mia can spend the rest of today preparing to leave tomorrow, and we can go explore the shops and get more supplies for our journey. As much as I'm worried for Tret, we'll go save him tomorrow."

"Well...I guess so."

"What about you, Ignis?" Ivan asked, turning to Ignis. "What are you going to do?"

Issac also turned his attention towards Ignis. "Yeah. Technically, this doesn't involve you, so you don't have to worry about our journey."

"Hey, wait! Mia wasn't involved before, yet you're allowing her to leave!" protested Ignis.

"Well, yeah, because she chose to leave," said Garet.

"Then...I want to come along, too!" Ignis decided.

"Are you sure? It's going to be dangerous," reminded Ivan.

"Even so, I want to! You guys told me that you recently started your journey, right? That means you don't have much experience out in the field. As for me, I've been a traveler for a while, and I've fought a lot of monsters and have gotten stronger. You might need someone help teach you how to fight, and I want to explore this world a lot more!"

"Well...you are strong. Much stronger than us, that much is certain," said Issac. "...Okay. I guess we do need someone to help guide us. Will you help us?"

"Of course! Let's do out best, Issac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia!"

As they were leaving for Imil, Mia perked up a question for her new friends. "By the way, who exactly is Tret, anyways? I know you told me he's a sick friend, but I feel like there's more to it.

Issac nodded. "There is. You might not believe me, but he's actually..."

* * *

 **Finished with this chapter! And school started for me! Ugh! I hate school! It's so hard and boring and I'm busy all the time! Still, I'm going to do my best, no matter what!**

 **So, I pretty much explained the beginning of the Golden Sun game through Issac and Garet's explanation, and if you want to know more, you can watch the walkthroughs of the game on YouTube or just play the game yourself or something. Also, that explanation Alex gave about why Garet wasn't weakened? That...was never put in the game. I had to look up online on theories of why Garet wasn't weakened, and TV Tropes gave me the answer. Not an official one, but something that sorta makes sense. I wish the game actually did give a more accurate explanation, though.**

 **Also, the Summons in the game are amazing! They're like, the most powerful things you can fight with during battles! They are like, OP in the game! Seriously, if you guys have the time, you can look up the collection of Summons and see how amazing they are! I lost count of how many times I used them in battle, especially in boss battles.**

 **In Golden Sun terms, if Ignis, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus were born in the Golden Sun world, they'd each be a different Adept, Like, Ignis would be a fire Adept, Aqua a water Adept, Terra being an earth Adept, and Ventus would be a wind Adept. It also fits the whole four elements category as well, so you know.**

 **Alright, with that said, read and review! This arc is gonna be a really long one!**


	27. Weyard (3)

**The Mercury Lighthouse part is done, and so, now's the continuation of Issac's journey to seek out the bad guys and stop the rest of the lighthouses from being lit! So, let's continue!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

"A tree."

Ignis, along with Issac and the others, were standing in front of a tree. But not just any tree. This was the most enormous tree that Ignis has ever seen in her life, and it made the trees in the forest in the Land of Departure miniature compared to this tree. What distinguished this tree out of the countless other trees in Kolima Forest, the forest they were in, this enormous tree had a face in it.

The face belonging to their group's sickly friend, Tret.

But Tret wasn't the only...tree being who had a face. Not too far from him, there was the second enormous tree in Kolima Forest, where instead of a masculine face, there was a feminine-looking face; a female tree being whose name was Laurel.

The story Ignis received from Issac and his friends before they left for the Mercury Lighthouse in Imil was this. The ruling lord of the town Bilibin, Lord McCoy, ordered the people of Kolima to chop down many trees within Kolima Forest so that the trees could serve as lumber for the construction of a palace that Lord McCoy's wife, Lady McCoy, wanted. However, this angered Tret, who used his powers to curse everyone in Kolima into trees, causing the deforestation process to come to a halt.

Lord McCoy then sent out a request for anyone to get rid of the curse, but anyone that went to Kolima Forest was instantly turned into trees. It was only thanks to the power of Psynergy that Issac and his friends avoided being turned into trees. They actually went to the inside of Tret, where they found a large dungeon within him and fought their way to the source of the man-tree, being forced to fight him in order to quell his anger. Once they defeated him, he managed to calm down, only to realize he needed to change the people back to normal. However, because of the heavy wounds he received in battle, as well as the cut marks he got from the villagers trying to cut him down, he had gotten so weak to the point of death. If he died, that meant that the entire Kolima Forest would die, and considering that Laurel and the people who were turned into trees would die as well, that was extremely terrible. Not just any healing Psynergy could fix him, thus prompting Issac and the others to visit the Mercury Lighthouse not just to prevent it from being lit, but also to discover the Water of Hermes.

Ignis didn't really believe the whole "Tret being an actual tree" truth until she saw for herself that Tret really was a tree. Well, even before then, she noticed that the entire forest was in a state of DEATH.

All of the leaves were crippled and in colors of red, brown, dark brown, and then black, the woodland creatures were in hiding from any terrifying monsters, and considering that the forest was dying, there wasn't a lot of good spots to hide from. In fact, the dying forest was an ideal place for monsters to hang around. Additionally, as they passed through to the forest, they saw corpses of dead animals lying from here and there; some being half-eaten, and some being in the process of being eaten by the monsters they fought. Many trees were shriveled to the point of being as thin as toothpicks, there wasn't an inch of green grass anywhere, only brown, and the air was deathly cold. One would think it would be winter sometime soon, except even with a forest's normal state of winter, this forest looked too unusual and deathly to be a forest about to enter the process of winter.

"Your friend, who's sick, and who you went through all the trouble to get the healing water for...is a _tree."_

Ivan turned to Ignis, who was still stunned by what she was seeing, and gave her an understanding look. "Yeah...I can see why anyone would be perplexed about this...particular situation."

"I'm with you, Ig!" said Garet. "If someone had told me that there was a talking, sick tree, I wouldn't believe them, either!"

"Don't call me-! Well, okay. I guess 'Ig' is okay. It's better than Iggy, after all."

"I hope the Water of Hermes medicine works. It's gotta! It's the famous, rare medicine that can cure any sickness and heal any wounds!"

Meanwhile, both Mia and Issac worked together to pour some bottles of the Water of Hermes into the tree of Tret, allowing the healing waters to seep into the roots of the sickly tree. At first, nothing happened as they awaited for any sudden changes to appear once they applied the liquified medicine into Tret, ruler of the Kolima Forest.

Suddenly, it felt as though the entire Kolima Forest was alit. The dying red and brown leaves within the Kolima Forest swiftly reverted to a verdant green color, the grass changed from a brownish color to a lush of green in blinding speeds, and sun rained down from the clear blue skies with a cool breeze to enjoy the environment; the warmth of the sun and coolness of the breeze being a perfect combination of a pleasant day.

The shriveled trees grew in size and were back to their sturdy and firm structures, woodland creatures popped out of their hiding spots and gazed in amazement at the new beauty of nature before them, and flowers began sprouting all over the place, creating fields of colorful flowers everywhere. It was as though a forest kingdom was in full bloom.

"I feel a great power spreading through me..." loomed Tret; his sickly tree structure now standing tall and firm back to its former glory like the other trees. "Life flows within me once again."

Opening her eyes, Laurel glanced over to Tret with a soft expression. "Tret...As you have recovered, so has our forest..."

"I am sorry to have worried you so, Laurel, " Tret apologized. "And to you too, young travelers."

Remembering the reason why they came to the Kolima Forest, Ignis jumped up. "Oh, right! I heard from Issac and the others that you turned the people of Kolima into trees! Please, you have to turn them back to human, Tret!"

Laurel spoke softly, "Tret, in your blind rage, you turned all of the people in Kolima-no, not just them, but anyone near Kolima into trees. Please, return them back to their state."

Remembering everything that had occurred during his blind rage, Tret quickly agreed. "Yes, that's right! I must hurry!" Closing his eyes, Tret concentrated on his powers, and a flash of sparkling light spread across the forest and the village of Kolima.

"...Did it work?" wondered Ignis.

"That should do it," declared Tret. "The people of Kolima are cursed no more."

Cheers burst from the group as they celebrated their success. Granted, Issac, Ivan, and Garet were the ones who approached the problem first and handled most of the situation, but with the help of both of their new female companions, Ignis and Mia, they were able to retrieve the Water of Hermes to help cure Tret, thus saving both Kolima Forest and the people of Kolima.

"To think that such a magical tree possess this much great power..." muttered Ivan in awe.

"Tret did not always possess this horrible power," Laurel explained.

"It only started when those strange gemstones fell from the sky," replied Tret.

"Gems from the sky...Do you think he means the Psynergy Stones?" wondered Garet.

Ignis turned to Garet. "Psynergy Stones? What are those?"

"Psynergy Stones are these purple, crystalized rocks that can restore an Adept's Psynergy back to its full amount," answered Ivan. "The small rocks disappear after one use, but the bigger ones remain permanently."

 _'I know I'm different than an Adept, so...would Psynergy Stones also help restore Magic Power?'_ thought Ignis. _'The next time I see a Psynergy Stone, I'm definitely testing that out!'_

"Still, do you really think Psynergy Stones caused all this trouble?" Garet asked.

Tret said, "I was indeed angry when the people laid waste to my forest. They had even taken their axes to me! Then, those gems fell into my branches, and then, all of a sudden, my fury overwhelmed me, and I was lost in anger!"

"The gems reached me when I was filled with sorrow," spoke Laurel sadly. "Our actions spoke our hearts' desires, but we had no idea."

"Those gems twisted my anger into a force beyond my control."

"Have any of the saplings been transformed by those stones, Tret?" Laurel asked.

"No," said Tret. "Only the elder trees were affected by the falling Psynergy Stones."

"There are others that this happened to?" asked Garet.

"So the same thing could be happening elsewhere!" exclaimed Ivan.

"You must have fought many monsters on your way here," said Laurel.

"Yeah, there were some pretty nasty monsters. Kinda animalistic, too," admitted Ignis.

Garet realized something and turned to his friends. "Those monsters...Maybe they were just animals that were..."

Ignis' eyes widened. "No...You can't be telling me that animals can somehow turn into actual monsters, can you?!"

"Hmm..." Ivan pondered on the issue. "It is entirely possible...After all, very rarely do travelers deal with monsters, but nowadays, they started popping up everywhere, thus increasing the need for warriors and mercenaries for protection."

"Could the Psynergy Stones somehow have transformed the poor animals into monsters?" theorized Mia.

Given the evidence and personal experience himself, Tret had to agree with the theory. "Once, they were pure of heart...Those gems have brought a great evil to this world..."

Closing her eyes, Laurel concentrated and revealed to have powers of her own, scanning through something in the form of glittering light that coursed throughout the forest.

"Oh! Laurel, you were given powers, too?" asked Ivan, surprised.

"Considering that Psynergy Stones were dropped onto her, I wouldn't be surprised," said Ignis.

"Different than my own, but still stemming from the same source," said Tret. "Had her powers had been more powerful than my own, she could have quelled my anger and freed the people of Kolima long ago."

"So...what's she doing?" Ignis asked. "The people of Kolima have already turned back to humans, right?"

"Wait, you will soon see," informed Tret patiently. After a while, the sparkling light ceased to a stop, prompting Tret to ask, "'What did you see, Laurel?"

"...It's true. Even the animals have become monsters," replied Laurel. "And beyond the river, the river that feeds our forest, an evil forest has risen up to the south of the river."

"Will you be heading south across the river?" Tret asked Issac's party.

"South from here is the Kolima Bridge," reminded Ivan. "The bridge we couldn't get pass because the drawbridge keeper was also turned into a tree? I believe that's where we have to go next, Issac."

Tret continued, "If you plan to go there, that area will only grow more dangerous as time passes. If you must go, you'd better hurry."

"How...'evil' are we talking here?" Ignis asked. "Does this forest have...giant, talking trees like yourselves?"

"No," answered Laurel. "But there is a much more sinister presence lurking within the forest to the south. A presence even more dangerous and stronger than Tret when he was angered. Are you and your friends willing to accomplish the challenge ahead?"

Issac nodded. "Of course. It's highly possible that our quest will lead us ahead of the forest, and we'll march there ourselves. Thank you very much for your warning, Tret and Laurel."

Tret spoke, "I owe you a great debt. You have saved Kolima, the forest, and me."

"May your roots dig deep and your branches reach high," said Laurel, wishing Issac and his companions luck in their journey as she and Tret watched the five friends leave. "Oh, how wonderful it must be, to be kindhearted humans like them..."

Tret couldn't agree more. "Yes, even though humans can be detestable at times, it appears there is also good-willed humans like those kids. Surely, no bad seeds are within them-"

"Ehhhh?! What do you mean we're not going back to Bilibin?! I thought we were going back to get our reward, Issac!"

"Two things, Garet. One, we didn't do this for a reward. We did this to save the innocent people of Kolima and anyone else who was turned into trees. Two, we'd only be wasting time going back there when we could just go to the Kolima Bridge right now. Isn't that right, Ivan?"

"Y-Yeah. It's possible that the road to the next lighthouse is just beyond that forest Tret and Laurel mentioned. Let's go!"

"Hold on! We need more supplies! And I bet the people of Kolima are willing to let us have some! Ignis, will you help me with the cooking materials?"

"Oh, yeah! Good idea, Mia! Let's buy some supplies and then head out towards the bridge!"

"Can't we spend the night in Kolima? We'll need all our energy for tomorrow!"

"We can just camp outside if we can't make it to the bridge today, Garet. Jeez, it's like you have something against camping or something."

"For your information, Ig, I actually do! I hate bugs! And stupid tree branches fly right to my face! It's like forests hate me!"

"Yeah, that's really nobody's fault but yours, Garet."

"Not you too, Issac! I thought you were my best pal! Back me up here!"

"Yeah, no. And you better not try and burn those flies the next time they come towards you! Last time you did that, you actually almost burned a whole forest down and we ended up grounded!"

"A whole forest? Heh, that's nothing! I once blew up a mountain!"

"You're obviously lying, Ignis!"

"I am not!"

"..." Tret sighed and shook his face as Laurel giggled. "Then again, I suppose even good-willed children like them...can be very noisy and troublesome.

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

"Keep it up, Issac! That monster's nearly defeated! Ivan, cast wind Psynergy as a barrier! Mia, freeze the nearest opponent! Garet, help out Ivan!" called out Ignis, being on standby as she served as a temporary tactician for her team. She stood in the back and was instructing the others to the best of her ability, providing support through healing and defensive spells.

Compared to her own battle experience, Issac and the others were still newbies and they had a long way to go before they could become much more stronger than they were back in the Mercury Lighthouse. As the most experienced fighter, as well as oldest, considering she was at least 1 year older than them except for Garet who was the same age as her, she felt it was her responsibility to look after them and teach them to the best of her ability. Just like with Arthur, she won't always be around, so they'll need to fend for themselves once she decides to leave, which wouldn't be anytime soon.

Following Ignis' orders, the party prevailed in their current battle. Issac had cut down the monster he was fighting as Mia use her water Psynergy to completely freeze an opponent several times bigger than her. After Issac defeated his monster, he saw Mia freezing her target, so he helped out by rushing forward and then slashing the frozen target in half, receiving a nod of gratitude from Mia.

Because of the wind barrier that Ivan put up, not only did Ivan protected himself, but his monster target was unable to get closer to the frail wind mage due to the pressuring winds. While the monster was distracted, Garet charged in and finished off the monster with one heave of his axe, successfully bringing victory for both him and Ivan.

Just before the party could rest, a large monster suddenly came crashing down and unleashed a fiery blast that affected the area, leaving the party severely injured from the ambush attack. As Ignis and Mia began applying healing spells as quickly as possible, a weakened Ivan, Garet, and Issac began to fight back. Ivan used a regular Jupiter Summons to attack from far range as Issac and Garet moved in with a pincer strike, unleashing Djinn-filled attacks with their weapons.

Unfortunately, even when those attacks took contact, the monster wasn't down yet and swept with its arm, knocking back the three boys and leaving Mia and Ignis as the only fighters remaining. Worst, the monster still had fight left in it, as it began charging a beam attack from its mouth.

"W-What do we do?!" exclaimed Mia, turning to Ignis. "Ignis!"

Ignis nodded and held firmly onto Phoenix Fairy. "Just concentrate on healing Garet and the others! I've got this!" She closed her eyes and pointed her Keyblade at the monster. Instead of putting up a defensive barrier like she normally would, she casted a different spell instead; a different kind of spell from a type of magic she's been wanting to try out.

"Seal!"

A magic circle appeared on the monster's forehead as lightning crackled around the edges of the magic circle, causing the beam charge to cease. The monster growled and moved around violently, experiencing a major headache as it was unable to remove the magic circle from its forehead. Whatever Ignis had done, she had stopped any further Psynergy attacks from the monster.

The spell Ignis had cast was a recently new one called Seal from the sealing magic she's been trying to learn from one of the magic books. This spell could only temporarily seal a single target's magic power, which proved that magic and Psynergy were essentially the same, though still a little different from each other. Ignis had been practicing the basic spell on the monsters in the world of Weyard for a while. At first, the spell didn't work, which was natural since she was new to sealing magic, but after a while, she started slowly successfully casting the sealing magic on monsters that had the ability to cast Psynergy themselves.

The basic sealing spell didn't last long, though, and she knew that she hadn't completely perfected it. But, like her other spells, she knew if she kept practicing, she would eventually master the basic spell and then move onto the other sealing spells within the magic book of sealing. And not just that, she's been also training herself with the other magic books to grow stronger, but for now, she'll settle with the sealing spell.

Ignis charged forward as Mia tended to the nearest person to heal. She moved her head to dodge a bite attack from the monster and thrusted her Keyblade multiple times before finishing it off with a slash attack, killing it. Just before it collapsed, Ignis nimbly backflipped out of the way, accidentally stepping on Garet who was still lying on the ground.

"GAH!"

"Oops! Sorry!"

After healing all of their injured companions, Mia and Ignis sat down on the ground to rest. They had thought that they would arrive at the Kolima Bridge much sooner, but they clearly underestimated the obstacles that blocked their path; the monsters. Even with an experienced fighter on their team, it still proved to be a task to reach the bridge with all of the monsters randomly getting in their way. On one hand, it was extremely annoying and tiresome, but on the other, it did prove to be beneficial and have valuable fighting experience for the group.

Glancing up at the sky, Ivan suggested, "How about we stop here for the day? The sky's going to turn a bit darker within the next hour, so we should camp."

Garet followed Ivan's gaze and frowned. "What? But it's still bright out! We can still keep going!"

"No, Ivan's right. We need time to set up camp and cook dinner."

"Awww, are you serious? I wanted to go a few more rounds with more monsters!" complained Garet before receiving blank stares from his friends. "...What? What did I say?"

"You...You want to continue despite being blasted in the face by the last monster?" asked Ignis, dumbfounded. "Look, I like fighting just as much as you, but even I wouldn't continue fighting if I was blasted in the face!"

Issac sighed, shaking his head. "Garet...He's always been one to get into fights. This time, it's no exception."

"Come on, Garet! It's going to get late!" scolded Mia.

"But...I wanna get more stronger by slaying more monsters!" Garet whined. "Besides, we still need to go hunting for food!"

"Uh...do you not see the huge monster lying dead on the ground?" Ivan pointed out, addressing to the large monster that gave them trouble earlier.

"Oh...Well, I still wanna fight!"

"Garet, you're acting like a child," sighed Mia, shaking her head before noticing Ignis stepping forward. "Ignis?"

"Okay, Garet. Let's make a deal," offered Ignis, holding tightly onto her Keyblade. "Let's have a one-on-one match. Right now. Just you and me. If I win, then we stop everything and then camp right here. But, if you win, we'll continue walking for another hour before stopping, alright? We're bound to keep finding monsters if we continue walking."

"Well...alright! I've been itching to fight you for a while now!" Garet said, grinning widely as he heaved his axe over his head.

Ignis glanced over to Issac and the others. "And what about you guys?"

"I don't mind."

"That's fine with me!"

"Boys...alright, then. But just for a little while! We'll be on the lookout for any monsters during your fight!"

"Okay, thanks!" Ignis turned back to Garet. "Sorry for the wait! You ready, Garet?"

"Yeah! Bring it on!" Garet glanced towards the spectators, Issac, Ivan, and Mia. "You guys are rooting for me, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Sure, we are!"

"Don't worry! We're cheering you on!"

"Thanks!"

As the battle began between the two redheads, Issac whispered to Mia and Ivan, "He is so screwed."

"Yeah, he is," agreed Mia, nodding her head.

"I mean, it's not even hard to figure out who the winner will be. Between an inexperienced fighter and an experienced one, it's clear who the victor will be," summarized Ivan.

Because Garet focuses a lot of physical strength, Ignis could tell he was a lot like Terra; slow, but very strong physically. Despite that, if he and Terra were to have a match with each other, there can be no doubt that Terra would end up the victor.

Right now, Ignis was testing Garet's skills in the one-on-one match. Fighting with monsters and fighting with humans are two different things, especially if one human fights another human to test out how good they are in combat. Ignis was more skilled in speed, technique, and in her best specialty, defense, than Garet. The only advantage Garet has over Ignis right now is the fact that he has more physical strength than she is, though in comparison to his strength and Terra's, Terra would be much stronger physically than Garet.

Testing out Garet's strength, she engaged in blocking and locking weapons with each other, quickly discovering the advantage that Garet had on her. In fact, whenever they locked weapons with one another, Ignis always found her arms struggling to hold back Garet's axe and herself down on one knee; her body trembling not from fear, but from the pressure of Garet's intense strength.

"Ha! I'm winning!" cheered Garet, trying to push more of his strength downwards onto Ignis' Keyblade.

Ignis grinned herself...before shoving a foot onto one of Garet's legs as fast and hard as she could. Startled, Garet was forced down to one knee and his axe clank to the ground on his side. Taking advantage of the wide opening, Ignis placed her Keyblade on top of Garet's head.

"Give up?"

Garet then slapped Ignis' Keyblade out of his face and jumped back, abandoning his axe as he focused on his fire Psynergy to shoot from a distance. "Never!" he declared as a surge of fire power began forming at his palm. "Fireball!"

A large fireball burst from his palm and shot straight towards Ignis. "Quake!" shouted Ignis, raising Phoenix Fairy high in the air, thus causing a wall of earth to rise from the ground and protect her from the fireball. Once the fireball hit the earthen wall, it caused a mild explosion, creating enough damage for cracks to form all across the earth wall and for bits of earth to be sent flying around. One of them scratched Ignis' cheek, making a mild cut that she would tend to later.

Some of the other bits of earth flew towards Issac and the others, but in order to protect them, Issac produced his own earth wall to protect them. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the difference between his earth Psynergy and Ignis' earth magic. He saw that the fight between Ignis and Garet was continuing thanks to Garet's stubbornness and unwillingness to give up, but he wanted to focus on something he found interesting.

"Ignis," he called out. "If possible, would it be okay if you focused only on earth Psynergy for now? I want to see what kind of earth spells you can utilize?"

Ignis gave him a thumbs up. "A simple request! Although, it's not Psynergy, it's magic!" She returned to the battle, flinging away Garet's axe with a sword technique before dodging a fireball from him.

Fighting Garet like this, although he was still annoyingly persistent, reminded Ignis of the times when she clashed with Terra during their training days. She lost track of the winning and losing records between them, but she was fairly certain that Terra won more times than her, though she refused to admit it out loud to him.

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _An 11-year old Ignis was caked in sweat and dirt from training with Terra in fights over and over again. The 14-year old Terra was also exhausted, but still willing to continue just as much as little Ignis was._

 _Panting, Ignis casted enhancement magic on herself, granting her temporary high strength to match Terra's power before running towards him and swinging down her Keyblade. But, Terra sidestepped out of the way, sent her Keyblade flying out of her hands with a powerful slash, and stuck his foot out to make her trip. Just before Ignis' face could be flatten into the dirt, her arm was caught by Terra, leaving her dangling in the air before the older boy put her down gently on the ground._

 _"Man! I lost again!" complained Ignis, summoning Phoenix Fairy from wherever it flew from. "Let's go again!"_

 _"Ignis, it's almost bedtime. I think it's time to stop," advised Terra before grinning. "Besides, I'd probably kick your butt again, anyways."_

 _"No! I'll beat you! Next time! And if I can't, then the next time after that! And-"_

 _"Ignis! Terra! Come inside! I made cake!" called out an 13-year old Aqua, stepping outside with a bit of cake batter on her face and apron.  
_

 _"Cake?!" gasped Ignis, dropping any plans she had of beating Terra before zooming towards Aqua, tugging on her arm and jumping up and down. "Can I have the biggest piece?! Can I, can I-"_

 _"Okay, okay!"_

 _"Yay!"_

 _"You'll get the smallest piece."_

 _'"What?! NO!"_

 _Eraqus, who was supervising Terra and Ignis' fights, chuckled as he walked over to his oldest apprentice and patted him on the shoulder. "You are certainly improving, Terra. Good work."_

 _"Thank you, Master Eraqus," thanked Terra, bowing his head in respect towards his master. "All that I learned, is thanks to you, Master."_

 _Eraqus shook his head. "While I am a big part of your training, I also must disagree. Both Aqua and Ignis have also helped with your training and have helped teach you a few lessons that I myself cannot teach alone."_

 _"Master? What do you mean?"_

 _"For instance, you rely solely on strength. Yes, strength is important in a battle, but that mustn't be the only thing you can rely on in a real battle. Because of Aqua, you're now much better at magic, and because of Ignis, you've learned to channel your strength and focus on many other advantages in battle."_

 _"I...you are correct, Master."_

 _"However, as the oldest, I encourage you to help the younglings as well. You must help Aqua improve in other areas than just magic, and Ignis in...well, all kinds. I will help out as well, but this is also good practice for when you take in an apprentice. It may be difficult, but-"_

 _"No, I understand, Master! I will do my best!"_

* * *

Garet's axe was sent flying up in the air before it dug deep in the ground several meters away from them after Ignis knocked the heavy weapon out of his hands. Knowing he had no time to cast Psynergy to defend himself, Garet charged forward with the intention to tackle her. Ignis sidestepped out of the way, putting out her foot intentionally to trip him. Garet fell for it, tripping over her foot...

And falling facedown on the dirt.

Unlike Terra, she had her...own methods of doing things. She recalled when she was stubborn and reckless as Garet when she was younger; Terra would always try and be a bit of a gentleman even during fights with her. The move she performed just now was something Terra had done to her a few times in the past, but he always caught her by the arm each time.

But her? She decided to screw around and let Garet fall.

"Plah! Bah!" cried out Garet, spitting out dirt from his mouth.

"You could have totally dodged that," Ignis stated.

"Pfft! Whatever! That-That was a false alarm! A trick! I can go again!"

Issac sighed and walked over, offering his friend his hand. "Garet, you've been trying to fight Ignis for over 5 times now. It's over. Give up. You _lost."_

"I-"

"Garet, if you so much as try and fight again, I'm gonna freeze you for the whole night and we won't feed you dinner," threatened Mia, bearing a smile on her face.

"Okay, I surrender," said Garet quickly, instantly terrified of Mia.

Ivan sweatdropped. "You know, we could have done that from the start."

"I know, right? But then again, it was pretty good training," admitted Ignis, stretching her limbs. "Now, come on! Let's set up camp!"

"Oh, this is my first time camping out! I'm so excited!" said Mia, clapping her hands together. "Ignis, will you help me with the cooking?"

"Yeah...I'm not the best cook around. I once burned down a kitchen, so yeah..."

"Oh, wow. You're worst at cooking than me," commented Garet, snickering. "I, at least, don't go around burning kitchens like an _idiot_ would."

It took both Issac and Ivan to stop Ignis from downright murdering Garet.

"I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

"Ignis, calm down!"

"Garet, seriously?!"

Much later, the group found themselves sitting altogether at a campfire, eating and chatting with each other. It looked as though the five of them were on a camping trip, enjoying their time as they gathered around the campfire. The only thing missing was campfire songs, ghost stores, and smores, although in the world of Weyard, smores didn't exist.

"Still, your cooking is amazing, Mia!" said Garet, chowing down on his food.

"Garet, it's probably best not to eat with your mouth full," scolded Ivan, despite also eating the food while talking.

"Ah, you hypocrite!"

"There's still a bit more, so you two can have seconds!" encouraged Mia.

"I'm surprised by today's cooking. I thought you said that you were terrible at it, Ignis," Issac said, turning to her.

"Well...this was our fourth attempt," admitted Ignis, looking tired. "I can't believe how many times I messed up the cooking. I mean, I haven't attempted to cook since my incident, but still..."

"I still can't believe it, either," Mia agreed. "Chopping those vegetables too big, burning the food into ash, and you even put boiling water on fire! FIRE! I didn't even know that was even possible!"

"Yeah...I've still got a long ways to go before being a master chef. Yeah, I don't think I can ever cook to save my life."

"How does one even put water on fire?" wondered Ivan, curious. "That should scientifically be impossible."

"Look, I dunno, either, and I don't wanna talk about it anymore. Let's just eat and talk about something else," whined Ignis. "I know I'm a god awful cook, but you guys didn't really need to rub it in! I mean, you weren't really trying to-You know what I mean!"

"We're sorry if we hurt your feelings, Ignis," apologized Issac.

Ignis shrugged it off. "Nah, it's fine. I wasn't that offended. I'm fully aware that I can't cook."

"Which is why from now, I'll be teaching you cooking lessons!" offered Mia.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I never agreed to this!"

"Well, you're going to, and that's that! You guys, too!"

"Wait, what?" wondered Issac, surprised.

"Why?! I've got better things to do!" complained Garet loudly.

Ivan blinked. "Ah...well, I can cook a bit. In fact, I was the cook before you and Ignis showed up, Mia, so I guess-"

"Shush! All of you!" yelled Mia. "What if something happens and I can't cook?"

"...We'd order dinner in an inn?" suggested Garet.

"What if we're sleeping in the wilderness, then? What then? You can't exactly order food in the wild! So, we're gonna hold cooking lessons! And I don't wanna hear any complaints! Today, me and Ignis cooked, so tomorrow, it'll be Garet's lesson, then the next day after that, Issac, and then Ivan!"

"Aww, come on! Why am I the next one?"

"Because you're a terrible cook!"

"Hmm...I guess it wouldn't be too bad," said Issac, rubbing his chin. "In case of an emergency, we do need to learn how to cook."

"Come on, Issac! Not you, too!" complained Garet. "Fine, let's have a vote! Raise your hands if you want the cooking lessons!"

Issac, Mia, and Ivan raised their hands. And since it was just the five of them, it meant that only Garet and Ignis didn't raise their hands, meaning a 3-2 vote. It was decided that the cooking lessons would commence.

"It's decided, then. Mia, I hope we're not placing too much responsibility onto you," Issac said, looking at her with concern.

Mia smiled and shook her head. "Oh, no. It's alright. I quite enjoy cooking, after all. But, I will be a strict teacher! Healing isn't the only thing I'm good at, after all!"

"I'd love to learn more about healing from you, Mia!" said Ignis. "Compared to my healing spells, yours seem a lot more effective than mine."

Mia looked surprised. "Really? I couldn't tell the difference."

Ivan raised his hand. "I did, in a way. You see, Mia, your healing is, like Ignis said, much more effective, but it is slow and time-consuming. On the other hand, Ignis' healing is fast and instant, but, its effectiveness isn't...well, effective enough like yours."

"Huh. I guess both your healing and mine have both strengths and weaknesses," said Ignis. "Still, I think your healing is much more superior than mine."

Mia shook her head. "Oh, no, I can't take all of the credit. Honestly, it's frustrating that my healing is very slow, even if it is really effective."

"Why don't the two of you learn from each other, then?" suggested Issac. "Mia can learn how to cast her Ply Psynergy much faster, while Ignis can be taught how to cast healing spells more effectively."

"Yeah! What do you say, Mia?" asked Ignis.

Mia nodded. "Of course! If it'll make my healing Psynergy much more stronger, even if a little, it's worth it to save more lives! That, and you also benefit from it, as well!"

"Great! I guess we can start tomorrow as we're traveling to the bridge!"

"That reminds me. I wanted to talk to you, Ignis," spoke Issac.

"Yeah?" asked Ignis, turning to the leader of the group. "What's up?"

"It's...it's your earth magic. I've taken a certain interest in it."

"Oh, because you're a earth Adept?"

"The technical term is 'Venus Adept,' but yeah. Also because of that. But also because I've noticed differences between your earth magic and my earth Psynergy. I don't mean to sound rude or anything but your earth magic is...weak. Unrefined. Needs a lot more work."

"What?!" exclaimed Ignis.

Issac raised his hands to show no hostility. "Before you say anything, let me finish. Earlier, Garet casted a fireball at you, and you blocked it with an earth wall. While it did succeed in blocking it, it was close to being destroyed if one more fireball hit it. I've noticed several flaws in your earth magic."

"...To be honest, I'm not really a huge fan of earth magic," said Ignis. "I hardly use it a lot, but I still know it."

"Maybe that's one reason why your earth magic isn't refined. The less you use it, the more weaker it becomes. It's...it's like leaving a sandwich out for days. It'll grow moldy and non-edible."

"That...I mean, I get the lesson, but I doubt that's a good example," said Ivan. "But you're right. I also noticed you casting thunder and wind magic. It's strong, but it's not composed and firm like my wind Psynergy, Ignis. Yours is just...wild and a bit out of control. Having strong magic is good, but if you can't control it, you'll not only hurt others, but yourself as well. Like a double-edge blade."

"I...I never really noticed," admitted Ignis, looking ashamed. "Well, what about my fire and water magic? And my ice magic, too?"

"Same thing, here," agreed Mia. "Your water spells seem a lot weaker than mine."

"But I even used tier 2 and tier 3 type spells!"

"Tier?"

"Where I come from, it's sorta like a magic system. Tier 1 is the weakest type of magic, and the most basic of spells. Tier 2 is the second type of magic and more stronger than tier 1. After that, the numbers increase, and the more they do, the more powerful and complex the magic spells become. It begins from Level 1 and...well, I'm not sure how many tiers there are, but they are very strong and difficult to control at times!"

"I admit, your magic is strong based on power," admitted Ivan. "But in terms of control and precision? It's like a wild animal running out of control. Mastering something will help you control it, thus making you much more stronger and smarter at the same time."

"Oh...I guess compared to you guys, I'm a novice. I guess I have a lot more to learn about magic, and Psynergy, of course," admitted Ignis, gloomed.

"It's the same with us," said Issac. "We're still trying to learn about more new, powerful Psynergy, so we're just as much as novices as you. The only reasons we were able to control our Psynergy better is because of the nature we were born in, and because we had teachers as well."

"Yes. My father taught me and Alex Mercury Psynergy in the frigid cold winters of Imil," spoke Mia.

"I had a teacher, too! Although, by the way you were saying it, I'm guessing you guys all have more than one teacher," said Ignis, receiving nods from her friends. "Okay, fine! I guess I do need to refine my magic! I'm learning new types of magic spells. In fact, I guess because I have, I've been...unknowingly neglecting to practice the other types."

"That's why we're going to help you," said Issac. "In exchange, you can help us as well."

"With what?"

"Training, of course! Your battle experiences must have taught you a lot! Like, besides just swordsmanship! I believe that you can teach us so we can get better! I mean, I learned a lot while watching you and Garet fight! I could use more lessons like that!"

"Wow, way to make me the scapegoat to learn more," said Garet sarcastically. "But, yeah, Issac has a point. I could learn from you, too."

"Me, too!" said Ivan and Mia.

"Okay...so in exchange for all of you helping to improve my magic, all I have to do is help you train and get stronger in close combat with my sword skills? Sure! Seems good enough for me!"

"Then, it's settled! Come on, guys. We should tuck in early. We're going to need it for tomorrow."

"Who was on lookout duty again?"

"I think Ivan was!"

"No way! If anything, it should be you, Garet!"

"Why me?"

"Well, I did kick your ass 5 times-"

"Don't remind me!"

"Garet, calm down! Don't use your fire Psynergy on the campfire!"

* * *

 **Yes. Before you all ask, I am not kidding. Tret and Laurel are actually talking trees from the Golden Sun game. Tret's angry face portrait was a little scary, but I got over it quickly. How a tree can even fight from inside himself, I don't get. Then again, this is an RPG, so...magical bullshit is the answer.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this! Read and review!**


	28. Weyard (4)

**Wow, I am so sorry for the wait, but now I'm back and up and running!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

Early the next morning, the group of five traveled their way towards Kolima Bridge, and because they lifted the curse off of Kolima Forest, the gatekeeper of Kolima Bridge was back to normal just like the other citizens of Kolima. However, because he was a bit far from the forest, he had no knowledge of why or how he was turned into a tree, thus he didn't know Issac and his group were the ones that took care of the curse. Other than that, he seemed to be a friendly gatekeeper that was more than happy to let down the bridge for them.

After crossing the bridge, the only obstacles between them and the next possible town was the few weak monsters that got in their way. After taking care of them quickly, the group didn't reach a town, but rather a village-like temple with a large waterfall cascading from the background.

"Ooh! A temple! I've never been to one before! I heard that temples have bald people called monks! I wanna meet one!" said Ignis; eyes glimmering with stars.

"I hear they're bald only because they've willingly shaved off their own hair, although I forgot why," admitted Ivan.

"Why would anyone want to shave their own hair? That's stupid," scoffed Garet.

"Ahem!" Turning around, the group saw a monk not too far from them, having overheard what they said. "If you strangers must know, it's tradition and helps us with our training."

Mia stepped forward and bowed her head. "Oh! I am so sorry for my friends and their rude remarks! Please forgive them!"

"Yeah, I also apologize on their behalf," spoke up Issac.

Ivan, feeling awful that his two friends were apologizing for them, gently nudged both Garet and Ignis with his staff. "Come on, guys! You should apologize too!"

"You're right...Sorry for calling you bald and offending you," apologized Ignis. When she noticed that Garet wasn't saying anything, she got irritated and whacked him on the head.

"Ow! Hey!" Garet rubbed the back of his head, having received the message to shape up before turning to the monk. "Right...sorry for what I said."

The monk nodded. "I accept your apology fully. Besides, you are not the first stranger to have commented on our...strange customs. Welcome to the Fuchin Temple. We don't get many visitors, but please, make yourselves at home."

Issac nodded. "Thank you for your offer. We shall accept."

"If it isn't too much trouble, may I ask how you got here? Is the bridge open again?"

"The bridge? Yeah, we just crossed it a little while ago," answered Garet.

A man, likely not a Fuchin monk due to his casual village attire and mop-like hair overheard them and rushed forward. "Really?! Then I can go home to Kolima now?! I thought I'd never go home, what with the cursed forest and all!" With that said, he ran past the group, likely heading towards the Kolima Bridge.

"Gems from the sky! Blue lights in the north! A rain of broken stars! A forest suddenly grows! All omens of disaster!" shrieked one of the nearby monks, who was running around in a panicked state. "It is truly the end! Destruction will come upon us soon enough!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Uh...what?" Garet was the first to speak up, breaking the silence that came from the group, with the only noises coming from the shrieking monk.

"S-Should we do something?" wondered Ivan, feeling uncomfortable.

Ignis walked up to the shrieking monk, who kept going on about the end of the world. "Hey, sir? Mister? Hey. Hey!" No matter how much she shouted over him, he still went on, ranting about the end of the world. To her friends' surprise, she grabbed him by the collar of his robes and began lightly slapping him multiple times to snap him out of it.

"Um...Ignis? I think he's had enough," spoke up Mia gently. Ignis glanced at her, then back at the monk...before slapping him one last time for good measure. "Ignis!"

"What? It was just one last time," Ignis said, putting down the monk gently back to his feet. "Okay, have you calmed down?"

"Ah...Ha...The end...! The end is-"

"Okay, if you finish that sentence, I'm gonna slap you again," warned Ignis, annoyed.

"I-I apologize," apologized the monk as Ignis' friends found it easier to approach the monk now without discomfort. "It's just that lately...many stars fell from the sky! They match legends of destruction described in our oldest scrolls! P-Please excuse me! I must console myself by discussing with my fellow elder monks!"

After the rambling monk left, Ivan spoke up. "Do you think he was talking about all of the events that's been happening recently?"

"Let's see..." said Issac. "Gems from the sky...Gotta be the Psynergy Stones...he mentioned something about blue lights?"

"I think that must be the Mercury Lighthouse," stated Mia.

"Right...a rain of broken stars?"

"I think it was those falling rocks we saw at the beginning of our journey," pointed out Garet.

"That, or just Psynergy Stones...And...A forest suddenly growing?"

"I think he's referring to Kolima Forest," said Ignis. "Whoo! We solved the mystery!"

"Just because we know what's been happening, doesn't mean the monks here do," said Ivan. "Then again, we should keep this all to ourselves for the sake of secrecy. That and it is quite a hassle to explain to people uninvolved with our quest."

"Agreed."

"Same here."

"Yup."

"Definitely."

Exploring around Fuchin Temple, the group found several monks doing different things in their own time. Some were reading scrolls, including the rambling monk from earlier, some were meditating, specifically one under the rushing waterfall, and others were just walking around doing labor duty. They talked to a few of them, and besides all of the rambling about the destruction of the world, one monk had said something else of interest.

"Nyunpa has not eaten in days. He is going to waste away to nothing!"

"Who's Nyunpa?" wondered Ignis.

"The head monk. He's currently inside the main meditation temple and he hasn't been out for a long time! Oh, I do wonder what we can do to help..."

Curious, Issac's group entered the main meditation temple, where the head monk, Nyunpa, was said to be residing. As clear as day, they saw an elderly afro-haired man meditating in the middle of the room in complete concentration, oblivious to his surroundings, as he didn't even greet the intruders at his front door.

"We're sorry to intrude on you, sir, but we'd like to talk to you, if possible," spoke Mia politely.

"..."

"We...We don't mean to disturb you, but we'd like to ask you some questions," requested Issac. "We'll leave you be as soon as finish, we promise."

"..."

"It won't take that long! Just a few minutes of your time, please!" said Ivan.

"..."

"...Is this guy asleep or dead?!" wondered Garet impatiently before stomping up to Nyunpa.

"Garet, wait-!" called out Ivan.

Ignoring him, Garet started poking Nyunpa in the face lightly, wanting to get a reaction from him. So far, nothing happened. Growing more impatient, Garet poked even harder, probing at his eyelids, mouth, nose, and cheeks, but no reaction whatsoever.

"Garet, don't provoke him!" scolded Mia.

"Wow, that guy's got a real hard poker face," commented Ignis, walking towards Nyunpa. "Here, lemme try." Instead of poking his face, she tried grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth, but no reaction came from that action.

"...Should we come back later?" wondered Ivan.

"The monks said that their head monk has been like this for days. I doubt that'll work, though," said Issac.

"If he's been like this for days, then have has he survived?" asked Ignis. "Seriously, he should literally be dead by now."

"...I got it! Let's get some cold water and splash it onto him!" suggested Garet.

"No! We're not doing that!" objected Mia, rushing over and shielding Nyunpa.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?"

"Ooh! There's pots around here! Let's break them! Maybe that'll wake him up!" said Ignis. "And maybe, as a bonus, we can find something else, like gold coins!"

"No, I doubt vandalizing is the answer, either!" said Issac, stopping her.

"Hmm...Okay! What if I try to Mind Read him?" suggested Ivan, walking up to the elderly head monk.

"Wait, Mind Read? You have the power to mind read people?" wondered Ignis, surprise.

"Y-Yes, that's correct, although it's not a power I like to use a lot."

"Awesome! Wait, if that's true, then read my mind! Come on, I wanna see this power for myself! Okay, I'm gonna think of a number between 1 and 5, so guess which number I'm thinking!"

"Um..." Ivan looked a bit unsure whether he should use his power or not, but then he felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder. "Issac?"

"I think you should do it. Make Ignis experience your power. She's one of us now, after all," offered Issac.

"Yeah! Do it!" cheered Ignis. _'It'll be a bit unfair, but I won't even think of a number! I'll just think of a song...Ooh! I Burn! Yeah!'_

Ivan nodded, decided to try out Mind Read on Ignis before stepping in front of her and closing his eyes to concentrate on his Psynergy, trying to read her thoughts. Because she wasn't an Adept, Ignis didn't feel anything prior to the effects of Mind Read, whereas Ivan easily gained access to her mind and sweatdropped when he intercepted her mind's thoughts as not a number as she claimed earlier, but rather a song she seems to be singing in her mind.

 _'She's...She's singing a song? She definitely lied about the whole number thing! Then again, she was testing me, so she'll definitely believe me when I tell her the right answer,'_ thought Ivan. Out of curiosity, and to check her background to see if she was a good person or not, he divulged deeper into her mind, and learned things that he...hadn't expected.

Seeing Ivan startled and taking a few steps back, Ignis thought something went wrong. "H-hey, is everything alright? Uh...was my mind really that overwhelming? Aha..."

Ivan snapped out of it and shook his head, offering her a smile. "No, it's not that...Um...So you didn't think of a number...You were thinking, or rather think-singing a song in your head."

Ignis' eyes sparkled with joy as she now acknowledged Ivan's mind-reading powers. "Oh, wow! You guessed it right! Good job!"

"Wait, I thought you said that you were going to think of a number! You liar!" accused Garet.

Ignis pouted, turning to him. "Well, obviously it was a test! I wanted to test him a bit! I thought it'd be better to think of a song than a number, and my plan worked as planned!"

"Y-Yeah, good job..." congratulated Ivan, trying to smile. _'What...what was that? What was that I just learned just now? What's a Keyblade? Unversed? Other worlds? As much as I want to read her mind more, I need more time. If I just stood there a bit longer, Ignis would have gotten suspicious. She...she definitely possesses magic I've never seen before, so there might be a chance that she could have attacked me with that strange magic. Still...'_

* * *

 _Flashbacks..._

 _Rushing towards Robin Hood and the prisoners, Ignis stood her ground as the arrows drew near, deciding to use an extra strong shield spell not only to defend against the arrows but also to buy everyone else some time._

 _"Barriera, nya!"_

 _A stronger version of the Barrier spell protected the prisoners and Robin Hood, fending off the arrows as though they were little paper balls. Because Ignis herself was inside the Barriera spell, not even the archer's arrows could hit her. But at the same time, because she was busy holding up the Barrier spell, she couldn't do anything else either._

 _Assisting Ignis, both Robin Hood and Little John unloaded a large bundle of barrels filled with wine from a large wagon and had them rolling towards the archers and other soldiers that were hindering their way out. The barrels of wine made contact and crashed into the soldiers, splashing them with enough wine to get them drunk and knocked unconscious. With the wagon empty, Robin Hood and Little John hurried to place the prisoners onto the wagon as Ignis continued holding up the barrier._

 _"That's all of them! Get going!" shouted Robin Hood, handing one of the smaller prisoners to Friar Tuck. He rushed over and pulled the castle lever, releasing the front gates that made a path through the castle moat. Seeing as everyone had ridden the wagon safely, Ignis released the barrier with strained muscles and leapt onto the wagon, joining the other prisoners inside._

 _"This ain't no hayride! Let's move it outta here!" called out Little John, grabbing the front reins of the wagon before pressing onward with all of his strength, trying to run away as fast as he could with both Friar Tuck and Robin Hood trailing behind him._

 _"On to Sherwood Forest!" announced Friar Tuck happily._

 _One of the passengers on the wagon, a mother rabbit, gasped in horror as she screamed, "Stop! My baby!"_

 _The doll-carrying rabbit girl was trying to catch up to the wagon, though she was still within castle grounds. "Mama! Mama! Wait for me!"_

 _Horrified, Robin Hood turned around and hurried to save the child while Ignis leapt off the wagon to assist Robin Hood. Being quite nimble and having higher agility, Ignis reached the rabbit girl first and held her close in her arms before casting another Barrier spell to fend off the arrows._

 _Seeing Robin Hood approaching, Ignis handed him the rabbit girl and told him, "Go, nya! I'll hold them off, nya!"_

 _Robin Hood nodded and ran towards the exit, only to arrive seconds too late when one of the soldiers cut off the ropes, thus blocking off the exit with a steel-clad caged gate, trapping them inside._

 _"We've got 'em now!" shouted the Sheriff, charging forward with his sword._

 _Robin Hood met up with Little John, who had stopped the wagon and returned to Robin Hood in hopes of helping out his friend. Instead, Robin Hood handed the rabbit girl over to Little John through the small spaces between the caged gate and told him, "Keep going! Don't worry about me!"_

 _Ignis was doing a good job keeping the others soldiers at bay. They couldn't bypass her strong barrier nor could their arrows and other weapons make even a single dent on her shield. Ignis was thankful that out of all of the magic she could cast, defensive and somewhat healing spells were her strong points in magic, whereas Aqua's happens to lean more towards offensive spells._

* * *

 _For a highly complicated and high-leveled ritual spell, it seemed that the conditions were quite simple and not overly dramatic. When the time came for the sacrificial part, Ignis felt her life force being drained, but endured the pain until the ritual came to an end. She didn't feel any changes to her body, as in, she didn't feel weakened, but she was certain that the spell had worked, and that half of her lifespan was indeed taken away._

 _"There. Pooh and his friends will be safe so long as they remain in the Hundred Acre Woods," said Merlin. "Ignis...you did a wonderful job. Not many are as self-sacrificing as you. Thank you for...for giving up half your life in order to protect an innocent world full of happiness and kindness."_

 _Ignis smiled and nodded. "Yeah! And if I were to do it again, I would!"_

 _"Er...I would not recommend that sort of action. I haven't a clue as to what would happen if you were to sacrifice half your life again, but I imagine it would be...bad."_

 _"Eh, that's fine," agreed Ignis. "You're right, though. I probably shouldn't try that again. I'm just glad Pooh and the others will be safe."_

* * *

 _Ignis recalled one memory she had when she was a child. Just like Roo, she was hyper and energetic, a real troublemaker back in the day. But sometimes, Eraqus allowed her to sit on his shoulders just so she could feel taller. And Roo was right around the same age back from long ago, so..._

 _"Roo? Would you like to view things from high above?"_

 _"Are you going to use your magic to make me do that? I wanna fly like Owl!"_

 _"Oh, no. I'm not using magic to make you fly, but I can make you feel taller."_

 _"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna do that, then!"_

 _Scooping up Roo, Ignis then placed him on her shoulders and held him close so that he didn't fall. Like she did when she was a child, Ignis heard the little kangaroo gasp in awe as he was very high in the air thanks to Ignis._

 _"Wow! I can see a lot of things from here!" said Roo. "Like that tree! Or that butterfly! Or these veggies!"_

 _"Okay, Rabbit! We'll meet up at that picnic place later, okay?" called out Ignis, waving goodbye to the rabbit._

 _"Yes, yes, take your time! Mmm! I cannot wait until I make a huge batch of my special soup to everyone!"_

* * *

 _'...I haven't read too deeply in her mind, but I do know some of the adventures she's been to. She...She's not an evil person,'_ thought Ivan, smiling fondly at her memories. _'I know she won't betray us, but...I still have to read her mind more and figure out what her objective is.'_

"So...what now?" wondered Mia.

"I still think we should pour cold water-"

"NO."

"Oh, come on! We don't know what else to do!"

"Well, I suggested earlier that I could Mind Read him. So, I'll do that," said Ivan, stepping forward in front of Nyunpa. He closed his eyes and activated his Mind Read Psynergy, and though it was faint, the others saw a bit of a twitch from Nyunpa's still body, indicating that Ivan's Psynergy had a effect that caused even a small but noticeable reaction from him.

Leaping up to his feet, which startled everyone, even Ivan, who took a step back in caution, Nyunpa turned his attention to Ivan. "Young man...Was that your voice I heard in my mind just now?"

"I've...never had someone react to me Mind Reading them like this before," admitted Ivan. "You're definitely an Adept, that's for sure!" To his surprise, the elderly head monk casted Mind Read on him, but Ivan decided to allow him to do so, if only to allow the head monk to process information much faster.

"What does him being an Adept have to do anything?" wondered Ignis.

"Ivan explained this to me long ago," explained Issac. "Adepts can sense when Mind Read is used on them, whereas a Non-Adept will never notice. You didn't seem to notice any sort of...intrusive power pouring in your mind, right?"

"Yeah, I didn't feel anything. I just felt normal, that's all."

"Then that's just more proof that you're not an Adept. Hmm...but it's still kinda strange. Normal people can't see Psynergy, but you can, in an extent."

"Hmm...Maybe I can see Psynergy, but...not completely...fully, if that makes any sense," admitted Ignis. "I can cast magic, which, is like, different from Psynergy."

"Yet very similar," said Mia.

"Maybe because of my ability to cast magic, I can sorta see Psynergy a bit more than regular people, or-Gah! I dunno know. This whole Psynergy business is still so confusing to me! Psynergy is similar, yet different in many ways to magic!"

"You've got that right!" agreed Garet. "For now, I'm kinda interested in hearing what the old man has to say."

"...I see," spoke Nyunpa. "It seems that your destination lies beyond the Mogall Forest. The issue, however, is that the forest itself is a mystery, and its paths even more so. No ordinary man can pass from one side to another."

"What's the problem?" wondered Garet.

"Not only is the forest thick with monsters, but you can easily find yourself lost if you are not careful. However, I do have a solution to this problem!"

"May I ask what it is? We really do need to get through the forest," pleaded Issac.

Nyunpa answered, "If you and your friends can endure the trials in the waterfall grotto, I will tell you. Will you take the test?"

Issac turned to his friends and asked, "Well, guys? What do you think?"

Garet nodded. "Hell yeah! If taking the test will make me stronger, then I will!"

"Of course! We need all the experience we can get!" said Mia.

"I suppose this won't take too much time, so alright," agreed Ivan.

"Yeah! I'm raring to go!" said Ignis.

"Ah...Unfortunately, the young lady in red cannot accompany you," informed Nyunpa.

"What?! Why?! This is so not fair!" complained Ignis.

Nyunpa cleared his throat and held up a hand to allow himself to finish. "For two reasons. 1) I wish to speak with the young lady while the rest of you go and challenge the trials within the waterfall. And 2) Right now, she is much too powerful. With her by your side, the tasks will become too easy, and I cannot permit trials that are supposed to be challenging to be done swiftly just like that. You wouldn't be able to learn anything from it. Understood?"

Issac nodded. "I...I see your point. I will agree. It's the least we can do for taking up your generous offer."

"What?" whined Garet.

"The head monk is right, you know," advised Mia. "We can't always rely on Ignis."

"Yes. We'll just have to rely on our own strengths for the trials," said Ivan. "Let's just be grateful he's allowing the four of us to group together instead of making us take the trials separately. With our combined forces, we'll surely prevail!"

"I mean, I get what he's trying to say, but I really wish I could go with you guys!" whined Ignis. "Oh, wait! Why don't I just explore the place where you guys are taking the trials? Didn't the monk say that they're in a waterfall or something?"

"Unfortunately," spoke up Nyunpa. "You can't do that. Visitors are permitted to visit the Fuchin Fall Caves as though it is a tourist sight. The only way to visit it is through special permission to take the trials within."

"Awwww!"

"Relax, Ignis," assured Issac, patting her shoulder. "We won't be gone for long. You can just stay here and wait for us. Maybe even talk to the head monk."

"But I can't mind read people!"

"Rest assured, I will talk to you normally. I do have some questions I'd like to ask of you, young Ignis," assured Nyunpa.

Ignis gasped and turned to him. "How do you know my name? Are you psychic?"

"I am aware of everyone's names here. Young master Issac, Ivan, Garet, and Mia, of course."

"Basically, he has the same Mind Read ability as me," summarized Ivan. "Although, I can sense his ability is much stronger than mine. Mainly due to him being more experienced than me, which goes to show how much stronger I must become."

"That is correct, young one," agreed Nyunpa. "However, if you overdo this ability, you will soon learn to despise the ability. I suggest that you use it only when absolutely necessary."

"Yes, head monk!"

"Well, we should probably get going," suggested Issac. "The sooner we finish the trials, the sooner we get to Mogall Forest."

"I assume it shouldn't take you youngsters that long to finish, so me and the young miss will be awaiting here," said Nyunpa. "Talk to the monk in front of the waterfalls, and he will let you through."

After the group left to challenge the test that Nyunpa had requested them to do, the only people remaining within the main meditation temple were just Ignis and Nyunpa.

 _'...Well, this is awkward,'_ thought Ignis. _'What does he want to talk to me about that's so important?'_

"You are from another world, are you not?"

"And with that, you have my attention!" Ignis spoke loudly, looking at Nyunpa. "You read my mind, didn't you?"

Nyunpa nodded. "Yes, and I have to apologize, because even I understand that Mind Read is considered an invasion of privacy, yet I was curious about you and the others. Especially you, who holds an air of mystery. If you will permit me, I wish to Mind Read you a bit further."

"I...guess it's okay? I have nothing bad to hide, after all," said Ignis, walking towards Nyunpa.

Judging by how he placed his hands in a prayer manner and was closing his eyes, Ignis assumed he was now casting his Mind Read Psynergy onto her. Like Issac explained earlier, because she's not an Adept, she can't really sense Psynergy being used on her, but she can see Psynergy to some extent. Unfortunately, she can't "see" the Mind Read Psynergy; she just assuming that he's doing it to her now.

 _'Oh, wait a minute...if he's reading my mind...'_ thought Ignis. _'And his Mind Reading is much stronger than Ivan's...Oh, god! He could learn of my secret fantasies about the tall, dark, and handsome types I like to dream about! And my secret kinks too! Gah! And his monotone look isn't really helping me figure out what he's thinking! Damnit! I wish I could Mind Read him back!'_

Ignis tried not to think about her secret fantasies and kinks, which, unfortunately, seemed to have done the opposite effect, as evident of Nyunpa now sporting a bit of a nosebleed.

"Gah! You...you old pervert!"

"Me?! Young lady, you have some nerve! Showing me those...those images! I did not wish to see such things!"

"I was trying not to think of it!"

"Which had the opposite effect, might I add! Such an inappropriate girl! Is this what the younger generation has become?"

"S-Stop looking, you perv!"

"I will once you get such images away from your mind!"

"I'm trying!"

A couple minutes later, the two of them were left exhausted with red faces. Ignis, trying to break the awkward silence, decided to change the subject prior to what they were arguing about earlier. "So...Why did you want to read my mind to begin with? I at least deserve to know that much."

Nyunpa, deciding to forget what happened earlier, nodded; the redness in his face fading away. "Yes...well, I wished to learn more about you. I was quite curious about you when I read that young man Ivan's mind. It seems earlier, when he read your mind, he learned a bit about you that made him both cautious, yet curious."

"Well, I was singing a song in my mind. Maybe he was curious about the song? It's not...a common song in this world, after all. Actually, it doesn't exist in this world, so, you know," said Ignis.

"That isn't what I meant, but...ah, I trust that you will understand if your friend decides to tell you himself."

"?" Ignis was confused, but decided to let it be.

Nyunpa continued, "Now, then...I have read your mind and have now processed who you are and your journey thus far. You...are a Keyblade wielder, apprenticed to your master named Master Eraqus."

Ignis's eyes widened. He had just given her proof that he had read her mind and learned much about her that she never told him about! She knew she had to keep the existence of the other worlds a secret, but she felt like she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. It would be...quite dangerous if others were to learn of other worlds," said Nyunpa. "Your adventures are very...interesting, yet they also display your character as well. You are reckless, too energetic, and you trust people too easily. Yet, you display heroism, kindness, and selflessness."

Ignis giggled and rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, stop...you're embarrassing me...But I do enjoy the compliments, so keep them going!"

"Fool!" Nyunpa karate-chopped Ignis on the head with a somewhat irritated expression on his face. "It's things like that that'll boost your ego too much and get you in trouble!"

"OWWWW! What the heck, old man!"

"Rude, young lady! RUDE!" huffed Nyunpa. "As punishment, we will work on a little bit of training! You may not be able to stay here long, but after accessing your memories, I realize you have a ways to go before you can become a Keyblade Master! Now, we will begin with meditation!"

 _'Goddamnit! I always hated really long training sessions like meditation! I'm always impatient with those!'_ thought Ignis, pouting. _'I wonder how Issac and the others are doing? I bet they're having fun with the trials...'_

* * *

 _Meanwhile..._

"DAMNIT! WHY. WON'T. YOU. DIE?!" yelled Garet, battered up head to toe with his hair in a frenzy from being blasted with both lightning and wind attacks coming from the one enemy that he and his friends were having trouble defeating.

A small Jupiter Djinn called Zephyr.

"Garet, we're not trying to kill it! We're trying to defeat it and collect it!" reminded Ivan.

Through the knowledge granted to them by their own Djinn, Issac and his friends discovered three ways that a Djinn could properly be obtained as companions. They had to be defeated in battle, they had to be found in certain areas that were difficult to reach as though it was a game of Hide-and-Seek, or they had to be willingly given as a gift.

Right now, they were dealing with Option 1.

Djinns were slightly more powerful than monsters, which made this quite a challenge for Issac and his friends, especially since they didn't have the more experienced fighter, Ignis, with them. Then again, they had to have the chance to grow stronger without her aid, so this was good for them, even if it was difficult.

"Fine! But it better not run away again! This is like, the third time we fought it! I'm close to running out of Psynergy!"

"Then, it's a good thing we picked up that Psynergy Stone earlier," commented Mia before lifting up her Blessed Ankh staff. "Let me use my staff's ability to seal its Psynergy!"

A purple light illuminated from the top of the staff as part of the Blessed Ankh's power before a seal symbol appeared above Zephyr's head, making it unable to cast any Psynergy temporarily. The group cheered in succession, as it was now easier to take on the Jupiter Djinn better than before.

That is, until Zephyr ran away in a flash.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...FU-"

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

Ignis was trying to focus, concentrating on her summoning magic once more, but despite setting up the magic circle, she was still unable to summon her elemental Familiar.

"It takes time and focus to cast your magic," replied Nyunpa, who was in a meditative pose, watching Ignis doing her best to summon. "It's a slow process, and yet...I can sense that little by little, with each practice, you will be able to summon something. I can also sense the elemental attribute of your Familiar."

"Ooh! What is it?" asked Ignis excitedly, breaking her concentration of her summoning magic.

"I believe that your elemental attribute is fire...therefore, it's natural that your Familiar should be fire-based. Now, concentrate on your power! You shouldn't have any further distractions!"

"Alright, alright!" After the meditation training, Ignis decided to train on her magic spells, specifically on her sealing and summoning magic, while trying to study from the magic books she received from Merlin. Process was slow, but with Nyunpa's guidance, it became slightly more easier, as evident of her progress.

She tried focusing as much as she could, but overcome with exhaustion, she broke the concentration and drooped her shoulders, panting. She was determined not to give up, though, but before she could continue, the doors to the main meditation temple burst opened.

Issac and the others were back, injured and exhausted, yet they completed the trials in the Fuchin Falls Cave by returning with a strange orb in their possession.

Recognizing the orb in their possession, Nyunpa stood up from his position with a gleam of excitement on his expression. "Excellent! I am glad to see you all have mastered the secrets of Fuchin Temple!"

"I did not realize that the test was gonna be that hard!" complained Garet.

"I'm ever so grateful that our Psynergy saved us more than once today!" sighed Mia.

"We monks call the power that you obtained Ki," explained Nyunpa. "Oh? You all seemed confused. It is called 'force' in the western world, but it is really spiritual power. I will help you teach you all this power, so use this power wisely on the forest."

"Out of curiosity, what would happen if we let loose this...Ki power on the forest?" wondered Ivan.

"Monsters that wait in hiding would show themselves," answered Nyunpa. "You all would try to defeat then, yes? Well, sometimes, you must let go of that belief that fighting solves problems."

"Huh? Why?" wondered Garet. "If we don't fight back, those monsters will attack us!"

"While that is true, there it another solution. The monsters in Mogall Forest are cowardly. They will run once they know you can see them. They are creatures of the woods, so they do not get lost there."

"Ah, I see!" said Ivan. "Now I understand everything!"

"What? Can you explain, Ivan?" asked Ignis.

Ivan nodded. "As we learned from the other monks, anyone who sets foot in the forest gets lost easily. But the monsters who live in Mogall Forest have it easier because they live in the forest and thus have the terrain advantage. If we simply spare them instead of engaging in battle, they might help lead us out of the forest!"

"Excellent interpretation, young Ivan!" congratulated Nyunpa. "However, it is getting late, so perhaps it would be best if you and your friends stayed the night and depart for Mogall Forest the next day? I will request the monks to prepare you all rooms to stay for tonight."

Issac nodded. "We accept your offer and thank you for your kind offer."

Using his Mind Read Psynergy, Nyunpa telepathically contacted the rest of his monks, using only a few seconds to convey the message of his orders. "Before you leave to rest for the rest of the day, I humbly request the audience of one of your companions, Ivan. It's...something related to your Mind Read technique."

Ivan turned to Issac, who nodded. "A-Alright, Master Nyunpa. Guys, you can go on ahead without me."

"Great! I'm starved! I wonder what we're having for dinner tonight?" wondered Garet.

"Monks are vegetarians, so..." spoke up Mia.

"Aw, really? That's lame!"

"It's probably traditional for monks, Garet. We can't do anything about it," said Issac. "Besides, vegetables are good for you."

"I know, but still..."

Ignis said, "Hey, mind telling me all about your adventures inside that waterfall cave? Like what happened?"

"Oh, you wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of trouble we went through! There were a couple of monsters, we had to put a gem in some dragon statue's eye, and we had to fight this really annoying bugger in the middle of it all!"

"Sounds tough."

"Tell me about it!"

* * *

 **I did not realize how much time had passed since the last time I updated this, and I am so sorry! Also, just want to remind you all that this will be a very, very, LONG arc containing the 2 Golden Sun games, so it'll take a while before the arc is finished. I also want to let you guys know that the next chapter will be longer and have more battles than this chapter, so you'll have some excitement, then. I'll also be working on the Kingdom Hearts fanfic for a bit more before I update my other fanfics.**

 **That said, read and review!**


	29. Weyard (5)

**So, like I mentioned before at the end of the last chapter, this chapter will be longer and have more battles to boot! So, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

"Eeep!" shrieked Mia, clutching onto her staff as a Mole leapt at her with its claws out to slash at her.

"Thunder!" shouted Ignis, casting a weak thunder spell that burnt the Mole to a crisp. "Mia! Are you okay? Stay on your guard!"

"R-Right! Thanks!" thanked Mia, focusing on the line of enemies before her and her friends. "Tundra!" With her Mercury Psynergy, she froze a few nearby enemies before the ice shattered, leaving a couple injured and one defeated by Mia's hand.

"They're weakened! Let's finish them off!" commanded Issac, raising his sword high in the air in triumph. Ivan and Garet followed after him and raised their own weapons before taking down their own choice of monsters, finishing the weakened and cold ones off before their battle concluded.

"Whew! I'm glad that the battle's over!" sighed Ivan in relief.

"Is anyone injured?" called out Mia.

"I checked, and nobody got hurt during this fight," assured Issac, giving her a thumbs-up. "We're good!"

"Hey, Ig? Why didn't you pull of anymore powerful Psynergy-er, I mean, magic?" asked Garet.

"If I did that, then my own sword skills would get all rusty if I played mage all the time," yawned Ignis, stretching her limbs. "Besides, if I wiped those monsters out earlier, there's no way you guys would have gotten more battle experience."

"Ignis is right, Garet," agreed Ivan. "We all said we wouldn't rely on Ignis a lot."

"I know, but still...I wanted to see some awesome, cool action magic!"

"Eh, when the opportunity arises, I guess," said Ignis as they started heading towards the entrance of Mogall Forest.

After waking up early the next morning, they left the Fuchin Temple as soon as they could and headed straight to Mogall Forest. However, they were attacked by monsters along the way, which delayed their departure quite a bit. However, because they finished the last batch of monsters blocking their way, they were safe to enter the Mogall Forest, where more challenges awaited them, including the issue that Nyunpa described to them that required them the power of Force.

Speaking of the Force Psynergy, the only way to use the Force Psynergy was if an Adept held onto the Orb of Force, the item they found at the end of the Fuchin Falls Cave, then only they could use the Force Psynergy. In the end, they all voted that Garet would hold onto the Orb of Force and allow him use of Force.

"So...here we are," spoke Ivan, staring at the insides of Mogall Forest with his friends besides him. He saw a sign and read it out loud. "North: Fuchin Temple. South: Mogall Prairie. So, I guess we are inside Mogall Forest."

"...So...when do you think I can use my Force Psynergy?" wondered Garet.

"Hey, guys? What's that?" asked Ignis, pointing out something abnormal.

Everyone turned to where she was pointing to and saw a green-furred Ape wandering around the area they were in. When it spotted the humans, it shrieked in fear and leapt inside a large hollow stump.

"...Uh...What?"

"Did...did we just see a green monkey jump inside that hollow stump?"

"What should we do?"

"Burn it," decided Garet, grinning as he conjured up a fireball in his palms.

"No, Garet!" cried out Ivan, stopping him. "Remember what we discussed with Master Nyunpa yesterday? If we spare monsters that don't attack us in the forest, then they might help provide at least a clue to getting through this forest! We should spare that creature!"

"How are we supposed to get him out, though?" wondered Mia. "We can't risk harming him."

"But we do have to lure him out somehow," said Issac. "Oh! Why don't we try using that new Force Psynergy?"

"Awww yeah! Great idea, Issac!" cheered Garet, stepping forward.

"I know that he's been looking forward to using that new Psynergy, but he seems a bit too...energetic about this," commented Ivan.

"I can understand how he's feeling," said Ignis, nodding her head. "I would want to try out new types of magic at any opportunity I can, too."

Taking a deep breath, Garet closed his eyes and concentrated on his Psynergy, remembering the lesson that Nyunpa taught him when conjuring up the power of Force onto his target. He could feel the physical power of the Force Psynergy building up in his palms before he opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and punched through the air in front of him.

"Force!"

A large, mystic-looking gloved hand in the form of a fist, and can only be seen by Adepts and others with special powers like Ignis, appeared and punched straight at the hollow tree stump; the force of the Psynergy forcing the green-furred Ape to sprung out of it, startled but unharmed. Fearfully, it turned and ran away to the south of the forest.

"Come on! Let's follow after it!" ordered Issac before he and the rest of his companions gave chase. They hadn't expected the green-furred Ape to be so quick, but they did catch a gleam of its brightly green-colored fur as they attempted to track it down. Just then, a couple of Moles popped out from the ground, blocking their path.

"Out of our way!" yelled Garet. "We need to catch up to that monkey-!"

In the midst of Garet's outburst, the Mole formulated a quick plan and charged to attack Garet first, catching him off guard. However, Ignis reacted faster, summoning Phoenix Fairy and knocking them all back with a swing from her Keyblade.

"Ivan! Mia! Quick! Attack!" ordered Issac, unsheathing his sword to stand guard near Garet, who had fallen on his behind in shock from the surprise attack.

Both mage-like companions nodded, quickly casting their elemental Psynergy in unison. "Plasma/Tundra!"

Mia's Tundra spell reached the Moles first, freezing them in place before Ivan's Plasma spell not only shattered the ice surrounding them, but also literally shocked them, thus killing them in the process.

"Garet, you alright?" asked Ignis, dismissing her Keyblade so she could extend a hand out for him. Issac did the same silently, reaching his hand out for his best friend.

"Y-Yeah...Thanks," thanked Garet, grabbing onto both their hands as they helped lift him up to his feet.

"Garet," spoke up Issac. "I understand that you want to hurry and get out of this forest to reach Saturos and Menardi, but at the same time, we can't rush these things. We have to proceed carefully and try not to get lost."

"Right...Yeah, I guess I got a bit too excited back there. Sorry," apologized Garet.

"Well, as well as everyone's alright and not hurt, I suppose it's fine," said Mia.

Ivan glanced around and even walked a bit before shaking his head. "I don't see that green monkey anywhere. It looks like we lost him. But, we've reached a new area, so we might as well explore here and search for more clues."

The group scanned around the new area they've gotten themselves into. It was a simple-looking field that had a river and some fallen logs scattered across the flat field. As they started rolling the very light logs that were blocking their path out of the way, Issac ceased rolling and saw something dangling on top of a tree.

After Ignis rolled her log into the river, which made it stand afloat above the surface of the river's water and stayed in that position, she saw Issac using some strange Psynergy to grab a couple of nuts from a tree. "Issac? What are you doing?"

"Hmm? Oh, I used the Catch Psynergy to collect some nuts from a tree. I figured that we could use them for more food supplies."

Garet sighed and then smiled. "Always the collector, huh? Well, guess that habit will never die anytime soon."

"What do you mean?" wondered Mia.

"Ever since we were little kids, Issac's always got a hobby for collecting things. Rocks, sticks, nuts, you name them. I'm not complaining, though. Ever since our journey started, he's collected a bunch of useful things."

"Yeah!" agreed Ivan. "Like that time when he found a Psynergy Stone! Or the time he found some really useful healing herbs!"

Issac rubbed his head sheepishly. "I-I was just lucky...that's all."

"Even so, that luck must have been really useful," complimented Mia. "But, more on the important note, how do we get out of here? I don't see any paths. This must lead to a dead end."

"Uh...I rolled a log into the river," addressed Ignis before two Bone Fighters popped out of nowhere and charged right at them. "That's currently being blocked by these two monsters! Everyone, battle positions!"

Garet blocked a Bone Fighter's sword with his axe, protecting Ivan from being slashed to bits. "Jeez! For boneless freaks, they sure are strong-!"

"Kya!" cried out Mia, being slashed by a special sword attack that came from beneath the ground, courtesy of the second Bone Fighter.

Ignis ran towards the second Bone Fighter in retaliation and slid right between its legs, delivering swift and light slashes with her Keyblade. In the meantime, Issac helped an injured Mia up to her feet as she focused on healing her own wounds.

After ensuring that Mia was alright, Issac turned his attention to one of the Bone Fighters, the one Garet was having trouble with despite the buffs that Ivan was casting onto him. "Garet! You back away with Ivan! I'm gonna try out a new kind of Psynergy!"

"Got it!" Grabbing Ivan under his armpit, Garet hurried out of the way, narrowly ducking a sword slash as Issac bypassed him with Venus Psynergy in his clenched palms as he held onto his sword.

Lifting up his sword, Issac slashed down the air as he yelled, "Ragnarok!" At that moment, a glowing, large semi-transparent yellowish-orangish sword flew down from above and sunk down onto the Bone Fighter before exploding, leaving no trace of the Bone Fighter.

"...Whoa, that was a bit overkill," said Ignis, walking up to Issac after having defeated her Bone Fighter.

Before Issac could say anything, he fell to his knees, using his sword to hoist himself up as he was breathing heavily. Seeing his weakened state, everyone rushed towards him, worried about his condition.

Smiling, he assured them, "I...I'm alright. I just used too much power..."

"That much power must have taken a considerate amount of Psynergy out of you," theorized Ivan. "Issac, what were you thinking?!"

"I...I guess I just wanted to try out this newfound power...I underestimated its power, though."

"Hmm...I believe we should take a break here, then," suggested Mia.

Issac shook his head and tried standing up. "N-No, I'm alright..."

Mia held up a hand to stop him. "Are you the healer here? No. As a healer, I can tell that you're quite fatigue and need rest! Besides, it'll only be for a few minutes and it won't hinder our journey!"

"...Well..."

"Might as well do it, Issac," said Garet. "One time, I-"

"Hey!" shouted Mia, red-faced as she whacked him on the head. "We said we'd never talk about that again!"

"Ow! Okay, okay!"

"Mention that again, and I swear, I WILL freeze your genitals! I know how much men value them!"

Ivan and Issac winched, unconsciously protecting their genitals themselves. Oof...whatever Garet had done, it must have been really embarrassing if the kind-hearted Mia would go that far for a threat.

"Anyways, we should stand guard while we rest," suggested Ignis.

"I'll take the way we came from!" said Garet.

"...Ignis, maybe you and I should guard the spot with the most trees in case any incoming enemies pop out," said Ivan.

"Okay!"

"And I'll watch over Issac and make sure he gets enough rest!" said Mia. "I won't let him push himself until he recovers!"

Issac chuckles and sits back down. "Alright, alright. You win. I'll rest for a few minutes, but we gotta go as soon as we can."

Once everyone settled into their assigned positions, with Mia watching over Issac who was resting, and Garet, Ivan, and Ignis on guard duty, the entire area had gone quiet. The only noises in the background were the sounds of nature; rustling leaves and trees, the rushing waters of the river, and the gentle breezes in the air.

Ivan glanced over to Ignis and stepped back a few steps before activating his Mind Read Psynergy. The only reason why he requested to go on guard duty with Ignis was so that he could continue reading her mind and process more information about her. He hadn't finished before because of lack of time and not to arouse suspicion, but because they now had a few minutes to spare, he wanted to know much about her and if she was truly trustworthy.

Yesterday, when Nyunpa called out to talk to him, he warned Ivan not to rely on Mind Read so much, as it could lead to awful consequences. While he did encourage Ivan to use such a useful ability only when necessary to aid on Issac's quest, Nyunpa also mentioned to trust his allies and that whatever information that dwelled within Ignis had to be kept secret no matter what.

When Ivan completed his investigation, he was left stunned in silence. There...was quite a lot of information to process, and the information he gathered was, in his own opinion, seemingly more important than the quest they were currently undergoing. Oh, Ivan didn't plan on abandoning this quest, as it was of dire importance, but at the same time, he needed to talk to Ignis of what he learned, privately, of course.

Once they rested enough, Issac and his group continued deeper in Mogall Forest, but they stayed close together so that they didn't get lost. Without the frightful, green-furred Ape around, it became difficult to navigate their way out of the forest, and all of the monsters they've encountered thus far hadn't run away, but merely attacked them. Furthermore, the deeper they ventured into Mogall Forest, the more stronger the monsters appear to be getting. Especially since they've been using Force on every single tree slump they've come across and every result thus far had monsters popping out of them in retaliation for disturbing them.

Just like now.

"Garet! Save your Psynergy for now! You'll need it whenever you use Force! Just focus on the offensive!" advised Ignis when she saw the familiar, fiery sparks of Mars Psynergy about to be unleashed by Garet's hand. "Ivan and Mia! Continue using support!"

"I'll use the new Djinn I got!" said Ivan, summoning forth his new Jupiter Djinn, Zephyr. Once he was unleashed, he let out strong breezes in the form of purple, glowing energy orbs that touched the rest of his allies, increasing their agility and speed temporarily.

The front-liners, Ignis, Issac, and Garet, charged forward to attack the three Bone Fighters they were fighting. Ignis' Bone Fighter was taken down fairly quickly because Ignis was much stronger and experienced than Issac and Garet, whereas the two were good fighters, but still had a lot to learn when it came to fighting.

Assisting Garet and Issac, Mia and Ivan unleashed their offensive Djinns from afar. "Sleet/Gust!" Because Garet and Issac had weakened their Bone Fighters, one elemental impact from both the Djinns finished off the Bone Fighters once and for all.

"Hey, do you think in the next battle, I could be on the sidelines?" requested Ignis, dismissing her Keyblade.

"You mean, you want to provide your support magic with us?" wondered Ivan.

Ignis shrugged her shoulders. "Eh...It's more like I wanna try something out. I wanna Summon!"

"...But, Ignis, you can't use any of our Djinns," pointed out Mia. "To properly use Summons, you have to use Djinns, thus you have to have the ability to use Djinns as well."

"Well, yeah, but I mean-you do know that my magic has several different types, right? Just as Psynergy has several different types as well, like Mars Psynergy and Mercury Psynergy?" said Ignis. "I plan to use Summoning Magic!"

"What's the difference besides it being magic-based and not Psynergy?" wondered Issac.

"I'm glad you asked! I was taught that Summoning Magic has two types of summoning! The first type is just called...Summon!"

"That's a lame name," commented Garet.

"Yeah, but it's plain and simple," continued Ignis. "According to Merlin, my dear good friend who taught me, Summon is a type of Summoning that requires very little magic power to cast it, but at the same time, it's very difficult to concentrate and cast it as well because it needs a connection-a bond, between the caster and the creature being summoned. Hmm...Oh! And you need some kind of item to call on their power, like a charm or sword or something that'll act like the vessel for the Summon! After that, they'll appear and come aid you in battle, but they have a time limit, so that means they can't stay for too long!"

Ivan nodded, though from Ignis' memories, Merlin gave a better explanation of what Summons were, as well as the other type of summoning. Still, he couldn't just go up and correct her on those points, because then it'd be suspicion on Ignis' part and he could lose her trust. Then again, he'll have to admit to reading her mind and invading her privacy eventually, though now doesn't seem a good time.

"Can you perform a Summon?" wondered Garet.

Ignis shook her head. "Yeah...No. I've never done it before, so I don't know how, and Merlin says he's still conducting research on that type. However, I can...kinda do the second type of Summoning; Elemental Summoning."

"By that name, it seems awfully similar to the Summons we use," commented Issac.

"Yeah, but I think your Summons are more powerful than mine. Then again, I can't properly use the second type."

"Why not?"

"Well, this Summoning magic stuff is still all new to me, and I haven't fully mastered it," admitted Ignis. "Anyways, basically, it doesn't need an item or a vessel or anything like that, and the creature that you summon with is called a Familiar. Its strength depends on how much magic power you pour into it, like, if I pour only a little bit into my Familiar, it's summoned as a weak creature! Merlin says that the Familiar manifests from our own magic power, and that it disappears when it's defeated in battle. However, if the master, for instance, me, is killed, then technically, that makes the Familiar killed as well."

The others winched at the last part of Ignis' explanation, as they didn't want such a fate to happen to their friend. "Wait a sec!" shouted Garet. "What's the elemental part? You said it's called Elemental Summoning, but so far, I haven't heard anything elemental about it!"

Ignis nodded. "Right! Well, the Familiar that's summoned can be any sort of element, like fire and water and stuff like that. The kind of Familiar and the element that it's chosen depends on each individual, so one person can have a fire elemental Familiar while the other one has some kind of wind elemental Familiar. Merlin told me it's possible to change a Familiar's element, but that depends on the person. Also, you can only summon one Familiar at a time, so yeah."

Issac nodded. "I understand now. Well, me and the others will be looking forward to what kind of Elemental Summoning you have in store for us."

"Yeah...I've practiced and trained as much as I could, but I can't fully summon a Familiar. I mean, I can tell that my elemental attribute is fire, but that's all I know about my Familiar. Aqua would have done this much easier than me," pouted Ignis.

"Who's Aqua?" wondered Mia.

"My friend. She excels in magic way better than me. Ooh! I'm so jealous of her! I mean, I've always been jealous of her always being better at magic than me, but the thought of her easily using Summoning Magic much faster than me irks me!"

"Er...you should be careful," advised Ivan. "Envy towards someone can lead to...disastrous results."

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry. I'm not like those cliché types where I get jealous enough to want to hurt people," assured Ignis.

Hearing some strange noises, Issac turned and saw some new monsters, another Bone Skeleton and two Spirits, entering the fray before he took out his sword for battle. "Everyone! Battle positions!"

Raising their wormy-like arms, the Spirits casted some Mercury-based Psynergy, sending a barrage of ice spikes down towards the group from above. Ignis' instincts led her to cast a Barrier spell to protect them from the pelting spiky ice rain, shielding them from any harm before everyone distanced themselves to engage in combat with the enemy.

While Garet and Issac tag teamed against the Bone Skeleton, the two Spirits attempted to back up their ally by casting Mercury Psynergy onto the two brash fighters, considering their built wasn't meant for physical fights. However, they had to deal with two other obstacles named Mia and Ivan.

In the meantime, Ignis was in the backlines like Ivan and Mia, though she was concentrating on her Elemental Summoning magic just as she had informed her friends earlier. Kneeling on one knee and clasping the handle of her Keyblade tightly after stabbing it on the ground, Ignis squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in and out as she concentrated, trying to channel her magic power into her summoning.

No matter how much she practiced, how much she studied the summoning book, or how much magic power she converted, nothing seems to be working. She could hear the gears of magic slowly turning as well as feel magic coursing from her body to form the summoning magic circle, but the process was slow. If she wanted to use this in battle, she needed to learn exactly what needed to be done, to grow stronger, to-!

"Uh...Ignis? We finished killing the monsters."

It was Issac, calling out to her. Just how long has she been like this? Opening her eyes, Ignis glanced around and saw the monsters' corpses laying about as her friends looked over to her in concern. By focusing on them, even if only for a moment, it caused the magic circle she had created to shatter out of existence and vanish.

"Gah! Damnit!" Ignis punched the ground in frustration. Yes, she knew that there was a chance that she couldn't complete the Elemental Summoning this time, but she really thought she would have achieved the next step by now!

"Hey, it's alright!" assured Ivan gently, helping her up. "I can tell that it takes a level of concentration to pull off something as strong as your Summoning Magic, and I have to say, I'm impressed!"

"Ugh...I really, really thought I was close, but I wasn't!"

"Well, technically, something did pop up," informed Garet, alerting Ignis. "Yeah, no, I'm not even kidding. Something was definitely coming out from that strange circle you made."

"Really?!" squealed Ignis excitedly. Perhaps her efforts weren't in vain, after all! "What did you see?"

"Uh...Well, I couldn't tell what kind of creature it was, but being a Mars Adept myself, I can definitely confirm it's fire-based. Yup. I could feel it, too."

"As my time as a healer, I've treated animals. Mostly people, but sometimes, animals as well," said Mia. "It...It was definitely a four-legged animal."

"Ooh! That doesn't really clarify much, but that does narrow down my list a bit!" squealed Ignis. "I wonder if it's a cute kitty! A fire kitty would definitely be interesting! Ooh! Maybe even a ferocious wolf! No wait! A DRAGON!"

"I'm fairly certain a dragon would kill us all," admitted Issac bluntly.

"Out of curiosity, Ignis, what Familiar animal would you like?" wondered Ivan.

"Hmm...It's hard to choose! I'd like something cute, but deadly as well! But...I think I'd like a phoenix!"

"Interesting choice...Phoenixes are quite rare, but very powerful fire birds. Since you're such a spirited girl yourself, Ignis, I'm sure you'd fit that description."

Ignis giggled. "Awww! Thanks, Ivan! That's so sweet of you to say!"

"I think we spent enough time around here. We should get a move on," suggested Issac."We still have to find a way to escape this forest, and I don't want to remain here by the time nightfall comes."

"Oh, right. Monsters become more active and dangerous when it comes to nighttime," reminded Ivan. "You're right. I don't want to spend a night here, if possible. Let's get moving." _'If that's the case, then I can't talk to Ignis while we're in this forest. Not while we're busy. We'll get out of the forest, and in the next town, I'll talk to her, then.'_

Garet nodded and started moving. "Great, let's get going-" At that moment, two Death Heads and a Spirit popped out in front of Garet, causing him to shriek loudly and jump into Issac's now-wobbly arms.

Alerted by the new line of enemies, Ignis charged in, using the speed and defensive skills of Barrier Surge to not only block any attacks in front of Garet at point-blank distance, but also to arrive in time. After defending against the attacks and Psynergy that proved useless against Ignis' high defense, she moved in for the kill, swiftly taking out the monsters.

"Garet! Are you alright?" asked Mia, moving towards him quickly and checking if he had any wounds.

"Y-yeah. I was just a bit startled, that's all."

Ignis grinned. "Well, I know one more thing about you for sure, Garet. **You definitely scream like a girl**."

"W-WHAT?! Why, you-!"

"Uh...Garet?" spoke up Ivan, raising his hand. "Not to interrupt or anything, but...how long are you going to stay in Issac's arms? He looks ready to collapse at any second."

Everyone turned towards Issac, who was still silently carrying Garet in his arms. Even though he kept a composed expression on his face, the rest of his body was wobbling and was ready to collapse, just like Ivan said.

"Crap!" Garet leapt off of Issac's arms, in which Issac fell to one knee, panting. "Sorry, Issac! You alright?"

While in the midst of panting and recovering, Issac glanced up and grimaced. "Y-Yeah...You're really heavy, Garet."

Twitching in anger, Garet went up to him and started stretching out his cheeks in anger, causing Issac to frail his arms widely. Ivan was trying to get Garet to stop, Mia sighed in exasperation, and Ignis was laughing nonstop. Overall, it was a simple, friendly moment for all of them before they proceeded onwards.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Alright guys, we have to be extra sneaky and careful with this one," whispered Garet. "This is the most secret, top mission we've ever had to come across. Our enemy is right before us, but there is a chance that he will run away. We have to make sure that he doesn't jump into the river and swim away. We-"

"Garet, it's not really that big a deal," said Issac, deadpanning. "It's just a Venus Djinn. It's already cornered."

"He could still swim away! There's like, a river right there!" Garet pointed out, where there was a Venus Djinn standing right near the corner of a field, surrounded by water.

"If that happens, then we'll just freeze the river and trap him there," suggested Ignis. "Or better yet, I could just cast a Sleep or Bind spell on him."

"Wait, you can do that?!" exclaimed Garet. "That's awesome! Do that, right now!'

"Wait, no. That won't work, though," said Ivan. "A Djinn has to be _willing_ to join us. Remember? If we do that, then we'd just be forcing him to. And, I don't think he'd be too happy with being knocked out like that."

"I'd rather we not have to fight the Venus Djinn, but I think we should at least prepare ourselves," said Mia. Nodding, the five of the carefully approached the Venus Djinn, raising their weapons in case something happened.

"Um...Hey!" called out Ignis. The Venus Djinn, who had his back turned the entire time, heard her and turned around, and, judging from HER appearance, she looked more feminine than male.

"Oh, no! Not again! You humans really are persistent!" cried out the female Venus Djinn.

"Wait, wait!" said Issac, sending out his two other Venus Djinn, Flint and Granite.

The female Venus Djinn relaxed, recognizing her fellow Venus Djinn brethren. "Flint? Granite?"

"Hiya, Quartz!" said Flint cheerfully, bouncing up and down.

"Jeez, do all Djinns have strange names?" wondered Ignis. "Are we going to meet a Djinn called Fire or Lava anytime soon?"

"I don't think they make their names that obvious," said Mia, watching the three Djinns chat with one another. "But it looks like the female Djinn, the one named Quartz, is calming down a bit."

Once it seems that their conversation was over, Flint and Grant returned to Issac in the form of orbs of light before Quartz faced the group with a determined look on her face. "Alright! Time to test you guys!"

"Wait, seriously?! We're still fighting?!" exclaimed Ignis, surprised.

"Yeah! Don't take me for a delicate flower! I'm stronger than I look!" assured Quartz. "If you beat me, I'll happily join you guys!"

"Well, you heard the little lady! Let's get ourselves another Djinn!" cheered Garet.

"Briar!" chanted Quartz, starting the battle off with one of her Venus-specialty Psynergy. A group of spike-covered vines shot out from the ground suddenly, startling the group and injuring them quickly within seconds.

The attack wasn't enough to defeat the five of them, but they did suffer severe injuries; slashes on their bodies that started to spurt out blood. Hurriedly, Mia and Ignis casted their healing spells on Ivan and Issac as Garet retaliated with his own Mars Psynergy.

"Heat Wave!" he yelled, causing a sheet of fire to burn through the briars and blaze onto Quartz, causing her to shriek as she tried to fan the flames off her body by jumping onto the river.

Seeing her chance, as Ignis was now tending to Garet's wounds, Mia raised her staff and casted her Mercury Psynergy. "Tundra!" Spikes of ice not only injured Quartz, but also froze her in place in the river, entrapping her and leaving her vulnerable for more attacks.

"Impact!" called out Ivan, raising Issac's attack power as the now-recovered yellow-scarfed warrior dashed forward and slashed through the spikes of ice blocking his path with his now-refined blade. Landing on top of a flattened piece of ice, Issac glared at Quartz, pointing the tip of his blade at her.

"Eeep! I give! I give! I give!" the female Venus Djinn shrieked, causing the others to cheer for their victory before Quartz became yet another one of Issac's Djinn companions, seeing as she resonated through him best when it came to Venus Psynergy.

They continued journeying deeper and deeper into the forest, stopping for short breaks. Ignis watched her other team members, watching them growing stronger as time progressed. Sure, there was mishaps and injuries involved, but nothing she and Mia couldn't fix. After a certain...incident with Garet that almost burnt down the entirety of Mogall Forest, it was quickly decided that he refrained from using any Mars Psynergy at all during the remainder of their time in Mogall Forest; only focusing on the Focus Psynergy he had to track down the green-furred Ape to get them out of here.

Speaking of the green-furred Ape, they found him shortly after retrieving their newest Venus Djinn, Quartz, and followed after him more accurately, forcing him out through the tree stumps he kept hiding in with Garet's Force Psynergy. Each time, the green-furred Ape grew more frightful and frantic, leading them one step closer to escaping the forest.

They found themselves in an area larger than all the other fields they've explored in the forest, with a solitary, large stump in the middle of a flowing river. Just in the nick of time, the green-furred Ape they've been chasing had leapt into the stump just like all of the other tree stumps he's tried to hide in before.

What was strange after that was that the green-furred Ape leapt out of the solitary stump before Garet could use the Force Psynergy, much to the group's confusion. While the rest of the group remained confused, Garet and Ignis were the ones to rush to chase after the green-furred Ape before they heard a loud sound coming from the solitary stump.

"...What was that?" wondered Mia, clutching her staff.

Another loud sound thumped from the solitary stump...before a gigantic, blue-furred Ape crashed onto the grassy plains after jumping out of the solitary stump. It released a high-piercing shrill before punching Garet straight in the stomach, sending him flying towards a nearby tree, knocking him out.

"Garet!" yelled Ignis before noticing the blue-furred Ape charging at her. She jumped over it with ease and summoned her Keyblade, firing a Thundra spell at it. However, the spell fizzled after hitting its skin, proving the blue-furred Ape was resistant to her thunder-based spells. Ignis gasped and tried to slash at it, only to be a second too late when the blue-furred Ape grabbed her by the head and threw her away, making her crash and slid across the ground, groaning in pain.

Before the blue-furred Ape could attack the others, it was intercepted and trapped inside of a large tornado-like cage, courtesy of Ivan as he tried to hold back the large Ape monster. "This monster...! I remember it from the monster history book I studied long ago!" cried out Ivan. "She's called the Killer Ape, and I suspect she's the mother of that green ape we've been chasing after!"

"I guess revenge for constantly injuring and chasing her baby ape is her motivation to want to crash our skulls," muttered Issac, unsheathing his blade. "Alright! Mia, you tend to Ignis! I'll try and revive Garet! Ivan, keep that monster busy!"

"Gh-! Okay, but you better hurry! I think she's resistant to Jupiter-based Psynergy!"

Nodding, Mia and Issac hurried to their roles. Mia healed Ignis with her Mercury Djinn, Fizz, whereas Issac used his newest Venus Djinn, Quartz, to snap Garet back into consciousness. Issac's healing abilities may not be as strong and concentrated as Mia's, but any healing abilities are useful, even if a little.

When the five grouped together, they suddenly felt weakened and vulnerable and saw that the Killer Ape was casting Debilitate, a kind of Psynergy that greatly lowered their defense. Ignis casted Shellra, a second-tier white magic spell that increased their defenses, while Issac backed her up by using the Venus Djinn, Granite, which, while the Djinn didn't increase their defenses, had the ability to decrease damage, so they all safe from attacks for a short while.

As Mia was holding the Killer Ape back with her Mercury Djinn, Sleet, Ivan and Garet decided to contribute to increasing their chances for victory by using their own Djinns, Zephyr and Forge, to increase their speed and attack power, boosting everyone up the best they could.

Enraged, the Killer Ape decided to take a very harsh offensive strategy; first, by unleashing a war cry in the form of some light-blue energy rings that not only hit and damaged Ignis, but paralyzed her. Next, she focused her attention on Mia, casting a Bind Psynergy to hold her in place and unable to move. Next, she unleashed a Mercury Psynergy called Douse onto the group, splashing them with watery spheres. It was only thanks to the enhanced defensive spells placed on themselves that they haven't fallen to the wrath of Douse, though they did take considerate damage.

"I...I can't move! I can barely concentrate on my own Psynergy!" cried out Mia, struggling to break free from the Bind Psynergy.

"I'd normally break out with an Esuna spell, but...my mind's all fuzzy!" shouted Ignis, also facing the same predicament as Mia. "Ivan! Garet! Issac! It's all up to you guys! We'll try and catch up with you guys once we break free!"

"You heard them! We'll just have to give them time until they can break free," advised Ivan. "Garet! Issac! Try defending and blocking the Killer Ape's attacks! I'll try and take on the offensive!"

"You? Take on the offensive?" scoffed Garet. "Uh...dude, you are like, one of the most lightweighted people on our team."

Ivan nodded. "I know what you're getting at. My strength's nothing compared to you or Issac, but I'm also one of the fastest members as well. I won't engage in too much close combat, so don't worry!"

Issac agreed. "Alright. Let's trust Ivan on this one and focus on defending and blocking-! Here she comes!"

At Issac's warning, both him and Garet unleashed their own Djinns, Fever and Flint, to enhance their weapons with their offensive quality Djinns and block the Killer Ape's glowing, red claws. While the two were holding back the large ape monster, Ivan jumped up and released his only offensive Jupiter Djinn, Gust, allowing him to strike with his staff at lightning speed.

Growling, the Killer Ape shoved both Issac and Garet away with brute force and caused Ivan to fly back with one of her war cries, making him crash to the ground. "Ragnorak!" yelled Issac, sending his Venus sword-like Psynergy straight through one of the Killer Ape's arms. Winching at the painful shriek coming from the giant ape monster, Issac shouted to Garet, "Garet! Tend to Ivan!"

"Why me?!"

"I don't have any medicinal herbs! You've got some in your bag, don't you! Help Ivan! I'll distract her!"

"Fine, fine!" Garet hurried to Ivan's side and helped him up, feeding him some of the medicinal herbs in his bag, healing his wounds. "You okay, Ivan?"

"Y-Yeah..." said Ivan. "Thank you...Garet, I've been thinking, I know that we agreed that you shouldn't use your Mars Psynergy for as long as we remain in Mogall Forest, but I think for this battle, we should reconsider that."

Garet grinned maliciously as he turned to face their enemy with flames bursting from his palms. "Finally! I've been wanting to get some fire action going on!"

"Wow...you and Ignis really are similar," admitted Ivan, sweatdropping. "But, no, that's not what I meant. You've already used up two of your Mars Djinn, right? We should use our elemental Summons to finish off the Killer Ape!"

"Even better! So, gonna use Atalanta or Ramses?"

Ivan shook his head and raised his arm in the air. "Breeze! Help Issac!" The third Jupiter Djinn he had in his disposal, Breeze, popped out and increased Issac's elemental resistance just as a swarm of the Killer Ape's Douse Psynergy hit him, decreasing the damage.

"Issac! Get out of the way! Me and Ivan's gonna unleash a huge Summon!" warned Garet. Eyes widened, Issac nodded and nimbly dodged a claw attack from the Killer Ape before retreating to the backlines to help out Mia and Ignis.

Once Issac was out of harm's way, Garet and Ivan combined the power of their elemental Summons to summon two powerful Summons, Kirin and Procne. Procne's wind power caused a spiral tornado to raise the Killer Ape high in the air, where the large bird-like entity fired arrows of wind at the Killer Ape. All the while, a flame beast-like entity, Kirin, emerged from a ring of fire and merged his fire power with the tornado, thus creating a combination of a fire and wind tornado that scorched through the Killer Ape before the tornado dissipated and caused her to crash down.

"Did...did we do it?" gasped Ivan, as Summons can take a lot of energy and effort from the caster. To both his and Garet's shock, the Killer Ape was still alive, though heavily injured because of the Summons' attacks.

At that moment, a blurry figure shot out of nowhere and slashed at the Killer Ape's eyes, blinding her. Ignis, having dealt the eye-blinding blow to the Killer Ape, twisted her body and shouted, "Now! Issac! Mia!"

As the Killer Ape tumbled around, trying to regain her sight and move around, Issac casted a Quake Psynergy spell on the ground, making the Killer Ape trip and splash all over the river. Stepping forward, Mia, with a fierce look on her face, raised her staff to cast her Mercury Psynergy, Tundra.

The water surrounding the Killer Ape served as a good conductor for the ice-based Psynergy as Tundra not only froze the Killer Ape in place, but the icy spikes pierced through the ape monster's burnt fur, finishing off the giant ape once and for all.

"Yeah...Okay...that monster's definitely dead," said Ignis before noticing something sparkling near the Killer Ape's body. Moving cautiously, she went over to the corpse and picked up a strange blue object. "What is this?"

Mia walked over and examined the object. "...Oh! I know what this is! A rare item called a Douse Drop! It grants you the Douse Psynergy, a Mercury-based Psynergy!"

"If that's the case, then I think you should hold onto it, Mia," suggested Issac. "We may have to use the Douse Psynergy sometime later in our journey, so why not?"

"Alright!"

* * *

 _Hours later..._

Much to the group's relief, after defeating the Killer Ape, it didn't take them long to find the exit of the Mogall Forest, and they surely wouldn't miss the troublesome, maze-like forest that caused them an abundance of trouble during their time there. It did take them a while to reach the next village, which was the village of Xian.

Xian was a Chinese-styled village whose specialty lies on the production of silk. However, silk was not the only thing that made Xian a popular village, as there was also a dojo specialized in training young people to become martial artists skilled in the art of kung fu. As much as Ignis wished to stay in the village longer to excitedly learn martial arts, she knew that they were only going to rest here for today before continuing their journey the next day.

They all stayed together to shop for supplies and refine their armor and weapons. Along the way, they managed to acquire a new Mercury Djinn called Mist for Mia, after discovering her hiding spot. Afterwards, they all split up to do their own thing before deciding to meet up later at the inn for dinner and then for bed.

Ivan wandered around, in search for Ignis when he heard a strange whirling noise on top of one of the grassy hills. possibly one of the training grounds, of Xian. He climbed up the stone-like stairs and saw Ignis focusing her magic power onto the magic circle, once again trying to master the Elemental Summoning she's been working hard on.

Ignis' efforts were hard, yet slowly earnest as Ivan watched the magic circle glowing with something slowly popping out and Ignis' magic power making the strange figure take form. However, it proved too much for Ignis as she fell to the grass, thus disrupting her concentrating and causing both the soon-to-be Familiar and magic circle to disappear.

Ivan rushed to Ignis' side, helping her up. "Are you alright? Don't be so hard on yourself, Ignis."

"Ivan...? How long were you there?" asked Ignis, clutching her forehead.

"I just arrived. I can tell that you've put a lot of practice into your Summoning Magic, but it's not enough."

Ignis groaned. "I know, I know! It's so frustrating!"

Ivan nodded. "I can relate. It's frustrated whenever I don't get a Psynergy spell right. But, that's why effort and practice comes into play. How about you rest for a little bit, and in the meantime, we chat? I have something to talk to you about, anyways."

"Something to talk to me about...? Okay, then. How about we sit down?" suggested Ignis, sitting on the soft grass and patting to the spot next to her to address Ivan to sit down next to her.

Accepting Ignis' offer, Ivan sat down next to her and faced her. "Okay, so I have something to confess. I...I have read your mind."

Unsurprised, Ignis thought he was referring to the first time he had been reading her mind. "Uh...duh. I already know that. I tested you to confirm you did have the mind reading ability."

Ivan shook his head. "No, no! Not that! I mean, even after that, while we were in Mogall Forest, I have continuously read your mind. I know everything about you, Ignis. About you...being an outsider of this world."

"...Ah, crap!" cursed Ignis, as she knew that she was supposed to protect that particular secret from anyone else. After all, it was a basic rule for Keyblade wielders such as herself and engraved in her mind by her Master Eraqus. "Everything, everything?"

Ivan nodded. "Yes, about the Unversed, the Keyblade, a lot of things that fascinated me."

"...Ivan, you absolutely, cannot tell anyone about this! I'm already in deep trouble from leaving the Land of Departure, even though I was kidnapped at first, and now you and Master Nyunpa now know, too! Gah! This is seriously bad!"

"To be fair, both of us could read minds, so it was inevitable that we would eventually learn of your background," admitted Ivan. "But, alright. You have my word. I won't tell anyone. Not even our friends."

"Oh, good! I don't like keeping secrets from Issac and the others because they're good people, but at the same time, this is a secret that we can't tell!" said Ignis.

"I know, and I'm certain Master Nyunpa won't tell anyone else, either. He seems like a wise elder."

"...Incidentally," spoke up Ignis with a flustered look. "You didn't...learn of anything inappropriate, did you?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ivan.

"Did you, or did you not?!" Ignis shouted, aggressively grabbing Ivan by the collar and shaking him back and forth; her face turning more red. "PLEASE tell me you didn't learn of my secret fantasies and kinks with my favorite romantic type!"

"W-W-WHAT?!" Now it was Ivan's turn to turn bright red. "W-Why would you tell me that?! Gah! Now I can't get that mental image out of my head! And it's all your fault!"

"My fault?! You were the one probing my mind and getting information without permission! Gah! That's it! You know too much, so I'm gonna punish you! Read my mind again! I'm gonna force you to see my fantasies!"

"W-What?! I'm not gonna do that if that's the case, Ignis! And I thought you wanted to keep them a secret!"

"I-Well-You-! S-Shut up! Read my mind and suffer! Suffer and die an embarrassing death, pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert! You're the pervert for thinking such fantasies!"

"AHA! So you did learn them!"

"NO!"

After a while, the two of them had calmed down, dismissing their...previous change in topics and focusing back on their original conversation before things had turned into a humorous, yet embarrassing topic.

"...You're so strong, Ignis."

"Hmm?" Ignis perked up at Ivan's response, waiting for him to continue.

"All of your adventures up to this point...your actions describe just what kind of person you are. You broke your master's rules several times, but in doing so, you helped others and won many battles against evil. I...I don't think I could ever be as strong, brave, and kind as you, Ignis," admitted Ivan.

"...That's not true!" said Ignis. "You're strong, brave, and kind! Even though your journey's just begun, you've gotten a lot stronger! And I'm sure you'll grow much stronger as our journey continues! Plus, you're an such a cute little cinnamon roll!"

"I...Well..." Ivan flustered from her last compliment and decided not to make a comment on it. "N-Never mind. But, Ignis...I want to ask you something. Even though I read your mind, why do you still want to journey with us? You have no obligation to be with us, and you can return back home safely on your own. Don't get me wrong, I-we're all grateful for your support, but just...why? This isn't your responsibility."

Ignis shook her head. "Not quite. A Keyblade wielder's duty is to protect a world from the destructive forces of darkness. That means protecting a world from being destroyed, so naturally, I'm coming along this journey to make sure the lighthouses don't get lit so the world doesn't get destroyed! Well, that, and because I want to."

"I see..."

"Ivan, I've got years of training and quite a bit of more battle experience than you or the others. I'm gonna do my best to help you guys become a lot stronger in case something happens to me along this journey. There might be a time where I won't be there for you and the others, so you gotta become stronger without me."

Ivan nodded. "I understand. I just want to let you know, thank you for protecting and helping us along this quest."

"No prob! Besides, this'll serve as good training when I become a Keyblade Master and have to train other apprentices!" said Ignis before gazing at her hand. "I...I don't have too much time in my life anyways..."

"...Because you sacrificed your half of your lifespan performing that spell to save that storybook world?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Ivan sighed. "I know it's not my place to say, but even so, that was really reckless of you, Ignis! I know why you did it, but you sacrificed half your lifespan! You should take better care of yourself! Even so...there was quite a touching and heroic thing you did. But, don't do it ever again!"

Ignis patted him on the shoulder. "Relax. Besides, I couldn't do it again even if I wanted to. It's a rare spell and it requires a highly skilled wizard like Merlin to pull it off, so like, two people to perform the spell. Even I don't know how to cast the spell."

"Well, as long as you don't do it ever again, I suppose it's fine...Now, it's getting late. The others are probably waiting for us for dinner, so let's go. I'll try and help you master the Elemental Summoning magic for as long as you remain in this world. It's the least I can do."

Ignis beamed with joy as she stood up. "Awww! Thanks, Ivan! I appreciate the assistance."

Ivan nodded and stood up, walking side-by-side as they headed towards the inn. "You're welcome. Out of curiosity, do Familiars have names other than just their...designated species?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! I guess I did forget to mention that!" said Ignis. "Let's see...a master naming their own Familiar is kinda like a contract between the two! So, yeah! I suspect that Familiars do have names!"

"What do you plan on naming your Familiar once you successfully summon him or her?"

"Well, according to the Summoning Magic book, we can name our Familiar however we want! Plus, the gender of the Familiar depends on the gender of the caster to properly resonate with them, so my Familiar would be a girl, for certain! But...If I had to choose a name...It would have to be **Pyra."**

"Pyra?" wondered Ivan.

"Yeah! I got that cute and awesome name from the word, 'Pyro!' Pyro is a fire-based word, so combine that with a feminine name, and voila! You've got Pyra!" cooed Ignis before her stomach started grumbling.

Ivan chuckled. "You must be as hungry as I am. Come on, the others are waiting."

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

 **I finished! Yay! Go, me! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I did!**

 **Oh, yeah, by the way, I just want to note something very interesting to all of you, regarding Ignis' current fighting level. Like I have mentioned several times during Ignis' Golden Sun adventure, she is clearly more experienced and stronger than any of Issac and his friends right now, thanks to years of training and her own battle experiences in other worlds. But, right now, I'm having her hold back a lot of her power for various reasons.**

 **One, she's holding back her power for Issac and the others. She wants to grant them the chance to gain battle experience for themselves. If she just barged in and won every battle for herself, only she would grow stronger while the others would still be wimps. This isn't like Pokémon where the Pokémon holds an EXP Share and gains just as much Experience Points from the battling Pokémon!**

 **Second, she needs to focus more on her physical capabilities as well. I noticed that I've been making her a bit of a battle mage throughout her adventures, like her using her creative spells and fire spells to finish enemies off, all while trying to learn other types of magic, so I want to downgrade that a bit during her time in the Golden Sun universe.**

 **Third, a similar reason to Reason #2, except that she wants to save up a lot of her magic power. It's for emergency, higher-tier magic spells in case anything goes wrong and for usage of magic power during her training, like, for instance, her training to perfect her Summoning Magic and other types of magic she's learning from the magic books lent to her by Merlin.**

 **By the way, I already decided what kind of Familiar animal companion will be accompanying Ignis when the time comes, and it's a surprise for certain! But I can confirm that, yes, Pyra will be the official name for Ignis' Familiar when she successfully performs an Elemental Summon.**

 **That said, read and review!**


	30. Weyard (6)

**Onto the next part of the adventure, right here and now! Featuring a guest and temporary party member that was never included in the Golden Sun series, but will be included for this chapter only! This will also be an extremely long chapter, so get ready!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

"SQUEEEEEEEE! I can't believe we're gonna learn kung fu! YAAAAAAYYYY!" squealed Ignis as she and her friends stood inside the dojo the next morning to visit and see what kung fu was for themselves.

While Issac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia are relatively new to the concept of kung fu, Ignis had some knowledge even though she never once trained nor fought in the way of martial arts before. All she learned about martial arts was through the comic books she and Ventus read together, about how the hero or one of the hero's companions fought the bad guys using martial arts. It always amazed her how one good fighter could fight others with their bare hands and feet.

And now, here Ignis stood, watching young students spar and train with one another using the very same concept of martial arts.

"Ignis! You're too loud! We don't want to bring any attention!" whispered Ivan. "I know you're excited, but shh!"

"Yeah, and we're not...exactly going to learn martial arts," reminded Issac. "We're only going to stay for a few minutes, and then we gotta leave."

"Let's explore around then! I wanna ask a bunch of questions about kung fu!" said Ignis before running ahead.

"Ignis! Don't ask people that are in the middle of a spar!" called out Mia. "Jeez...I'll stay with her just in case she accidentally gets hurt!""

"I-I'll go, too!" agreed Ivan before following after Mia to catch up to Ignis.

"...So, I guess it's just you and me," Issac said to Garet before noticing his red-haired friend heading straight forward. "Hey, Garet! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna challenge some of these scrubs! We're plenty strong, so it should be alright!"

"...He's totally get himself wrecked. Might as well follow him."

Meanwhile, Ignis was happily chatting with one of the dojo students as Mia and Ivan stood by, listening with intrigued expressions. "So, I know that martial arts pull off a bunch of aerial combat and stuff, so how much do you train?!" asked Ignis excitedly.

The female dojo student was more than happy to answer her questions. "Simple! Flexibility and jumping are very important in kung fu! We must channel our energy from within and then release it all in the form of punches and kicks! I personally love kicks because they have longer than arms! Strong kicks are very important! Watch!"

She twisted her body to face a wooden pillar before unleashing a flurry of swift kicks; visible small marks found on the wooden pillar for each kick she delivered. She grinned and bowed when Ignis, Mia, and Ivan applauded for her.

"I have another question!" said Ignis, raising her hand. "If kicks have longer range than arms, why doesn't anyone else do it?"

The female dojo student answered, "Strong punches are just as good as punches, if not stronger. Kicks have longer range, but you have much more focus on the fists! That'll make the punches more stronger physically than kicks! Kicks are fast in speed, but punches are stronger! Watch!"

Demonstrating her strength, the female dojo student delivered a few punches that left deeper marks on the wooden pillar than any of the previous kicks.

"Wow! Awesome!" Ignis said.

"Everyone in Xian can do martial arts! But the Feh School of Martial Arts is the most elite! If you apply here, I guarantee that you will be able to learn martial arts just like me! Now, please pardon me, but I have a task that I must do right now."

"Okay, bye! Thanks for taking the time to answering my questions!" Ignis thanked, watching the young student walk away. "You know, if we weren't on a quest, and if I wasn't already apprenticed, I probably would have applied."

"Hand-to-hand combat doesn't seem useless, either," agreed Ivan. "It's amazing what cultures you learn when you set out to explore the world."

"Yeah. All the people I've met so far has been friendly!" said Mia. "I wonder how Issac and Garet are doing?"

"Um...Mia? Could you help?"

"Hmm-What happened?!"

Turning around, the three of them saw Issac carrying Garet by wrapping his arm around his shoulder. Garet appeared to be in a terribly injured condition, as he was sporting a black eye and swollen cheek. Hurriedly, both Mia and Ignis laid down Garet properly on the floor and began casting healing spells on him.

"Issac, what happened?!" wondered Ivan.

Issac sighed and shook his head. "I told him not to do it. I told him over and over, but did he listen? No! He just had to go and challenge one of the senior students here to a duel. And that led us to this conclusion. I think he's learned his lesson, though."

Once Garet was fully recovered, he received the scolding of his life from Mia until he promised not to get into pointless fights again. They explored around the dojo a bit more until they came across a strange area consisting of a log right in the center of a marked lined floor.

One of the nearby students spotted the group and went up to them. "Welcome! Try your luck against the log! All you must do is make it fall!"

"That's it? Easy!" said Ignis, running towards the log headfirst before jumping and delivering a kick to it. What she did anticipate next was two things. One, the log was as hard as steel, and two, the log didn't go down.

Oh, and Ignis nearly broke her foot.

"You fool! That is not the correct way to knock it down!" scolded the student, watching as Ignis was wailing and holding her foot in pain as Mia was trying to heal her. "You must channel your Chi in order to make the log fall!"

"Chi? What's Chi?" wondered Ignis, tilting her head and momentarily forgetting about her pain.

"Chi is the energy that you must harness within yourself and push it forward from a distance," replied the student. "It's much more than just physical force! Then again, I suppose you outsiders wouldn't understand much of it."

"Hey, it kinda sounds like you're insulting us," Ignis pointed out; a tick mark on her head.

"Given that you foolishly charged in and tried to kick it down, you deserve it!"

Garet got an idea and gestured his friends close to him, much to their curiosity. "Guys, I've got an idea. A sick idea that'll make their jaws drop so hard in the ground! What if...I use Psynergy?"

"Wait, then everyone's gonna see it, won't they?" Ignis wondered.

"Most people, particularly non-Adepts, don't have the ability to see Psynergy, so it's alright," reminded Mia. "Only Adepts or very special people can see them."

Ivan quickly caught on to what Garet was planning. "You're going to use Force, aren't you?"

"Bingo! You always were the smart one, Ivan!" chirped Garet, patting him on the head.

"...Well, okay. This doesn't really involve fighting, so it's alright," agreed Issac. "Go ahead, Garet."

"Nice, alright! Step back, guys!" After following his orders, the group watched as Garet focused on his Force Psynergy just like the numerous times he's casted that Psynergy back in Mogall Forest before watching a force of Psynergy spring out from his palm and hit the log, causing it to fall all on its own and attracting a few of the nearby students' attention.

"What did you do, warrior?"

"The warrior used Chi! He did it from the line, and the tree fell!"

"He knows kung fu!"

"You Chi must be strong if it can reach from afar!"

"Someone must inform Master Feh about this!"

Just then, a loud noise disrupted the chatter from the students and everyone grew silent as a beautiful, bright lavender-haired teenager stormed out from a door with a mid-aged man following after her.

"Oh, Master Feh!" one of the students cried out.

"Feizhi, wait!" called out the mid-aged man called Feh. "Are you worried that Hsu is late? He is only a little late in returning from Lama Temple. Do not worry!"

The girl named Feizhi shook her head and turned to him. "Something is wrong with Hsu...I can sense it."

Feh sighed in exasperation. "Ah, Feizhi...is it your power again?"

Feizhi nodded. "Ever since gems fell from the sky and hit me, I have sensed bad things!"

"You say you sense evil ever since you received the power of prophecy. You have told me already." Feh shook his head. "I do not believe it, Feizhi. Your visions are just coincidences."

"My visions came true many times, no?" Feizhi asked a nearby student, who nodded. "I had a vision about Mogall Forest, and that came true."

One of the students spoke up. "Yes, your predictions came true, Feizhi! It was very surprising!"

Feizhi turned to another student. "And the flood in Altin! Did I not predict that, too?"

"All Feizhi's predictions came true!"

"See, Father?" Feizhi replied, turning back to Feh.

"I have heard it all," admitted Feh. "It was surprised, too, but it is still coincidence."

Feizhi glared at her father with disbelief. "...You still don't believe it?"

Feh nodded. "Hsu is late, so you worry too much. But do not think bad thoughts."

"You at least sent people to find Hsu, correct?" When Feizhi saw her father shake his head, she turned away, grumbling under her breath, "Stubborn old man..."

Appalled by her behavior, Feh scolded her. "What did you say, Feizhi? You should not speak so to your elders!"

Angrily glaring at him, Feizhi declared, "I will not ask anyone! I will go alone, then!"

"It is too dangerous-!" But Feizhi, too angry to argue further with her father, ran out of the dojo in a hurry. After the argument was witnessed by several students, chatter spread throughout the dojo.

"Ya! Master Feh! Feizhi has gone!"

"He was literally standing right there, dude. I'm pretty sure he knows," muttered Ignis, sweatdropping at the stupidity of one student, pointing out the obvious.

"Feizhi was very angry. She was frightening!"

"Hsu is in danger! Feizhi is going to help!"

"Feizhi knows kung fu. She will be alright."

"She is alone, though!"

"She cannot go far. She will soon give up. Until then, let her be."

Once the commotion ceased, most of the students returned to their daily duties and training, whereas others left the dojo to do their own thing. One of the students, the one who witnessed Garet "using Chi" on the now-fallen log, rushed up to Feh and whispered something in his ear, catching his surprise. The student followed after Feh as the master himself went to the log area where the fallen log still lied there.

"...And who was the warrior who did this?" wondered Feh.

The student pointed to Garet. "That warrior did it. He used Chi."

Walking up to Garet, Feh asked, "Warrior, can you truly use Chi?"

"Uh..."

"Dude, I think Chi is just another word for Psynergy," informed Ignis.

"Oh, then...yeah! I can definitely use Chi!" said Garet proudly.

"Doesn't that mean all of us can use Chi?" wondered Ivan. "Except for Ignis, for...you know, she uses magic instead of Psynergy."

Feh told Garet, "Would it be alright if you were to demonstrate your Chi to me once more?"

Garet grinned, flexing his muscles on one arm. "Yeah! Leave it to me! Garet, greatest warrior ever!"

"Oh my God," giggled Ignis, facepalming as Garet got into position once more. As expected, Garet casted Force on the log, the log fell, and everyone in the dojo was surprised by Garet's "Chi" being demonstrated before them a second time.

"Ya! The tree fell!" cried out Feh.

Chatter exploded between the students who witnessed Garet's display of "Chi" as the only other known people who could use Chi is Feizhi, her father and master, Feh, and a selected few in the dojo. For a complete stranger and outsider to show up and demonstrate Chi right before their eyes was unheard of until right at that moment.

"Master, did you see? The warrior used Chi!"

"The warrior's Chi is excellent! Are you surprised, Master?"

"..."

"What's wrong, Master?"

"Hmm...The warrior did make the tree fall, I grant you that," agreed Feh, nodding his head.

Confused, one of the students stepped forward, noting the doubt in Feh's tone. "Is something wrong with the warrior's Chi?"

Feh shook his head. "What the warrior did...It was not Chi. It looks very similar, but it is not Chi."

"Ah, I figured something was amiss," pointed out Ivan.

"Awwww!" whined Garet. "I guess that means I'm not the chosen one, after all!"

"We all can use Psynergy, so, technically, that makes us all chosen ones," said Issac.

'Warrior," Feh addressed Garet, walking up to him. "Have you and your friends been to Fuchin Temple?"

"Huh? Yeah-except for Ignis. She stayed behind."

"Hey, not true! I wanted to go with you guys but Master Nyunpa pulled me aside!" complained Ignis.

"At least he didn't make you wait the whole time. You said he trained you while we were in that cavern, remember?" reminded Mia.

"Yeah, I guess...But I still wanted to go with you guys!"

"Hmm...I see," said Feh, nodding his head as though he understood their situation. This gesture confused the rest of his students until one brave soul spoke up.

"How are Chi and Fuchin Temple related?"

'I learned my Chi from Master Hama of Lama Temple," Feh explained. "Chi...and the power the warrior has demonstrated is very similar, yet very different. Chi concentrates the energy of the body into the hand and then releases it onto a distant object. You, however, used energy focused from the mind. The power to will something to move requires much wisdom. Fuchin's Ki releases the mind's energy like Chi releases the body. The body's energy has limits, but mental energy has few limits. Train your Ki, and it will grow very strong! Do your best, warrior!"

"Yes, Master Feh!" Issac and his friends respectfully bowed their heads, accepting his words of wisdom.

Turning to the rest of his students, Feh announced, "Practice, everyone! Chi has its limits, but anyone can use it! Practice, practice! Until you learn the power of Chi!"

When the students resumed their previous activities and Feh left to instruct the other students, Garet and the others were left alone, pondering on the new knowledge granted to them moments ago. Apparently, Feh and the others had mistaken "Psynergy" for a new, unknown term called "Ki," something Issac, Garet, Mia, and Ivan were unaware of, yet Ignis had some idea of what Ki was because of her studies with Master Eraqus.

"...So, if Psynergy comes from the mind, and Chi comes from the energy of the body...what does that make magic?" wondered Ignis.

"That's an interesting question," said Ivan. "Unfortunately, I don't think you're going to have any answers to that, unless you wanna explain...you know, 'that' to Master Feh?"

"That? What do you mean?" wondered Garet.

"It's not really important," assured Ignis. "But yeah, you're right. And considering that he didn't believe his own daughter, I doubt he'll believe in magic, either."

'Do you really think that girl, Feizhi, has the power to predict future events?" wondered Mia. "She did have several eyewitnesses to her claim."

Issac said, "Either way, I think we should at least find and try to talk to her. If she's serious about trying to find her friend, then she might run into danger, like the monsters out on the field."

"Oh, right! No matter how tough she is, she's still just one person! We should aid her!" suggested Ivan. "We only saw her leave about a few minutes ago, so if we hurry, we might catch up to her!"

The moment they exited the dojo, however, they were surprised to find Feizhi rather quickly, as she was outside, seemingly waiting for them. "You are the warriors from the school," she spoke, walking up to them. "Are you strong warriors?"

Issac nodded. "We're not fully experienced fighters, but we have had our share of battles."

Feizhi smiled. "I am happy to see such strong warriors. I have been waiting you because I seek your aid. I wish to travel to the Alpine Crossing, where my visions are urging me to go there!"

"Why that place? Is that where your friend is located?" asked Ignis.

Feizhi nodded. "I suspect so! My dear friend, Hsu, should have returned from training under Master Hama from the Lama Temple, which is located after crossing the Alpine Crossing! I fear something awful must have happened! But, as frustrating as it is, monsters hinder my path! We students normally band together in groups to stop monsters from attacking traders and to protect Xian, but right now, no one is willing to help me! If you warriors can help me, I will pay you with money!"

"No need," assured Issac, raising his palm and shaking his head. "We'll help you out, so you don't need to worry about any money issues."

"Wha-Issac! We kinda need money to buy for supplies and armor and stuff!" reminded Garet.

"Garet, I know you're concerned about our financial crisis, but there's a time and place for demanding money, and now's not the time!" said Ivan.

Feizhi shook her head. "I appreciate your modesty, but truly, I insist! Once this is all over, I will reward you all with money. You have my word! Come, we must hurry!"

Left with no argument to retort with, Issac and the others followed and allowed Feizhi to take the lead, considering she was the only one who knew the way to get to the Alpine Crossing. When they first encountered some monsters, they planned on protecting Feizhi and defeat them themselves, but Feizhi proved to be a strong, capable fighter with her martial arts.

"HIYA!"

With incredible flexibility, Feizhi brought her leg up, delivering a kick strong enough to crack the literal skull of the Bone Fighter she was fighting with. Seeing the Bone Fighter crumble to dust before her very eyes, Feizhi turned her attention to another Bone Fighter, ducking her head in time to dodge a sword sweep before countering a colossal blow to its skull so hard, the skull ripped from the spin and fell to the ground. The Bone Fighter fell to pieces seconds after, leaving a confident and slightly sweaty Feizhi before she moved onto her next target.

Garet, who witnessed her moment of fighting, whistled. "Whoa! I would not want to mess with her!"

Ignis, who had just slain a Mole monster with her Keyblade, turned to Garet. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to mess with someone who literally broke two skulls in mere seconds."

Issac nodded, sheathing his blade as he prepared to use his Venus Psynergy. "She is Master Feh's daughter, after all. Take this!" With his Venus Psynergy, he summoned sharp rocks from the ground and had them impale the last of the monsters, defeating them.

Feizhi looked over to the ground in astonishment. "You truly are very talented warriors...skilled in both weaponry and a power very similar to Chi!"

"They prefer to call their power Psynergy," explained Ignis. "I, however, like to call my power magic!"

"Intriguing...As much as I would like to learn more, I'm afraid that we still must hurry to where Hsu is! Let's continue onward! It isn't far to the Alpine Crossing now!"

Feizhi proved to be more than a guide to the group, but also a very useful melee fighter that joined the ranks of the front-liners alongside Issac, Garet, and Ignis. When it came to fighting, she was second-best to Ignis due to her receiving only training and not much of battle experience, where Ignis had both, and together, the two made quite the tag team together.

Because Garet and Issac received some major injuries during their latest battle, the group had to stop to take a break in order to allow the two of them heal. Ignis insisted on assisting Mia, but Mia assured her that she was fine working alone, as she already finished healing Issac by the time Ignis extended her offer for aid.

Instead, she decided to sit down on a log next to Ivan and Feizhi, who were watching Mia heal Issac as Garet was on the lookout for any monsters. Ignis figured that there was no need to be on lookout duty herself since Mia would be done in a short time.

Feizhi sighed happily with a lovestruck expression on her face as she stared at Issac, whereas Ivan was patiently waiting for Mia to finish healing Issac. Noticing the unusually happy look on Feizhi's face, Ignis had to ask, "So...what's got you so happy all of a sudden?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing!" assured Feizhi with an obviously bright smile on her face. "Say...Ignis? What do you think of the boys in your group? Your friends, I mean?"

"You mean, Ivan, Issac, and Garet?" wondered Ignis. "Oh, that's simple! I think Issac's a bit serious, but he's more like the leader type! He always follows my instructions when it comes to training and I know for a fact that he'll get better! Him and everyone else! As for Garet...He's a bit of a hothead, but he's a bit like more, but a bit more...inexperienced. Oh, and I just adore the cute and innocent Ivan!~"

"I...I'm right here, you know," spoke up Ivan, flustered by her compliment.

"Oh, I know. And I don't care if you heard moi!~"

"Are you...interested romantically in one of the boys?" asked Feizhi.

"Romantically? God, no!" said Ignis. "I mean, Ivan's pretty cute, but I don't like him in that way! No offense, Ivan."

Ivan shook off her comment. "None taken. I like you only as a friend, as well."

"Good! Hmm...Garet looks way too much like me. He's looks like my little brother, so that's out! Issac...Hmm...he's cute-looking, but he's not my type. I love the tall, dark, and handsome types! I actually have someone in mind, but he's really playing hard to get..."

Ignis paused and thought back on that one person she had a major crush on. She pondered on the mystery behind that black mask of his...what his face looked like and if it looked handsome...his tight suit showing off his muscles and hard-earned abs...the way he moved so effectively, yet swiftly...and if she "accidentally" and somehow lifts up that man skirt/butt cape of his...

"...nis? Ignis?"

"Huh? What?"

"I've been calling out to you," said Feizhi with a bit of a grin on her face. "You were red-faced and drooling all over. I imagine you must have been thinking about someone you have a crush on if you made such a lovestruck expression. So, who's the lucky man?"

"I...I don't really feel comfortable hearing all this, so I'm just...gonna go help Garet scout out...more monsters..." spoke Ivan, standing up and leaving.

After he left, Feizhi turned to Ignis with expectation in her eyes. Ignis flustered and scratched her cheek, looking quite shy. "Aha...Well, it's not one of the guys in our group, that's for sure...And you've definitely never met him..."

"So, is he like, your boyfriend or something?"

"W-Well, no...But..." Ignis' fingers twiddled with each other as she let out a low murmur to herself. "I kinda...hope he'll be-"

"Eeeek! That is so cute! Now I'm really curious!" squealed Feizhi.

Unless Vanitas personally came down to the world Ignis was in himself, there was no possible chance of Feizhi ever meeting Vanitas. Come to think of it, Ignis wondered where Vanitas was and what he was doing, since the last time she had seen him, they had..."hung out." As much as Ignis wanted to say it was a date, she knew that Vanitas would probably kill her if she did declare it like that, so she decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Well, I can't just-"

"We're finished!" called out Mia as she and Issac walked up to Feizhi and Ignis. "Feizhi, are we close to Alpine Crossing now?"

Pouting that she hasn't gotten any good gossip from Ignis, Feizhi stood up, mildly annoyed until she was focused back onto their original task of finding Hsu. "Y-yes. It shouldn't be too far now. Let's go! Ignis, you better tell me more about this juicy information later!~"

Ignis, whose face had lessen the redness, simply grinned. "I dunno!~ We'll just have to see! Hmm...I guess I can tell you a little bit about my crush if you teach me some sweet kung fu moves!"

Feizhi brightened up immediately. "Okay! That's not a problem!"

"So...what's going on?" wondered Garet as he and Ivan joined up with the others.

Ivan, having been near them when they started talking about love and boys, sighed. "It's...nothing really important. Just something between those two that's irrelevant to what we're doing."

Monsters appeared less the more closer they reached Alpine Crossing, and once they arrived, the group found themselves momentarily stunned by what they discovered. Alpine Crossing was indeed a passage area with cliff-like features all around, but the obstacle that stunned them was the fact that multiple, huge boulders blocked various paths within the Alpine Crossing.

"Yaah! Silk Road! Boulders block the road!" cried out Feizhi, horrified as she ran around, trying to find a clear or at the very least, a narrow way through the boulders.

"Silk Road? I thought this was Alpine Crossing?" Ignis wondered, spotting a sign before reading it. "Yup, Alpine Crossing."

"I actually did some research from one of the books I read in Xian," spoke up Ivan. "Alpine Crossing has another name, which is Silk Road. Silk Road is a very important trade route between Xian and Tolbi, as silk is Xian's specialty and travelers come in and out using Alpine Crossing. I'm afraid that it'll be very difficult, now that it's overrun with boulders."

"My vision did come true! Hsu! Hsu!" called out Feizhi, trying to move some smaller rocks out of the way. She gave up and stomped her foot in frustration. "It is no good! I cannot hear Hsu's voice!"

"Maybe he's farther down Alpine Crossing," suggested Garet. "There are other parts to this place, right?"

'Well, yes, but...Oh, I'm so worried!"

"Wait a minute," said Ignis, turning to Issac. "Issac, these are boulders, right? Then, can't you just lift them up with your Psynergy? I mean, I'll help out, too, and...yeah, yeah! Let's do that!"

"...Hmm...I don't know," admitted Issac. "Yes, I can lift up boulders, but very small rocks and at the most, small boulders. These large ones may be too much for me to handle. I'm a Venus Adept, yes, but I'm not a master."

"Like I said, I'll help out!" said Ignis, patting him on the back. "I have a plan! So, you, me, and Ivan will concentrated on moving the boulders out of the way with our magic-er, Psynergy, and Garet will destroy the boulders with Mia giving him some buffs!"

"Um...I can't increase his speed or attack power. I don't have those sorts of spells," said Mia. "At most, I can heal, but that's it."

"And, how am I supposed to help? I'm not a Venus Adept," said Ivan.

"Simple! Use your wind Adept powers! Form a small tornado underneath the boulders to lift them up!" suggested Ignis.

"Oh, that's a great idea!"

"Hmm..." Garet tapped one of the boulders. "I guess I am pretty strong, but I'm not sure if I can actually destroy a boulder with just my raw power alone. Can't I just try and burn one up?"

"Garet, even I know that you can't destroy a boulder by simply making it catch on fire, if it's even scientifically possible, anyways," pointed out Mia.

"Fine, fine! I'll try!"

"Um...what should I do?" wondered Feizhi. "I'm good with Chi, but I haven't mastered the art of smashing through tough objects like boulders. I'm still undergoing training for that."

"Maybe, if it's possible, you can climb over the boulders or try and find a much clearer path for us to take," said Issac. "Can you do that?"

Feizhi immediately brightened up before taking off. "Okay!"

"Ah, wait a moment! I'll go with you, Feizhi!" called out Mia.

"Wait, why?" asked Garet.

Mia stopped and turned to him. "I can't help out with the boulders, and I have nothing better to do but to assist Feizhi just in case she gets hurt. She'll be all alone, and you have the others. Don't worry, we'll be back!"

With that, the others got to work immediately, trying to remove the boulders that were blocking their path. Though she doesn't use it much, Ignis started casting a Zero Gravity spell to make the boulders afloat before moving them to the side. Ivan and Issac worked together by combining their Jupiter and Venus Psynergy to also move the boulders out of the way. Garet...was having very little luck with destroying one of the boulders. In fact, he was still working on the first boulder and at most, he only made a few cracks on it while his other friends succeeded in moving several larger boulders out of the way.

Later, because everyone else had run out of Psynergy and magic, they had to stop and take a break. Well, Ivan, Issac, and Ignis ran out of their special power and needed to rest to recharge even a little bit of their power, as Garet hadn't once used up any of his Psynergy, though he was very close to several times out of frustration.

But what was really worse was that even though they accomplished so much in removing many large boulders, that was nothing compared to the absolute _mountain_ of boulders that were still blocking paths in the Alpine Crossing.

"Yeah...there's no way we can finish this today..." panted Ignis. "I'm all out of magic power..."

"Y-Yeah...I can't do much more than that...I need to rest..." sighed Ivan.

Just then, Mia and a dejected-looking Feizhi returned to see their four friends lying on the ground or against the rocky walls, worn out. "Hey, what happened?!" exclaimed Mia, hurrying to check out their conditions. "Whew! They're only tired."

Feizhi noticed many boulders that were moved from their previous spots and nodded. "Yes, they must have been if they were able to move these many boulders. I am quite impressed. Unfortunately, it was not enough to clear the way."

"How'd...your search go?" asked Issac, still trying to catch his breath.

Feizhi shook her head. "It's no good. No matter how many times we looked or even for any shortcuts, they were all blocked by rockslides. I do not know what caused them, but there is no possible way to get through. Perhaps we should return to Xian and report this to Father, but...going back is not an option. And I must find Hsu."

"But, if we report this to your father, then he can help us!" said Mia. "Sure, it'll take a bit longer to find Hsu, but with more help, we'll be able to remove the boulders much faster!"

"I dunno, Mia," sighed Garet. "It did take us a while to get all the way here, and there were lots of monsters back there. Do you think we're in any condition to fight the monsters in our state?"

"Yes," agreed Ivan. "I agree that we can try and take them on physically, but it'll be much easier and faster with our Psynergy and magic, and we're all out at the moment."

"Except for me!" called out Garet.

"Hmm...We're still in quite the early afternoon," said Feizhi. "...There's a village near Alpine Crossing. Luckily, it's not hindered by the landslide, and I just remembered something. The village is a mining village, and there is a cavernous pathway that'll lead to Lama Temple."

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"But, there's a problem. The village has been flooded."

"Urgh! Then, we can't go to a destroyed village!" complained Ignis tiredly.

Feizhi shook her head. "I said that it's been flooded. I never said that it was destroyed. The residents are okay, but they have a...certain water problem."

"I...I think we should go there," said Issac, standing back up. "It's nearby, and it'll take a long while to get back to Xian. We'll provide as much help as we can to the villagers, but I don't know if we'll be able to solve the problem."

"Then, it's safe to say that we'll be spending the night there, too?" wondered Ignis, receiving a nod from the party's leader. "Awesome! Let's go! Hey, Feizhi? What's the name of this village, anyways?

"Altin. But, I warn you again, it's recently been flooded. I'm not sure how, but it is, so be careful. But, I suppose it should pose no problem for you all."

* * *

 _Later, at Altin..._

"What. The hell."

Ignis expected destroyed homes with puddles of water all around; the entire village being soaked and the surviving villagers forced to take refuge in other temporary homes. Instead, she and the others saw...large layers of water filled up to the top while the bottom of the water could be seen as mines, with each layer separated with homes and other mine-like areas but still completely filled up with water.

The village of Altin was practically an overfilled water area instead of a destroyed one.

While the village was technically flood, Ignis expected...destruction than overfilling areas of water because that's how the results of floods normally went by. Yes, the villagers seemed upset about their situation, but the situation was still...unusual in Ignis' eyes.

"Hello there, young travelers!" spoke up one of the villagers. "Is this your first time visiting Altin?"

"Yes," said Issac, nodding his head.

"We must look a lot like a coastal town, huh? Ah, no need to say it. Altin's never even had a well in the old days. Water-spewing monsters are what waterlogged the village."

"Seriously? That's so weird," commented Garet. "Any idea why?"

The villager shook his head. "Dunno. They just appeared one day and started spewing water that made the village the waterlogged village it is today. Even the mine is submerged. No one can enter it."

One of the other villagers said, "If we could just destroy the monsters, all of the water should drain away."

"Uh...how would that work?" wondered Ignis.

"It's supposedly a special power that those water monsters possess. We figured it out by killing one of the water monsters, which greatly decreased a lot of the water, but it took every single villager to kill it, and we barely managed to survive that fight! The other water monsters went into hiding somewhere in this village, and even if we could track them down, I doubt we could even win the next fight."

A female villager said, "Altin always used to be short on water. Now, we're all flooded in. Either way, we just have bad luck when it comes to water."

"How did you guys not die yet if you didn't have that much water?" asked Garet bluntly.

"Garet!" shouted Mia. "That was uncalled for!"

"Yeah, dude. Really?" agreed Ignis, giving him a questioning look.

Another villager spoke up. "No, no, it's alright. We traded many things with Xian, like silk and water in exchange for the rare gems and stones we often mine in the mines. But, with our water situation, we're not going to be running business anytime soon. Hell, even my store is submerged. I want to sell armor, but there's no way."

Because of the state the village was in, there were limited areas to explore, but the group still split up to gather more information to help out the flooding situation, even if a little. The results were just the same: the village got flooded by water monsters all the way down to the mines, nobody can get down, and the only way to magically stop the flooding is to kill the water monsters.

"Still though, how does killing them magically work?" wondered Ignis "It makes no logical sense!"

"I agree, but if what the villagers say it's true, then it must be," said Ivan.

"Ignis, we live in a world where magic and Psynergy exist. Of course it doesn't make sense," said Garet.

"Gah! Whatever! I'll just call it magical bullshit!"

"I...don't know whether that should be a good name for this situation," said Mia. "Anyways, we should probably rest at the inn for today and then focus on the monster problem tomorrow."

"I tried, but the inn was already filled up with villagers. It wouldn't be fair if we came in and demanded rooms when the villagers need them more," said Ivan.

"Guys, what's that?" Issac said, pointing to a strange being near the overflooded waters.

Everyone turned to see a medium-sized aquatic, turquoise-colored monster spewing water from its mouth. Aquatic. Monster. Spewing water from its mouth. Directly towards the already overflooded pool of water that's already causing enough damage to the village.

It didn't take the monster even a second to sense the killing intent coming from the six people before jumping on out of there, heading for the nearest exit, which happened to be the entrance to the Altin Peak, which was the start of the series of the Altin mines, beginning from the top level.

"After it!" called out Ignis, taking charge while the others followed after her. Luckily for the group, the Altin Peak mines were lit with torches attached to the walls, making it easier for them to see their way through the cavern-like mines. They spotted the monster in time to see him cast some Mercury Psynergy that converted a puddle of water into a towering pillar of ice before using the pillar of ice to get across another side of the cavern mines, sliding down a cliff-slide before continuously spewing out more water into a water source that seemed to reach outside to Altin.

"That was Frost Psynergy!" exclaimed Mia. "I mean, I know we've seen monsters who could use Psynergy, but it still surprises me every time we see monsters do that!"

"Let's take the same path as the monster and followed it!" said Issac, climbing up the small cliff with the use of a nearby, convenient ladder. The group carefully hopped across using the pillar of ice the water monster made before sliding down the cliff-slide, thus quickly cornering the monster and forcing it to attack them.

Seeing that the water monster was about to spew out a water breath, Ignis shouted, "Garet! Hinder its path by casting your Mars Psynergy!"

"Huh?! What's that gonna do?! It's just gonna-"

"Just do it! We're all out of magic and Psynergy except you and Mia, and I'm pretty sure the water monster won't be that effective against water Psynergy!"

"Alright, alright!" Garet unleashed a Heat Wave Psynergy spell that caused waves of flames to burst beneath the water monster's feet. Because of that, the water monster was momentarily distracted and instead focused its water breath to put out the waves of flames.

"Issac! Feizhi! With me!" ordered Ignis, summoning her Keyblade and leaping up into the air with her weapon held high above her head. Just as the water monster finished extinguishing the last of the flames, it felt a sharp, slicing pain as Ignis slashed downwards on its head with her Keyblade before leaping back for distance.

Issac rushed in past her to take the initiative, delivering a deeper and swift cut to its throat before having to block an headbutt attack from the water monster. He was shoved back as a result, and though the impact hurt, it had not hurt that badly.

Feizhi delivered the finishing blows by landing effective hits as to where the slash wounds Ignis and Issac created, striking with her legs before using said legs to backflip for safety from long distances. Her blows seemed enough to kill the water monster as it fell over towards the water and turned to stone, with the rest of the water evaporating in the Altin Peak cavern mine.

"...Oh. I...I guess that does explain something," said Ignis. "...I still call this magical bullshit, though."

"Let's go outside and see what the water situation is right now," advised Ivan. "After all, the villagers did say that the water level lowered a bit when they themselves defeated one of the water monsters."

"Hey, it looks like that monster dropped something," spoke up Feizhi, walking over to a jewel-like object and picking it up. "What's this?"

"Altin is a mining village, and since they mine stuff like stones and gems, maybe that's just one of them," Ignis said before dollar signs popped into her eyes. "And gems are super rare, so we could get stinky, filthy rich if we sell that!"

"Hell yeah! I like your thinking, Ig!" cheered Garet before giving her a high-five.

"We are definitely not selling that!" declared Mia, marching over and taking the jewel-like object from Feizhi. "Don't you know what this is? This is a Frost Jewel! It acts similar to the Orb of Force!"

"So, it's a Psynergy item? Then, we really can't sell it!" protested Ivan. "After all, we need all the powerful Psynergy we can get during our journey!"

"But Mia, don't you already have Frost?" reminded Issac.

"W-Well, yes, I do..."

"Then, we really don't need this jewel! Let's just sell it and use the money for ourselves!" suggested Garet, receiving looks from his friends. "...And for ourselves, I mean, buying new armor and weapons and stuff!"

"I dunno...I still think we should keep it just in case," said Ivan. "Mia can indeed use Frost without the use of the Frost Jewel, but what if she's not around and we're faced with an obstacle that requires Frost? Then, one of us will have to use Frost."

"Wait, so I get that Frost is a Mercury-type Psynergy, but...can any one of you guys actually use the Frost Jewel without being Mercury Adepts yourselves?" wondered Ignis.

Issac nodded. "Yes, we did establish that a while ago. As long as you have the item, it's alright."

"I guess...but we still have Mia!" said Garet.

"Yeah, wait a minute!" said Ignis, raising her hand. "I can also cast Frost, too! Er, not exactly the Psynergy, but I can use ice magic! If Mia's not around, then I can take her place when it comes to casting Frost, or at the very least, something similar to it!"

"...Guys, I think we should hold onto the Frost Jewel," announced Issac.

"Huh? Why? We could totally sell it for more money!" cried out Ignis.

"Yeah! I wanna buy new equipment and other stuff!" complained Garet.

Issac raised his hand, motioning his two friends for some time for him to speak. "I understand your reasoning, and I agree. We do constantly need new upgrades and supplies for our journey. However, we also need all of the Psynergy we need. Yes, we do have Mia and Ignis, who can both cast ice powers, which is something that the Frost Jewel already has. However, Ivan is correct in the assumption that should something happen to the both of them, then we'll need the Frost Jewel. It's invaluable, so we cannot sell it."

"But what about-"

"We can always sell off other stuff we truly don't need, and besides, every time we defeat a monster, we automatically receive new gold coins. Fighting more monsters means we grow stronger, and as a bonus, we get more money."

"Hmm...I see there are both pros and cons for both choices," theorized Ivan. "If we do sell the jewel, then, while we do get money and use the money to buy new equipment, we'll also lose the ability for one of our team members to use the Frost Psynergy. However, if we don't, we'll have one more team member to have the ability to use Frost, but we'll lose the shot to sell the jewel and get more money that way. I vote that we keep it."

"Well, I also say that we keep the Frost Jewel!" said Mia.

"Listening to you guys, I think that Frost Jewel really is important," said Feizhi. "I don't know a bit about Psynergy, but I know it is a useful and powerful tool, so you should keep it."

Ignis sighed. "Well, if it's gonna turn out to be a vote like this...Then, it's a 4 against 2 vote, Garet. I think we're outnumbered."

Garet stomped his foot. "Man!"

"If it makes you two feel any better, then you can select the next set of equipment the next time we go to a weapons and armor shop," suggested Issac.

Garet instantly brightened up, wrapping his arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Awww! See, you always know a way to cheer me up!"

Ignis grinned and joined in, giving the two boys a group hug. "Yeah, thanks, Issac! Though, I only need to repair my armor!"

"We wasted enough time here. We should head outside now," reminded Feizhi, causing the group to nod and hurry outside.

Much to their surprise and relief, the water level had greatly lowered to the point where another section of the village was safely returned back to normal, though there were lots of puddles and drenched houses all over. The villagers must have already realized that the water levels had lowered, because they were spread across the newest section of their village, trying to clean up the mess and secure what items weren't damaged from the flooding.

With the knowledge that the water levels within Altin would indeed decrease with each defeat of the water monsters, Issac and his group ventured deeper into the Altin Peak mines. The various entrances to the Altin Peak mines was quickly discovered to have different areas to explore around, making the mines much more bigger than they assumed to be at first glance. The deeper the group went, the more water monsters they encountered and defeated, making the water levels lower and lower with each monster they defeated. An interesting thing about them was that whenever they were defeated, they would immediately turn to stone, which, according to the villagers when they told them this, said that they must have been Altin's statues that had somehow been brought to life.

The water monsters weren't the only obstacles they were forced to face, as they had to solve multiple puzzles and evade traps along the way as well. Several times, they had to ride on mine carts to reach other areas and encountered several other monsters, and one monster they accidentally triggered was one that resembled a treasure chest, but was really a monster!

The entire adventure in the Altin Peak mines wasn't entirely bad, as there were good benefits from it as well besides restoring Altin back to normal. They fought and defeated a Mercury Djinn called Spritz, who then joined Mia's small army of other Mercury Djinns, and they managed to find a bunch of useful items within the cavern mines, including a few rare gems just lying about, though normally, one would have to use the proper mining tools to dig out gems and stones from the parts inside the mines.

The group soon found themselves in front of a log, similar to the one they saw earlier that day back in the dojo, just standing there.

"Uh...there's a log there," stated Mia.

"It's a trap. I definitely smell a trap!" declared Ignis.

"What? A trap?" wondered Ivan.

"Yeah! Why would a log be standing here? It's obviously a trap, for sure!"

"There's a sign right here," pointed out Issac before reading it out loud. "'Watch out for falling rocks! Do not strike the wall! Rocks may fall!'"

"I think we should leave the log alone, then," suggested Feizhi.

"Yeah, I agree. Let's try and find another way-"

Suddenly, a monster popped out of nowhere and lunged forward, aiming for Mia as she shrieked from the surprise ambush attack. Because Garet was the closest to her, he shielded her and thrusted his palm forward, sending a Force Psynergy attack onto the monster. The impact of the Psynergy attack sent the monster flying and slammed against the log, knocking both it and the log over.

"...What gives, Garet?! Why'd you knock over the log?!" shouted Feizhi.

"What?! That monster attacked us! You saw him! I had to attack! It's not my fault!"

"I have to agree with Garet on this one, Feizhi," said Mia before turning to him. "Thanks for the save, Garet!"

Garet grinned, puffing up his chest. "Of course! My pleasure!"

"Uh, guys? I'm glad Mia's okay, but what now?" wondered Ignis. "The sign specifically said not to strike the wall, and that log was VERY close to the wall-"

The ground started rumbling for a moment before a _gigantic_ boulder crashed down, crushing both the log and the monster under its weight before it begins rolling down right in the party's direction. Screaming and panicking, the group dashed down the rocky hallway, hurrying as fast as their legs could carry them. As soon as they reached the corners of the other pathways, they dove out of the way and watched as the boulder bypassed them before crashing into the lower grounds below, creating explosive-like sounds from wherever it crashed from.

"Is everyone alright?!" called out Issac, helping Feizhi up to her feet before attending to the others.

Mia, who was checking everyone's bodies for wounds, nodded. "Alright, nobody seems to be injured. That was a real close call!"

"Like I said, not my fault!" reminded Garet, crossing his arms.

"Nobody's blaming you for what happened, Garet. We all saw that monster ambush," assured Ivan.

"That boulder part was just like that scene from one of my favorite comic book series, Italian Bones!" cried out Ignis excitedly.

"You have GOT to let me read one of those 'comic books' that you've been talking about to me," said Garet.

A monstrous roar could be hear not too far from their position, startling everyone into silence. Ivan peered down and saw that the boulder that fell to the lower grounds had also created a large, gaping hole. Wherever the hole went, it must have angered whatever monstrous entity lurked within the hole.

"...Should we go down the hole?" wondered Garet.

"Are you crazy? Did you not hear that roar?" exclaimed Feizhi. "That's asking for trouble!"

"I'm going to have to agree," said Ivan. "We don't know what's down there, and we have no reason to go down."

"Wait, Feizhi," spoke up Mia. "Didn't you mention that there's some sort of secret pathway to Lama Temple?"

Feizhi nodded. "I have only ever used it once, though, so I don't know the exact location of the pathway, but it is possible that the hole that the boulder created may lead to the pathway."

"So, we're basically leaving the choice up to luck?" wondered Ignis. "You guys do realize that I have no magic power left, right? If we're going down there, we're gonna have to face a pretty nasty enemy."

"Me and Garet are the only ones with any Psynergy left. Everyone else is drained out of their Psynergy from moving those boulders earlier," spoke Mia.

"Not necessarily," said Ivan. "Me and Issac did rest a bit and some of our Psynergy did recover a little. Plus, if worst comes to worst, we can always use our Djinns and Summons."

"Ooh! I wanna see more of your Summons!" squealed Ignis, raising her hand.

"Why not rest at the inn for today and then come back tomorrow? Then, we'll be fully prepared with our Psynergy up at maximum," suggested Mia.

"I dunno...The houses and shops still seems pretty wet, and it doesn't look like they'll be operational anytime soon. That, and the inn's already crowded. Do we really want to put more burden on the village?" wondered Ignis.

"...I say we go in," said Issac. "Not all of us have their Psynergy restored, but we've got other things to back that up. Weapons, Djinns, and Summons. Plus...I've been thinking; that roar earlier sounded a lot similar to the other roars of the other water monsters, don't they?"

"Huh...I never really thought of it that way," admitted Garet.

"What are you getting with this, Issac?" wondered Ivan.

"Just that...whatever monster is down beneath that hole, may be the mother of all the water monsters we faced in this mine."

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed, causing the leader of the group to glance at his teammates.

"Think about it. Those monsters had to come from somewhere, and though this is just little more than a theory, I genuinely believe that the monster who let out that roar is possibly the mother."

"Yikes...That means, if we just leave that monster alone, it's possible that more water monsters will sprout out and cause this whole calamity all over again!" said Ignis.

Issac nodded. "Right. I think we should finish her off now that we have the chance."

"...Okay, fine. But, if there's any trouble, then we have to retreat!" decided Mia.

"That's fine with me. Is everyone ready?" After receiving nods from his companions, Issac had them follow down to the lower grounds, taking a stance as though ready to jump down the hole. "Alright, in the count of 3, we'll jump down. Ready?"

"Or," started Ignis, pointing to the bended mine tracks that had gone off edge thanks to the boulder's impact. "We could use that as a ladder to climb down?"

"...Oh. Yeah, I guess that's easier."

Upon climbing down the bended mine track ladder, the group quickly discovered a tiled hallway and found themselves in a large, temple-like room...with a Hydros Statue monster in the center of it. The monster was several times larger than the water monsters they fought before, and was completely blue in color with short violet wings and a tail.

"CRAP!" yelled Ignis as the Hydros Statue spotted them and prepared for battle.

Issac took command, shouting orders. "Mia, stand back and concentrate only on healing! Garet, use up as much Mars Psynergy as you can to deal heavy damage along with your Mars Djinn! We may need those Mars Summons, soon! Ignis, draw the monster's attention as much as you can and try to block her attacks! Me and Feizhi will take on offensive tactics! Ivan, support us with Djinns and then Summon whenever possible! Preferably Mars Summons!"

"Right!" everyone yelled before taking their positions. Thanks to Issac's tactic, the battle had gone smoothly with...lots of destruction in the temple-like room.

Using her Keyblade, Ignis acted upon it like it was a shield while blocking the Hydros Statue's physical attacks and acting as bait while Issac and Feizhi constantly attacks her blind spots with their weapons of choice. Garet dealt the heaviest damage due to elemental advantage, firing off as many powerful Mars spells as he could until he was out of Psynergy and then switching to physical combat combined with his Mars Djinns. Whenever Garet used up his Mars Djinn, Ivan would continuously summon fire-type Summons as well as other elemental Summons for offensive purposes, and nobody needed to worry about being on the brink of death, because Mia's Mercury healing Psynergy fixed them right up immediately.

With all six of them ganging up on one huge monster, she stood no chance all alone and didn't take long to be defeated, though admittedly, she was tougher than any of the other water monsters. Upon her defeat, just like the rest of her kin, she was completely turned into stone.

Exhausted from the battle, everyone sheathed their weapons and took a moment to catch their breath. "We...we did it, Issac!" panted Garet, grinning. "We beat up the last water beast!"

"I wonder why Altin's guardian statues turned into monsters," wondered Ivan, puzzled. "Isn't it strange? And what's with this strange, tiled room at the bottom of the mine?"

"I talked to one of the villagers, and they said that the guardian statues were created long, long ago," said Mia.

"What are they for?" wondered Garet before he and the others witnessed the Hydros Statue vanished into nothingness, leaving behind a treasure chest. "What...the...?"

"Magical bullshit. It's definitely magical bullshit," pointed out Ignis.

"I...I don't know what to make of this."

"But, look! Behind, there's a treasure chest!" cried out Ivan.

"It must all be related to these ruins, buried deep within the mines," said Mia.

"I guess so. Hey, we should check the treasure chest before we go!" Garet said happily.

"I just hope it's not another Mimic like the last one we faced earlier," said Feizhi, shivering from the awful memory. Ignis approached the chest and opened it up carefully, holding her Keyblade on one hand just in case before using her other hand to pick up the item that was inside the chest.

"It's...a Lifting Gem," said Ivan in awe. "The Lifting Gem is a Psynergy-utility item that allows one to use the Lift Psynergy!"

"So, I'm guessing we have to keep this one just like with that Frost Jewel?" wondered Ignis.

"We might have a use for this," said Mia. "Sadly, I can't carry anymore items, so one of you guys will have to do."

"I already have the Orb of Force," reminded Garet.

Ivan perked up. "And I have the Frost Jewel at my disposal."

Feizhi shook her head. "I...I cannot use Psynergy."

"I can't use Psynergy, either," said Ignis before turning to Issac. "Well, Issac? It looks like you're the only other one without a special Psynergy item."

"Actually, I have the Catch Beads I got from my mother," pointed out Issac. "But, if nobody else is claiming the Lifting Gem, I guess I can hold onto it."

"What do we do now?" wondered Mia. "There's no secret pathway in this secret room, and we're all so exhausted from exploring the mine and solving the water problem."

"Luckily for us, there shouldn't ever be a flood problem like that ever again," said Issac. "Also, I did speak with some of the villagers, and it seems that because so many of the homes are drenched, they're going to be setting up temporary camps outside and would be allowing travelers to sleep in the camps for a fee. Feizhi, I know you want to find Hsu, but-"

"I know," agreed Feizhi. "We'll rest for today, and tomorrow, we'll set off to Lama Temple. I'm sure some of the villagers here have visited Lama Temple and will surely tell me the correct path if I ask. So, let's hurry on back!"

The group, exhausted to the point of passing out should they land on a soft bed, were proud of themselves for trying to help out a village in peril from its flooding problem, as well as receive some extra benefits while exploring the mines that troubled the village. Tomorrow, though, would surely serve as a big surprise, as well as a big step for their journey.

* * *

 **So, there were some changes here and there from this chapter and the original walkthrough of the game. If you played the Golden Sun game and wondered, "Why can't Issac simply use his earth powers to lift up the rocks from the landslide," well, I guess I provided you an explanation within the story. The Psynergy-utility items are necessary for the journey, as they're often used to solve puzzles and stuff.**

 **That said, read and review and hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!**


	31. Weyard (7)

**Sorry this took so long, guys! I've had exams and all, but now I'm ready to do this!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

It was practically hell the more the group wandered around in this...unknown area. The heat was unbearable, unidentified skeletons that belonged to either human or monster laying about, rough yet smooth terrains difficult to walk with each passing step along the way, and worse, the group didn't even know if they were heading to the right direction or how far they were from reaching their next destination.

Sweat drippled down their skin the longer they lingered in the heat, their light wounds from their recent battle becoming more and more overwhelming, and their movements being more sluggish the more time passed. It was even harder for those that wore armor, namely Issac, Garet, and Ignis.

"Hell...this...is definitely hell..."

"Ignis...we've only been walking for at least an hour-"

"IT FEELS LIKE 10 YEARS!"

"Oh, gosh! It's so hot!"

"Well, it's no wonder, Miss Eskimo Coat!"

"Take it off, Mia! You'll get heatstroke!"

"Did we really have to go across this area?"

"Ignis, this is the only way to get across! There's no other terrain!"

"Even so, it feels like we've been walking around in circles IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GODDAMN DESERT!"

Now, how did our heroes find themselves in the middle of the desert? That's a story to tell from several hours ago...

* * *

 _Earlier this morning..._

At the first sight of sunrise, much to a few others' dismay, the group quickly got ready to leave, eating a quick breakfast beforehand and setting off towards the Altin Peak mines. Because they gathered clues and information from the villagers, Feizhi lead the group towards the secret pathway hidden within the mines. Although there were a few small boulders in the way, with the help of the new Lift Psynergy he possessed thanks to the Lifting Gem, Issac "lifted" the boulders above their heads, clearing the pathway. After they bypassed the boulders, the Lift Psynergy wore off, and the boulders fell down, returning to their previous position and blocking the path back.

"...Why didn't you just push the boulders out of the way?" wondered Ignis.

"I tried, but the boulders just stayed in place like that! The most I could do is just lift them up like before!" protested Issac.

"That Psynergy you got is really not that different from your earth Venus Psynergy. You could have lifted up those boulders even without that Lifting Gem!" pointed out Ignis.

"...But this Psynergy felt a lot lighter," admitted Issac, staring at his palm. "It felt a lot less restrained and more easier to use than simply moving the boulders away with my Venus Psynergy."

"Hmm...I have a theory," suggested Ivan. "I think that because Issac's a Venus Adept, he needs to concentrate and focus on his Venus Psynergy a lot more than usual, putting a bit of a strain in both his physical and mental self. However, with the Lift Psynergy, which I suspect to be non-elemental, you don't have to concentrate as hard as your chosen element, but it does have more restrains and limits than Issac's Venus Psynergy. In exchange for that, though, it's easier to use, like how any Adept can use the non-elemental Psynergy item."

"I think I get what you're trying to say, Ivan," said Mia. "Issac could have used his Venus Psynergy to move those small boulders earlier, but it'll probably take a lot more Psynergy, concentration, and a bit of a strain on his body. With the Lifting Psynergy, which you said was non-elemental, it would barely leave a strain on his body, less concentration, and less Psynergy to use. However, its use is very limited in return."

'Well, that's an easier explanation," commented Garet.

"Whatever case is, we must hurry to Lama Temple! There, we must get to Master Hama and then rush to Hsu immediately!" urged Feizhi. "We've delayed our trip for one night, so Hsu must be so cold and hungry!"

"Then, when we get to Lama Temple, let's grab some food and blankets right before we go rescue him," suggested Ignis.

Feizhi nodded and went ahead of the group. "Follow me! Hurry!"

Upon arriving at Lama Temple, the group immediately noticed the significance resemblance the temple held in comparison to Xian as well as its main dojo. However, because they were in a hurry to rescue Hsu, they took no interest in sightseeing at the moment and followed after a frantic Feizhi, who was trying to stay calm while talking to one of the monks standing guard in front of the main temple.

The monk nodded and opened the doors for Feizhi and her group, stepping in first before turning to them as they entered. "Master Hama is meditating. Please be extremely quiet."

A young, mature woman with a lavender veil over her head turned around, facing Issac and the group. "So, Issac, you and your Adept companions have finally come- Feizhi? I...I did not expect you amongst Issac's companions. This is truly...unexpected. Feizhi, why are you here?"

"I sensed it! Master Hama" burst out Feizhi.

Confused, the young woman named Hama asked, "Sensed it? What did you sense?"

Feizhi got straight to the point. "Hsu is in great danger!"

Confused, Hama corrected her young student. "But...Hsu left this place a long time ago."

"I know...But Hsu did not return to Xian."

Realization formed onto Hama's expression. "The boulders in the mountain!"

Feizhi nodded. "I sensed it. Me and my friends came through the mines to seek your aid!"

"...I sensed nothing, as I was focused on Issac's arrival," admitted Hama. "It's true that I did pass a power onto you, Feizhi, but...why has the power come to you now, after all this time?"

"Gems fell from the sky, and one hit me in the head," explained Feizhi.

"Oh, here we go again. Definitely has to be one of those Psynergy Stones," spoke up Ignis.

"Please, help Hsu!"

Hama nodded. "Of course. But, before that, I have something urgent to tell Issac and his friends. It will be quick, I promise. And then, we will go and rescue Hsu."

"Oh yeah, didn't we say that we'd get food and blankets for that guy since he must have been all alone all night?" Ignis reminded.

Feizhi gasped. "Oh! You're right! That had slipped my mind!"

Hama turned to the monk guard still in the room and said, "Please escort Feizhi to the pantry and help her take out some food and blankets. This is an emergency."

"Yes, Master Hama!"

After Feizhi left the room to go with the monk guard, Hama was left alone with Issac and the rest of his companions. "Now, until they return, I believe we do have time to talk."

"Earlier, you mentioned that we finally came," reminded Garet. "Were you expecting us or something?"

"I had anticipated your arrival," answered Hama.

"You knew we were coming, then?" wondered Mia.

Hama nodded. "I have been waiting a long while for you. You come seeking the Elemental Stars."

Surprised, Ivan exclaimed, "You know about the Elemental Stars, too? Who...Who are you?"

"I am a Jupiter Adept, just like Ivan," revealed Hama, surprising everyone with this new revelations. "Ivan, do you not have the power to read minds? Well, this power is unique to Jupiter Adepts."

"You predicted our coming...is that also Psynergy?" wondered Mia.

"Yes. The ability to foresee events also belongs to Jupiter Adepts."

"Wow, it seems like Jupiter Adepts are more OP than the other elemental Adepts!" complimented Ignis. "Hey, wait! Does that mean that Ivan can foresee events, too? I mean, he probably can't right now, but can he?"

"He already has," assured Hama.

Everyone turned to Ivan, who frantically shook his head. "W-What? No! I don't even-"

"You do," Hama said, firmly. "You merely do not yet know that you have it."

"That's...that's confusing," said Ignis, scratching her head.

"The power of Jupiter must be great if it lets you see into the future," said Garet.

"Oh, but Ivan can learn to use an even greater power!" said Hama.

"A power even more greater than predicting the future? Now this, I gotta see!" Ignis said excitedly. "What's it called?"

"Reveal."

"...Uh, what am I supposed to reveal?"

Hama chuckled. "Oh, no. Not that. The power I just explained is _called_ Reveal."

"Reveal?" repeated Ivan, curious.

"Yes. I have waited long to pass the power of true sight onto you."

"You waited here in Lama Temple just to teach Reveal to Ivan?" wondered Mia.

Hama nodded. "You will need Reveal if you are to achieve your goals. Jupiter Adepts can learn Reveal on their own, over time..."

"But, we don't have time, right?" said Ignis.

"Yes. That, and because that power alone will not help you find Saturos as his company moves on. In fact, it was Saturos and his companions who blocked Silk Road."

"You mean that landslide?"

Angered, Garet shouted, "Felix and the rest of them, huh? Those cowards!"

"No," said Hama, shaking her head with a saddened expression. "Felix bears a terrible burden, a burden I would not wish on any man."

"A burden? What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot say anymore on the matter. Now, we must focus on the power of Reveal. You will need the power of Reveal to cross the evil Lamakan Desert."

"An evil desert? Is that even possible?" wondered Garet.

"I mean, we did save an 'evil' forest before," reminded Ignis. "Oh, god, what if we have to face evil, talking sandstorms or something?"

"It is nothing that drastic, but nevertheless, still dangerous," assured Hama.

"Why do we need Reveal to cross the desert?" asked Ivan.

"Crossing Lamakan Desert was hard enough with the extreme heat," Hama explained, recalling her past experiences. "But evil has taken hold of the desert, and its heat has become unbearable. Entering the desert now is asking nothing short of death."

"Then, how can Saturos cross such a deadly place?" wondered Ivan.

"Saturos and Menardi are Mars Adepts," Hama explained. "I am merely guessing, but their powers might help them suppress the heat as they cross."

"If that's the case, then maybe Garet can use his own powers to help suppress the heat!" said Ignis.

"It certainly is a possibility, I'll admit. However, because Saturos and Menardi are much more skilled and experienced Mars Adepts, it was easier for them to suppress the heat, especially since there was two of them."

"Awww..."

"I still don't understand," said Mia. "How will Reveal help us in such an evil place?"

"Reveal will help you find oases to cool you against the heat," replied Hama.

"But...deserts naturally always have oases," said Ignis. "Sure, it might be a bit difficult to track them down, but..."

"Why would we need Reveal for that?" asked Garet. "Won't we be able to see the oases?"

"Don't you know what mirages are?" said Hama. "Intense heat creates a curtain of air that distorts the terrain. Mirages will deceive your eyes, preventing you from finding any oases."

"Sounds like we should have Ivan learn Reveal, then," Garet said.

Ivan nodded. "Yes, I feel that it is important. Master Hama, please teach me!"

Hama walked up to Ivan. "Yes. After all, it seems that I succeeded in passing my power to Feizhi. You will be fine."

It took a brief moment, but in that brief moment, Hama concentrated and sent a surge of her Psynergy onto Ivan, making the younger Jupiter Adept feel as though he's unlocked a new power from within thanks to Hama.

"...This should do it," assured Hama. "Use Reveal to cross the desert. However, your Reveal may not be that strong yet. The oases may not appear."

"Aw, that's okay. If we get really hot, then we'll just cast some ice or water magic on ourselves," said Ignis casually.

"Ignis, I can't cast that all the time. We may need my Mercury Psynergy for healing and for battling the monsters in the desert," scolded Mia. "The same goes for you, too."

"Awww!"

"The rest is up to Ivan's abilities," said Hama. "Ivan, I am very glad to see you have grown to be such a strong man."

Before anyone could ask what she meant, the doors burst opened, and Feizhi, along with the monk guard that she was with, entered while carrying supplies in their arms. "Master Hama! We're ready!"

"Ah! I see. Yes, let us hurry!"

Once they left, only Issac;s group remained inside the temple. "...Ivan, do you and Master Hama...know each other?" wondered Mia.

Ivan shook his head. "No, but...she doesn't feel like a stranger."

"Maybe you two met long ago, when you were a kid, but you probably can't remember because you were too young at the time," theorized Ignis.

"T-That could be it..." admitted Ivan.

Garet spoke up. "Felix and the others must be far ahead of us by now."

"Yeah, pretty much," said Issac, nodding his head.

"Then, we'd better get going! Let's go!"

"We can't just leave like this!" protested Mia loudly. "Hama might need our help! She only has Feizhi to assist her. Shouldn't we help, too?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to provide them with a little bit more assistance," agreed Ignis.

"I'm more worried about Felix and the others," admitted Garet. "But I'm not opposed to rescuing Hsu."

"Yeah! I know we have to catch up to those bad guys, but I'm sure we can spare a little bit of time rescuing Hsu!"

"Then, it's decided. We'll go and rescue Hsu, and once we finish, we'll set out for the desert Master Hama was talking about," decided Issac.

It took them a while to reach the other side of the Alpine Crossing, but when they did, they saw Hama and Feizhi comforting and doing their best to pull a tired and red-faced Hsu out of a boulder that was on top of most of his body, thus rendering him unable to move.

"Hsu, are you okay?" asked Hama.

"Master Hama, I am okay. But the boulder...I cannot move," admitted Hsu.

"Hsu seems unhurt. You must be glad, Feizhi," Hama told Feizhi.

"Uh...Unhurt? There's a boulder on his back!" Ignis muttered under her breath.

Having heard her, Mia replied, "Don't worry. Once we get that boulder off him, I'll heal him."

Feizhi said, "How can we free him, Master?"

Ignis patted Issac on the back. "Alright, Issac! Now's your turn to shine! Just use that Life Psynergy!"

Issac nodded and approached Hsu before focusing on his Life Psynergy, easily "lifting" up the boulder as it floated in mid-air, though it wouldn't last long. As quickly as possible, Hama and Feizhi grabbed Hsu by the arms and pulled him out of the way before the Life effect on the boulder wore off and the boulder crashed from where Hsu had previously been lying.

As soon as Hsu was out of harm's range, both Feizhi and Hama helped Hsu lean up against the wall as Mia tended to his care, healing his wounds with her Mercury Psynergy.

"Master Hama, I shall inform my Father what has transpired and have him help clean up the rocks!" suggested Feizhi.

Hama nodded. "Excellent. If Silk Road remains blocked, everyone will suffer. Thank you, everyone. We will take it from here. Go and continue on your journey."

"Are you sure?" asked Issac just as Mia finished healing Hsu's wounds.

"Yes. We can handle the rest. You do have some people you must catch up to, correct?"

"I...We'll take our leave then, Master Hama!"

As they left the area and headed to their next destination, Ignis wondered out loud, "I wonder what the desert's like? I mean, I know it's pretty hot, but I've never really been to one before!"

"Master Hama did say that the desert nowadays was corrupted, so it might prove to be a bit of an obstacle for us," reminded Ivan.

"Still, I'm sure we'll be just fine on our own!" said Ignis.

* * *

 _Now back to the present..._

"We are NOT fine!" Ignis complained for who knows how many times that day. "Damnit, I wish we could use water magic to drink off of!"

"Why can't we?" wondered Garet. "Both you and Mia are experts on water!"

"First off, I'm not an expert on water magic. In fact, water magic is one of the few magics that I suck at! I'm lucky to be able to cast even the simplest water spell! Second, I actually tried drinking water magic, and I ended up with a horrible stomachache!"

Mia nodded. "It's true...Even I tried drinking my own Mercury Psynergy when I was a child and it was something I deeply regretted. Ugh...All those days sick in bed because of one simple curiosity..."

"Yeah, I understand ya," said Ignis casually. "I remember the times when I got sick in bed because I experimented and screwed a lot when testing magic...Ugh...All those lectures and scolding from Master Eraqus…"

"Master Eraqus? Didn't you mention before that he was your master or something?" wondered Issac.

Ignis nodded. "He taught me the way of the sword and magic. Not just me though, but my other...friends, too. Aqua, Terra, and Ven. My defensive sword style is very similar to his. He's my role model."

"I'd like to meet him someday."

"Yeah! If he taught you those sick sweet sword moves, then I wanna learn from a master, too!" said Garet.

Ivan sweatdropped. "Uh...I think that's...impossible, guys. Ignis...told me that she lived far, far away where access to her homeland is...practically impossible.

Ignis nodded, happy that Ivan was upholding his promise of keeping her secret of where her origins came from. "Goddamnit…! It is SO hot! Why haven't we found an oasis yet? In fact, with everything drying, how can an oasis exist in a desert? I mean, it's a body of water that should have been shriveled up long ago if this is how hot a desert is!"

"I heard that oases come from underground sources, so maybe that's part of why oases can exist in deserts," panted Ivan.

"How can Master Hama expect us to use Reveal on oases? We haven't found even a single hint of water anywhere!" complained Garet.

Issac spotted a large monster, specifically a Ant Lion, rushing up to them. "Everyone! Get ready for battle!"

"Oh, come on!" complained Ignis, summoning Phoenix Fairy before realizing something. "Hey, Ivan! Maybe you should use Reveal on that monster! Maybe you'll be able to find its weak points!"

"Oh, good idea, Ignis!" said Ivan, closing his eyes and concentrating on his newest Psynergy he received from Hama.

"Everyone, protect Ivan as he's casting Reveal! Garet, you and I will attack the monster headfirst! Mia, Ignis, support us from the back!" commanded Issac.

"Haste!" Ignis casted a speed-based spell onto Garet, seeing as he was having trouble catching up to Issac, who wore lighter-weighted armor. While Garet was still slightly slower than Issac, he still managed to catch up to him to create a pincher attack with him; his strength making up for his speed.

Just as the Ant Lion was about to retaliate, Mia casted her Mercury Psynergy to shield them and attack the monster at the same time. "Froth Sphere!" Her aquatic Psynergy blocked the Ant Lion's attack and caused the Psynergy to explode in front of the Ant Lion, driving it back and dazing it. That brought both boys enjoy time to finish off the Ant Lion with another pincher strike.

"God, why do I feel hotter than before!" cried out Ignis as more sweat dripped off her body.

"I think it's 'cause we moved around a lot," said Garet, also suffering under the heat. "Damnit! We're supposed to be all warmed up when we move and exercise a lot, but it's taking the total opposite in this situation! Mia, are you certain you can't cool us down?"

"I told you guys a number of times! I need to save up my Psynergy for battle and healing!" argued Mia.

"If not Mia, then what about Ivan? I can he can conjure up a cool breeze!" said Ignis.

"Considering the heat in the air, I think that's going to have the exact opposite effect," admitted Issac. "Ivan? Did that Reveal help? Did it...um...What was it you asked Ivan to do again, Ignis?"

"Scan the enemy for any weaknesses!" repeated Ignis.

"Right, that. Did Reveal help?"

"Well, I didn't really find any weaknesses, but I have some good news!" chirped Ivan. "I found an oasis!"

Garet and Ignis gasped, rushing up to Ivan with bright expressions and stars in their eyes. "Really?! Where?!"

"There!" Ivan pointed to...a large pile of sand.

The two redheads' expressions dampened to that of disappointment. "...That's not an oasis."

"No, I'm serious! It is!"

"Ivan, I think the heat is getting to you, because that's clearly a pile of useless, stupid, sand," said Garet.

"For once, I agree. All I see is sand as well," sighed Mia, tugging at her collar as more sweat trailed down.

"No, just-everyone, hold hands with me. I'm going to cast Reveal then and show you what I mean," ordered Ivan, offering his arm. Once everyone locked hands with each other, Ivan closed his eyes and focused on Reveal, expanding his focus on the area they were in.

For a moment, everything was still and grayish-colored, and from the spot where the large pile of sand was, there laid a refreshing, cool oasis just begging to be used.

Canceling out Reveal, Ivan turned to his stunned friends. "See? What did I tell you?"

Ignis and Garet glanced at one another...before wrestling with each other. "Gyaaaah! Mine! I'm going first!" shouted Ignis, tugging on Garet's hair.

"No! I saw it first! I'm jumping in first! I NEED THIS!" yelled Garet, pulling on Ignis' hair and trying to bite her arm.

"Jeez, you both can go in first! Actually, the oasis is pretty big, so it can fit pretty much all of us," said Issac, watching Mia head towards the hidden oasis first to touch it in order to confirm that it was indeed real. Upon seeing her drenched arm after she pulled it out of the hidden oasis, it was indeed confirmed that there was an oasis disguised as a pile of sand. "Alright, let's go!"

It didn't take long for everyone to cool down upon arriving at the oasis and helping themselves to drinks and even washing parts of their bodies with the desert water.

"Ah...Heaven. This is definitely heaven," sighed Ignis upon taking a long, refreshing drink from the oasis.

"Earlier, you said it was hell," said Issac, raising an eyebrow at her and smirking.

"Yeah, but that was because I discovered the beauty of an oasis..."

"This desert actually could be an ideal place for Mars Adepts to live in," said Ivan, glancing around the desert.

"Oh, hell no! There's no way I would even think about living in this place!" said Garet, shaking his head.

"No, no, no, no! Let me finish! I get it; the desert is hot and nobody would want to live in this type of environment, and I agree! But, this place is also ideal because the weather increases Mars Psynergy and fire magic."

"Oh, I see!" said Mia. "Back in Imil, my Mercury Psynergy was much stronger because it was in a cold environment. I noticed the differences as we traveled to different environments, and how my Mercury Psynergy seems a lot weaker around here because it's a desert."

"Terrain advantage, huh?" said Ignis. "Well, I guess I wouldn't live in a desert because of how frickin' hot it is, but I guess this would make an ideal training ground...kinda."

"Kinda?"

"Put lots of oases and ice in the desert, and we're good to go!"

"First off, ice would immediately melt in the desert," spoke Mia. "Second, I'm pretty sure you'd be distracted with the oases all around."

"Yeah but...Hold on. A thought occurs," said Ignis. "Ivan, you said that deserts are ideal places for Mars Psynergy and fire magic to increase their power, right?"

"Um...yeah?"

"And technically, this is also a place where fire users could become stronger, right?"

"...Technically, yes. What are you going with this?"

"If my fire magic increases in this hellhole, then that'll make it more ideal for me to get stronger!" said Ignis. "And-! And, I can even take advantage of this to improve my Summoning Magic! Especially since it's clear my Attribute for my Familiar is fire-based! Yahoo! Let's go kill some more monsters!"

"Huh, I never thought of it that way," admitted Ivan, rubbing his chin. "...But yeah, this could prove an opportunity for your Summoning Magic. Who knows, maybe today's the day that you'll finally be able to summon your Familiar with the right environment conditions. Okay, I'm on board, too."

"Just don't get carried away, Ignis," warned Issac. "We wouldn't want you to tire yourself out."

"No worries!~ I've got this!" said Ignis.

"The same warning goes to you too, Garet."

"Me?" wondered Garet. "Well, yeah, I guess so. Consdering my temper and the fact that-"

"That you'd easily take advantage of the fire-increase terrain advantage and possibly tire yourself out," interrupted Mia. "But, we'll look out for you and everyone else when the time comes. I think we had enough rest, so shall we get going?"

"I'll be on the lookout for more oases the more we travel down the desert, though I don't know how big the desert is," admitted Ivan.

"Why didn't we just buy a map or something?" wondered Ignis.

"Maybe because nobody's been brave enough to scale out the entire desert and map it out?" suggested Garet. "I mean, I wouldn't."

"I honestly wouldn't blame them," said Issac, splashing his face with the oasis water. "Now, come on. Let's go."

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

The group decided to thank Hama for her assistance the next time they met her, because she was certainly right in the fact that Reveal was absolutely necessary to cross the dreadful desert. Whenever they all began to feel extremely fatigued and sweaty, they would stop, use Reveal to locate any hidden oases, and then rest at that oasis.

However, not all oases were safe, much to their disdain. Some were occupied by monsters that they were forced to fight against, some were the size of puddles, and some had quicksand traps that were quickly disarmed thanks to Issac and Ignis' Venus Psynergy/earth magic. They did get lucky by finding a Jupiter Djinn named Smog that quickly got into Ivan's possession.

Because of their discovery of the various oases in the desert, their fighting attitude had improved significantly as well as their morale, The Lamakan Desert heat still made their movements sluggish and their focus detached at times, but they still worked well as a team and grew stronger together with new enemies popping up from cliffs or the sand.

"Gah! One of them stabbed me in the leg!" cried out Garet, kneeling down as the Rat Fighter snickered and leapt away to get away from Garet, flinging away the blood on its spear.

Ignis finished off a Grub monster with her Keyblade before locking blades with a Bee Fighter who was about to take a swing at Mia. "Mia! Can you handle Garet's injury?"

"Of course!" agreed Mia, running towards Garet before she began the healing process.

Issac casted Spire at the Rat Fighter who attacked Garet previously, killing it before hearing a loud cry. He whirled his head and saw Ivan pinned to the ground by an Orc, holding up his staff to block out the Orc's shamshir. This gave Issac the opportunity to whip out his sword and stab the Orc through the chest, causing the monster to literally drop dead right next to Ivan.

"Are you okay?" asked Issac, offering his hand to his Jupiter Adept friend.

"Of course! Thank you, Issac!" Ivan happily took Issac's hand before noticing the cut on Issac's face that he received in battle. "Oh, Issac! You're hurt! Here, I have a Herb with me! Take it! You need it!"

"Thanks."

The battle came to a close when Ignis slashed the Bee Fighter in two; its bisected corpse falling to the ground. "Whew! Is everyone alright?" called out Ignis.

"We're good!" said Mia, helping Garet stand up.

"Yeah...Damn small thing got me in the leg, but it's all healed up," said Garet.

"Here, let me try and find an oasis again," said Ivan. It didn't take him long to find something, though it wasn't an oasis. "Um...I didn't find an oasis, but there's a hidden cave right there."

"That means we're making progress! Let's go!" encouraged Ignis.

It was quite heated inside the hidden cave, understandably since it was a cave in the middle of a hot, scorching desert, but the temperature was less hotter than outdoors in the desert, allowing the others to rest as they walked down the cavern pathways.

"By the way, Ivan?" called out Garet.

"Hmm?"

"Back then, why didn't you ask Master Hama what she meant when she spoke so fondly of you?"

Remembering their conversation, Mia understood what Garet meant. "Oh, yeah! We do not know when we will be able to see Master Hama again."

"Yeah, what she said last time really bothered me! I don't mean like, in a bad way, but I'm pretty curious to see what she knows about you, Ivan!" said Garet.

Ivan paused, and from this simple action, everyone stopped and turned to him, seeing him lift up his face and smile. "Thank you, everyone...but I think it's better if we leave that subject be for now."

"Huh? Why?" wondered Ignis. "I mean, I know we can't ask Master Hama because she isn't here with us right now, but..."

"The whole time we talked, Master Hama hasn't looked me in the eyes since she spoke those words," revealed Ivan.

"Well, what just makes me even more curious!" said Garet.

"Yeah, I'm with Garet on this one," Ignis agreed, patting him on the shoulder.

Ivan shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I doubt she would even tell me if I asked."

"Still, doesn't it frustrate you, not knowing something that you might deserve to know?" asked Issac, crossing his arms.

Ivan simply answered, "Master Hama will tell me when we have completed our mission. I have to believe that. Besides, our mission is more important than finding out answers that only Master Hama knows."

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Ignis, scratching her head. "Okay! Then, let's hurry and get out of this desert, then! That'll complete one step to our journey!"

"Yes. Let's go."

After exiting the cavern, they found themselves in another portion of the Lamakan Desert, much to their disappointment, as they hoped the cavern would lead them out of the desert for good. Instead, they found themselves in a small area with a large waterfall of endless sand cascading downwards into the sandy grounds they were in.

"...So, what now?" wondered Garet. "We've reached a dead end!"

"One word, Garet. Reveal," reminded Ignis. "Ivan, would you be a dear and cast Reveal for us?"

"Sure!"

The instant Ivan casted Reveal...everything went downhill immediately. What Reveal showed them that was hidden behind the sandfall...was a large Manticore creature just waiting for any unfortunate soul to appear so it could strike them down. When it realized that the human travelers could see it, it sprung into action, bursting out from the sandfall and aiming straight for the person closest; Ivan.

Ivan was frozen in place, not expecting a powerful-looking creature to spring out from within the sandfall to attack him. He closed his eyes and tightly gripped his staff in hopes of defending himself and felt...nothing.

Opening his eyes, he saw that Ignis had leapt over in front of him in time to cast a Barrier spell to block the assault and protect him. "Gh-! Guys, a little help?!" called out Ignis.

Snapping out of the shock of witnessing an ambush attack, Issac took out his sword and charged. "Everyone, attack!"

The Manticore paid no more attention to Ivan and Ignis as it now focused on Mia, Issac, and Garet. Mia jumped back to dodge a green projectile that was shot from the Manticore's tail as Issac and Garet served their roles as the front-liners, dashing across the legs, striking it with their weapons. However, its hide was tougher than it looked, making them inflict very light wounds. Still, their actions gave Ivan and Ignis enough time to cease the Barrier spell and back away to join Mia for long-ranged support.

Irritated by the wounds the humans inflicted onto it, the Manticore sent Issac and Garet flying with a Mad Blast attack, blasting them with close-ranged explosives that had them tumbling around the sand. Before the Manticore could slash down at the boys, it was assaulted by a barrage of offensive Jupiter/Mercury Psynergy and fire magic; courtesy of Ivan, Mia, and Ignis.

"It's tougher than it looks! It's probably the strongest monster in the desert!" shouted Issac as he and Garet rushed up to their companions.

"Luckily for us, it's only one monster! That means we get to focus more of our efforts onto this big guy!" said Ignis. "Issac, can you use some kind of Sand Psynergy?"

Issac shook his head. "If I could, I would have already taken advantage of it! What about you and your magic?"

"Sadly, none of my magic textbooks said anything about sand magic!"

"Guys, that thing's growing irritated! We need a plan!" cried out Ivan before being blasted in the chest by the same green projectile that Mia was hit with. "Aaah!"

"Ivan!" everyone cried out before Mia knelt down and checked his condition.

"He's alright!" assured Mia. "But, he's been poisoned! Luckily, I have a Cure Poison spell! Please, buy me time!"

Glancing at the Manticore, Ignis noticed a sort of green mist surrounding the tip of the stinger tail and assume that was how Ivan got poisoned. "Issac, Garet! We gotta move! Try to cut down the tail! And maybe even cut off its eyesight, too!"

The three nodded and charged through, tightly gripping their weapons as they went for a frontal assault. Issac reached there first just as the Manticore slashed with one of its claws. He blocked with his sword and thrusted a palm out, sending a Spire spell to hit the Manticore's face. The Manticore tried to counter with its other claw, but Garet slashed at its palm with his axe, making it cover its injured palm with its other palm. That gave Issac the chance the strike at it, piercing its shoulder as it regained its sight back from its temporary blindness.

Ignis advanced, brandishing Phoenix Fairy as she swift past Garet and Issac while the two boys were keeping the Manticore's claws at bay. She leapt onto its back and began hacking and slashing down onto it multiple times with her Keyblade. When the Manticore lashed out with its stinger, Ignis nimbly dodged and grabbed onto it as it brought it up in the air, swinging it back and forth rapidly to get the Keyblade wielder off, even going so far as to utilize its poison on Ignis, especially since she's at close-range of its poison.

Feeling the sting from the poison, as well as the effects of the poison effect, Ignis released her grip on the tail just as it did a full body jerk, throwing Ignis off and causing her to crash at a rocky wall.

"Catch!" called out Issac, using the power of the Catch Beads to activate Catch Psynergy to catch Ignis from falling.

Noticing that Issac was distracted saving Ignis, the Manticore approached him at a fast pace and swing its claws down onto the Adept, only for one of the claws to be blocked by Garet's axe. The other claw attack managed to cut Garet in the chest, making him grunt in pain, yet stand tall in order to protect his friend, who was saving another friend.

Just then, a lightning ray attack fired from afar thanks to a fully recovered Ivan, forcing the Manticore to shield itself with its arms. It made the mistake of lowering its guard as well as its arms, because as soon as it did, an icicle pike pierced through one of its eyes, causing it to roar and stumble back in pain.

Mia, having casted Ice Horn at the Manticore, let out a breath of relief as she succeeded in taking out half of the monster's eyesight. Seeing Issac tending to a poisoned Ignis, she rushed over and proceeded to cast Cure Poison on her. "I've got this! Go help the others!"

An explosion startled the two of them as they turned and saw Ivan and Garet badly injured from receiving a fully-powered Nova Psynergy blast from the Manticore. Trusting Mia to tend to Ignis, Issac charged back into battle, casting Rockfall on top of the Manticore, sending a volley of rocks specifically on the stinger area just before sliding across the sand to dodge another long-ranged poison attack.

The Manticore was proving more and more resilient as time passed on, and though Ivan, Issac, and Garet were doing their best to wear it down, it appears that the Manticore was wearing them down more effectively than they were doing to the monster. So far, Ivan got Curse, Garet had Delusion, and Issac got himself poisoned.

"Garet! Watch where you're swinging that axe!" shouted Ivan; pale-faced and gasping from the Curse effect.

Because he was inflicted with Delusion, Garet couldn't see anything properly and was randomly swinging around his weapon, as though his efforts will actually hit the Manticore. Issac struggled to keep things together even with his poisoned state as the Manticore was eyeing him, snarling as it prepared to dive in and finish him off.

Suddenly, Phoenix Fairy swooped out of nowhere and sliced the stinger off the Manticore's tail, having it land and stab a bit into the Manticore's back, not only injuring it severely, but also poisoning it. Phoenix Fairy disappeared and was re-summoned back to its master's hand, Ignis, who had recovered thanks to Mia.

Deciding to play the role of healer for a little while, Ignis raised Phoenix Fairy in the air and began casting healing and supportive spells. "Curaga! Curaga! Curaga! Esuna! Esuna! Esuna!" Her spells not only snapped the injured trio out of their status effects, but healed them completely, even if it did caused a big drain out of Ignis' magic power.

The Manticore was about to rush at the group once more, but was unable to move upon feeling the stiff coldness on its forearms being completely frozen thanks to Mia's Mercury Psynergy. Seeing the Manticore charging up for another Mars-based Psynergy attack, Ignis moved in right after Mia.

"Seal!" she casted a basic sealing magic spell onto the Manticore, successfully sealing off its Psynergy. However, she underestimated its strength, as it didn't take long for the Manticore to break free so quickly. "Shit!"

"You know, maybe we should have started using our Djinns earlier," spoke up Ivan.

"Even so, the monster's already weakened! Let's finish this!" ordered Issac. "Flint!"

"Fever!" shouted Garet. Both him and Issac struck at the Manticore's sides with their offensive, elemental Djinns, and unlike their previous physical strikes, the Djinn-based attacks dug deeper and were more damaging, making the Manticore roar. As the two were dodging the Manticore's attacks, Ivan felt his body strengthened in strength, speed, and defense and turned his head to see Ignis boosting him up with supportive spells as Mia was trying to keep the Manticore in place with her ice Mercury Psynergy.

"Go for it, Ivan!" called out Ignis.

Ivan nodded and glared straight at the Manticore straight in its one, remaining eye before running forward and raising his staff above his head. "Smog!" he called upon his newest Jupiter Djinn to enhance his weapon and finish off the Manticore.

With one final blow, while he didn't destroy the Manticore's only eye left, he did succeed in blinding it before the final blow ended the Manticore's life.

"Oh, jeez..." panted Garet, falling on his behind. "Ivan...please tell me there's an oasis around here..."

"I...I checked, and there's no oasis around. But, there is a hidden cave right behind the sandfall," said Ivan, pointing to the spot where the Manticore had first emerged for its ambush on him previously.

"...You know, I wanna get outta of this heat just as much as anyone," admitted Ignis, speaking up. "But I don't want sand on my hair, on my armor, my boots-! Issac, are you absolutely sure you can't use Sand Psynergy?"

"Even if I could, I can't right now. I'm all out of Psynergy," said Issac, shaking his head.

"Goddamnit!"

"...Oh! I remember now!" cried out Ivan, snapping his fingers. "Lamakan Desert is close to Kalay, the town I grew up in with Master Hammet and Lady Layana!"

"Kalay? I've heard of that town before," said Issac. "If only I can remember what..."

"Well, it is quite a well-known place, as well as one of Master Hammet's greatest achievements! Because of his merchant skills, Kalay is a successful, prosperous town!"

"Hey, not to be rude or anything, but how about we continue talking about this right after we get out of the desert?" complained Garet loudly.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Yes, let's get going!"

To everyone's relief, it didn't take long to reach the exit of the desert as well as reach Kalay afterwards. Like Ivan said earlier, it was indeed a blooming, prosperous town that was plenty busy and noisy all around, as there were several merchants and markets all around. Because it was getting late and the entire party was tired, exhausted, and sweaty, they decided to rest at a nearby inn and visit Ivan's home within Kalay the next day, unknown of what's to happen to them the very next day...

* * *

 **Yay! All my exams are done, so I'll have more time doing this! Read and review!**


	32. Weyard (8)

**Hey guys, so, in this chapter and the context in the original game, I decided to make a few, harmless changes, so it's not that big of a deal! Alright, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the Golden Sun series, which is owned by Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning!**

* * *

The next morning, the group was not only fully refreshed and rested, but also ready to start their next step of their journey...right after they meet up with Ivan's foster mother, Layana, who's supposedly in charge of Kayla while her husband and Ivan's foster father, Hammet, was away.

Upon reaching the steps of Hammet Palace, the group was stopped by two guards who were blocking their path. "This is Lord Hammet's palace. The lord is away. Please, begone," one of the guards ordered.

The other guard nodded. "We will happily welcome visitors once Lord Hammet has returned."

Ivan stepped forward, looking at his friends. "Leave this to me." He glanced at the guards and announced, "It is I...Please permit me to see Lady Layana." Upon seeing the confused looks on the guards' expressions, Ivan further corrected himself. "Don't you recognize me? I am Ivan, servant to Lord Hammet!"

"Ivan...?" One of the guards murmured before realizing that the boy in front of him was indeed Ivan. "I didn't recognize you! You're so tan! But it really is you, Ivan!"

Shortly after the first guard recognized Ivan, the second guard followed suit. "Oh, it's Ivan! You've grown so much in such a short time, Ivan!"

Baffled, Ivan turned to his friends for confirmation about something. "Have I really changed that much?"

Issac shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Ivan shrugged. "You probably wouldn't know. You only met me after I got left in Vault."

One of the guards shook his head. "That doesn't matter. What's important is that the thieves freed you!"

The other guard asked Ivan, "Please, tell us, will Lord Hammet be freed soon, too?"

"Freed? Lord Lammet is a prisoner?" wondered Ivan, confused.

Seeing that Ivan was truly confused and not knowing the situation that was going on, one of the guards said, "...You haven't heard? I can see that we'll need to fill you in on everything! This is a private matter, though. Would your friends please leave?"

Ivan quickly objected before anyone could speak their mind. "My companions and I have overcome many hardships together!"

"Very well, then," said one of the guards. "Why were you not with Lord Hammet?"

"I remained in Vault to look for his stolen rod," answered Ivan.

"Stolen? Someone stole his rod?"

Ivan nodded. "Yes, the Shaman's Rod. But I was able to recover it."

"Then, Lord Hammet must still be imprisoned in Lunpa!"

"We must report this to Lady Layana! Ivan, come see Lady Layana with us. You can explain it all to her."

"I seriously have no idea what's going on," commented Ignis, as she and Mia were the only ones who didn't know the situation nor how Ivan met both Garet and Issac near the beginning of their journey.

"Issac, you saw Lord Hammet heading north, didn't you?" Ivan asked, receiving as nod from him. "That must have been when Lord Hammet went towards Lunpa! Lady Layana will surely be glad to hear your tale. Please, come with me, and tell her the full story!"

"Are we going to learn about the story as well? Because I'm clueless as to what's going on," admitted Mia.

"Yeah, same here," said Ignis.

Ivan's eyes widen. "Oh, right. You two weren't in Vault when Lord Hammet's rod was stolen and when I first met Garet and Issac."

"Don't worry," assured Issac. "You'll learn everything once we see Lady Layana and explain everything to her."

Upon reaching inside, the group entered the throne room, where a beautiful, red-haired woman, Lady Layana, was sitting upon one of the thrones. Once the group arrived, they introduced themselves before Issac, Garet, and Ivan began explaining their side of the story of what happened.

Apparently, Ivan had gone on a trip with Hammet and some other merchants to Vault because Hammer thought he found a clue as to where to locate the Shaman's Rod, which was presumably in Vault. While Hammet's assumption was correct, some thieves had already gotten ahold of the rod first, prompting Ivan to volunteer and stay in Vault to search for the Shaman's Rod, allowing Hammet and his other merchants to try and head back to Kalay. However, after Mt. Aleph's eruption, there were still danger to the environment, such as falling glaciers, which Issac and Garet were witnesses to this as the glaciers also took out the bridge between Vault and Kalay, thus making the returning of Ivan impossible at the time. They also witnessed Hammet saying that he and the other caravans should head to Lunpa before they packed up their things and headed straight to there. It was at Vault when Issac and Garet first met Ivan and helped him get his Shaman's Rod back, and in return, Ivan wished to travel with them to help others and because he had no way back to Kalay.

When their tale ended, Layana told Ivan, "When I heard that you were back, Ivan, I had dared to hope that Lord Hammet had returned with you."

One of the guards that escorted Ivan and his friends to the throne room spoke up. "We thought Lord Hammet had been released from Lunpa, too."

The other guard said, "We sent the ransom money they demanded, so he should return soon, right?"

"What's been happening in Lunpa these days?" wondered Ivan.

One of the guards began explaining. "The leadership in Lunpa passed from its founder, the noble thief, to his son Donpa, and then to Lunpa's grandson, Dodonpa. And, Dodonpa is a very evil man. His father, Donpa, is heartbroken at the state of Lunpa right now."

"...Uh...what?" asked Ignis.

"What's the matter, Miss?"

"Lunpa? Donpa? Dodonpa? I swear, you're making up these ridiculous names," Ignis said.

The guard pounded the end of his spear against the ground. "How dare you! I am taking this situation very seriously!"

"But, you do have to admit, the names are kinda ridiculous," agreed Garet.

"Okay, the names are ridiculous enough, but...lemme see if I have the situation correct," Ignis started, tapping the side of her forehead. "Sooo...the first leader was Donpa, who passed it onto Dodonpa, and then passed it onto Dododonpa, who's the evil bad guy in all this?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, the village of Lunpa was originally created by its first founder, a thief named Lunpa. Lunpa then had a son-"

"Wait, so there's a village named Lunpa, and its founder is named Lunpa?"

"Yes."

"Wow, how narcissistic is this Lunpa guy? I mean, he named a village after himself!"

Ivan said, "Not really the issue here. Anyways, after Lunpa's first reign, he handed the leadership of the village Lunpa to his son, Donpa. After Donpa, who's still alive, by the way, he gave leadership to his own son, Dodonpa, who is Lunpa's grandson."

"...Is Dodonpa the evil guy?" asked Ignis.

Ivan nodded. "Yes. Do you have any further questions before we continue?"

"Yeah. Why do they have stupid names?"

"Ignis! Is that really important?!"

"Yes, because it's confusing! I could get past the Lunpa name and the fact that the guy named a village after himself. But Donpa and Dodonpa? That's just weird!"

Ivan coughed. "Yes, well...as long as you now understand the situation, we can get back on track. Lady Layana, when did you send the ransom money?"

Layana took a moment to think. "Let's see...first, the volcano erupted...and then, the ransom note came right after the eruption."

"We rushed the money to them right away. I remember it well," said one of the guards.

"It's been quite a while since the eruption," said Ivan. "Is it possible that they have no intention of letting Lord Hammet go?"

"Yup, I'd say so," Ignis commented as Issac nodded.

"You guys think so, too?"

"Are you saying Dodonpa won't release Hammet?!" exclaimed Layana.

"Yeah, I agree," agreed Garet, nodding his head. "If they were gonna release him, they'd have done it by now."

"I am sorry, Lady Layana, but I think the others may be right," spoke Mia, shaking her head in disbelief.

Layana bit her lip and paced back and forth, trying to remain calm while thinking of some way to rescue her husband, all while everyone else glanced at one another, also trying to figure out a way to rescue Hammet.

"...What should we do? How can we rescue Hammet?" wondered Layana to herself. "What...what if something has happened to him?!"

"Let us handle this!" declared one of the guards. "My lady, this is exactly what the soldiers of Kalay are here for!"

The other guard nodded. "Yes, Lady Layana! Please, let us handle this! Command us to attack, and we shall!"

However, Layana shook her head. "I cannot do that...Not without thinking it over carefully. How can we guarantee Hammet's safety if we send soldiers to attack? I cannot do it. I cannot put Hammet's life at risk."

Garet stomped his foot in frustration. "Can't we do something to help?!"

Ignis snapped her fingers. "Why don't we just sneak into Lunpa and go rescue Lord Hammet ourselves? I mean, nobody knows us in Lunpa, so we'll just sneak in, grab him, and take off before anybody realizes he's gone!"

Layana frowned. "No, it is too dangerous. If you fail, you lives would be in danger, too. Besides, don't you all have your own quests to pursue?"

Issac nodded. "We do, but at this moment, it seems Lord Hammet's safety is our top priority."

"I do appreciate you all offering to help, but I cannot allow it."

"Then, what will happen to Lord Hammet?" wondered Mia.

"Hammet is a good hostage for them. They will not kill him," replied Layana confidently. "We shall wait another message from Lunpa."

Even Layana's decision didn't reassure Ivan's worries. "Lady Layana, I cannot leave like this!" the young Jupiter Adept protested.

"It will be fine, Ivan. Hammet would not want to distract you from-" Layana paused midsentence and looked away. "I apologize...I have said more than I should..."

"It sounds like Hammet knows about our mission...doesn't it?" spoke Garet out loud.

"Yeah, and Lady Layana sounds suspicious, too," agreed Ignis.

Layana sighed. "I suppose I can keep it a secret no longer...Very well, I shall tell you. A long time ago, Hammet swore an oath to a Jupiter Adept."

"A Jupiter Adept?!" gasped Ivan.

"Yes. Have you heard a village called Vale?"

Startled, Issac nodded. "Y-Yes...That's where me and Garet grew up in."

Surprised, Layana couldn't hide her gasp. "You _are_ from Vale? Really? Then, the prophecy was true!"

'What prophecy?" asked Mia.

"Yeah, what's going on right now?" Ignis asked.

Layana explained, "Three years after the terrible storm that struck only Mt. Aleph, Ivan must depart on a journey with warriors from Vale, so it was foretold."

Ivan shook his head. "I've heard nothing of any such prophecy."

"It happened several years before Hammet founded Kalay," replied Layana. "He was off traveling. Hammet felt he had reached an impasse as a merchant then. He risked his life on a journey to find a new source of business. He was in mortal danger at the southwestern edge of the world, when some Adepts appeared and saved his life. He had lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself in their village."

"Just a moment," interrupted Ivan. "Am I from that village?"

"Yes. The Adept gave him the Shaman's Rod and you...along with some doubloons."

"What the heck are doubloons?" asked Ignis, raising her hand.

Layana answered, "Basically gold. It was quite a lot of gold, but he also received some business advice."

"Business advice? Hammet? The greatest merchant in the world?" wondered Garet, surprised.

Because she wasn't from this world, Ignis didn't even know that Lord Hammet was pronounced the "greatest merchant in the world." She turned to him and asked, "Wait, really? He's the greatest merchant in the world?"

Ivan looked surprised. "Really? You haven't heard-Oh, right. Of course you wouldn't. I'll fill you in on that fact later, Ignis."

"Hammet has the Adepts to thank for his success," said Layana. "He was advised to buy silk in Xian and sell it in Tolbi. To see anything sell so well, it was a dream come true. There's no denying that was when Hammet picked up his knack for business."

"Did he have to promise them anything in return?" asked Ivan.

"Ah, yes, Ivan. It is something you'll need on your journey. The Adept asked Hammet to use the Shaman's Rod to obtain a particular object. He looked for this object wherever he went, but he could never find it. Then, three years ago, a storm struck, one that hit only Mt. Aleph. Hammet was worried that time was running out. But he managed to unearth a clue just in time. That, Ivan, is why he took you with the caravan on his last journey north."

"I had no idea..." said Ivan. "So that must be why he left the rod in my care. But then-"

Realizing that Ivan was going to start blaming himself, Mia stopped him. "No, Ivan. You mustn't blame yourself."

"It was my carelessness that caused the rod to be stolen! And ultimately, that's why Lord Hammet is being held in Lunpa!"

"From what I've been hearing, the thieves were the ones who got to the rod first," pointed out Ignis. "And it was Lord Hammet's decision to go to Lunpa. Not yours, Ivan. You can't blame yourself for actions others took."

"Even if that's the case, I-!"

Layana shook her head. "You must continue your journey and complete your quest. You cannot blame yourself."

"But what will happen to Hammet?" asked Mia.

"I will handle this."

"And don't forget the soldiers of Kalay!" spoke one of the guards confidently. "Continue on your quest, and do not worry about Lord Hammet!"

"I am sorry that I cannot tell you more about the Shaman's Rod," apologized Layana.

"No, don't apologize," said Ivan.

"The Shaman's Rod will help us find that thing we need for our quest, right?" said Garet.

"Just what exactly is that 'thing' everyone's been talking about that we need the Shaman's Rod for?" wondered Ignis.

Layana answered, "I believe it was called...the Hover Jade."

"The Hover J-Oh, yeah. It's definitely a Psynergy item."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Issac, turning to Ignis.

"Think about it! It's got a specific and weird name! You've got Psynergy items, like the Catch Beads and that Lifting Gem! There's the Frost Jewel, the Douse Drop, and the Orb of Force! Look at me and say that the Hover Jade isn't another Psynergy item!"

"She does have a point, and it does make sense," agreed Mia. "If it is a Psynergy utility item, we could use it."

"It seems that you're set on obtaining this object," said Layana. "Very well, continue on your journey and leave Hammet to us. Return to your posts, everyone!"

After the guards escorted the group back outside and wished them luck on their quest, Issac and the others started heading down the stairs away from Hammet Palace when Ignis stopped.

"Alright, guys. You know what we need to do," declared Ignis, causing everyone to stop and look at her. "We need to go to Lunpa and rescue Hammet!"

"Wha-Did you not hear what Lady Layana said?" asked Mia, stunned at Ignis' proposal.

"I know, but we can do it! I mean, if we work together, we can save Hammet!"

"I do want to rescue Master Hammet…" admitted Ivan. "But Lady Layana specifically told us not to and that we should trust her to deal with this!"

"Dude, screw that!" Ignis shouted. "We. Are. Adepts! ...Well, one of us isn't, but I'm still more than capable! Look, we can easily sneak in there! We have magic and Psynergy!"

"There's going to be guards, though," pointed out Garet.

"What do they have that we don't? Nothing! We have a power advantage over them!"

"Uh...We probably won't just be facing guards at the entrance. There could be more of them inside Lunpa, so it's possible they have the number advantage," said Ivan.

"Yeah, it's not like any of us have any experience sneaking inside a fortress," said Mia.

"I...actually do," admitted Ignis.

"Wait, are you serious?" asked Issac, turning to her.

"Yeah. I actually snuck inside a fortress before to save some civilians from a very evil lion king."

"...A what?"

Recalling the memories he's seen from mind reading Ignis' mind, Ivan nodded. "Yes, she's telling the truth, as strange as it can be. But, Ignis, I don't know if that same plan you did with your friends, Little John and Robin Hood, will actually work this time. We barely even know the layout of Lunpa! And I heard security is even tighter during the nighttime in Lunpa!"

"Then, we'll just have to sneak in during the daytime!" said Ignis.

"Wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the darkness in the nighttime to blend ourselves with the darkness?" wondered Mia. "Even if security is tighter at night..."

"And that's exactly why they'll never expect it during the day."

"Hold on," said Issac. "We never fully agreed to rescue Lord Hammet. Now, I understand that we all want to rescue him, but our quest is also important as well. I know it's good to rescue him, but if we spend time rescuing Lord Hammet, the farther it is for Felix and the others to get away from us and onto the next lighthouse."

Because of their excitement and enthusiasm to rescue Lord Hammet, the others hadn't taken into account about their whole lighthouse mission. They were more concerned about Lord Hammet's safety, so once the reminder of their quest kicked in, they fell silent.

"...I still say we should rescue Lord Hammet," decided Ignis.

"Wait, really?" wondered Garet.

"You know, we can finish our quest and, if they're still keeping Lord Hammet hostage, then we can go and rescue him then," said Mia.

Ignis shook her head. "No, I don't think so. This whole situation reminds me of a tragic story Master Eraqus told me once."

"A story?"

"Yeah. It was based on the lesson of your actions have consequences and that when you make a decision, you need to think of it long and carefully before executing it. Basically, it's a situation similar to the one Kalay's having. So, the daughter of a king was kidnapped by the enemy kingdom, and so, the enemy kingdom demanded ransom money and other things like territory in exchange for the daughter. The father, the king, I mean, quickly agreed and started obeying the enemy kingdom, even going so far as to sell his own people as slaves just to get his daughter back."

"Jeez," gasped Garet.

Ignis nodded. "That's not all. Even after the king had given the enemy kingdom everything they wanted, they refused to give back his daughter. Well, it was more like they couldn't."

"They couldn't? Why?"

"Because, they had no more use for the daughter. And, as such, they killed her. With no more resources to take back his kingdom, his daughter dead, and the rest of his family gone, the king killed himself since he had no will to live. And the enemy kingdom prospered thanks to their actions."

"But at a terrible and cruel cost..." muttered Mia.

"...I get it," said Issac. "You're saying that Lunpa could possibly exploit more of Kalay over and over until they have no more use for Hammet and will kill him before they take over the remains of Kalay."

"But Lady Layana wouldn't do that!" cried out Ivan. "I mean, besides the ransom money, she wouldn't sell her people like slaves! It's not something even Master Hammet would do!"

"Right, but Lunpa, or more specifically, Dodonpa, could still demand more ransom money, which could affect Kalay financially until it's depleted down to its very last gold coin," said Mia. "Is that what you're trying to say, Ignis?"

Ignis nodded. "More or less. I say, we deal with the issue now before it gets worse."

"After hearing that possibility, I have to agree with you. We should rescue Lord Hammet!" agreed Mia.

"Yeah, like I said before, if Lunpa was going to release Hammet, they should have done so a long time ago," said Garet. "I'm in."

"Our journey is important, but so is Master Hammet!" said Ivan. "I know there'll be risks, but I know we can do it, too!"

Everyone else turned to Issac, waiting for his own decision. "...Alright, if everyone is bent on doing this, then we need to lay down some rules," said Issac. "First, no detours within Lunpa. We sneak in, we get Hammet out, no questions asked. Second, if we encounter any enemies, we have to knock them out or immobilize them. We can't risk raising the alarm. And third, no treasure hunting. I'm looking at you two, Garet and Ignis."

"Fine!"

"Awww...alright, then!"

"Good. Then, it seems we're all in agreement. To Lunpa!"

* * *

 _Later..._

"Access denied!"

"No one is allowed access! Please leave immediately!"

"Well, that was a letdown," commented Garet as he and the others turned away from the wooden fortress gates of Lunpa. "What now?"

"I have an idea, but we need to be farther away from Lunpa to make it work," said Ignis. Following her suggestion, the group walked farther away from Lunpa until they themselves were out of the guards' eyesight.

"So, what's your plan, Ignis?" asked Mia.

"This." Ignis reached her hand out and formed a fireball, ready to throw it.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Everyone cried out and formed a circle around her, stopping her.

"What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?" asked Ignis, ceasing her fireball. "I'm obviously going to cause a commotion, like throwing a fireball at one of their wooden gates, thus starting a fire. Then, while everyone's trying to put it out, we can sneak in!"

"No, but that's not going to work! You have to have a better plan than starting a fire!" protested Ivan.

"Can I be the one that starts the fire?" suggested Garet, raising his hand.

"Garet! You're not helping!"

"Well, excusssse me for wanting to contribute! Man, if there was some way we could sneak in, like turn invisible, this wouldn't be a problem!"

The key word, "invisible" clicked something in Ignis' head as she recalled a spell that could make her invisible; Concealment. "Oh my god...I do have a spell that makes you invisible."

"What?! Why didn't you start with that?" wondered Mia.

"Well, it's been a while since I used it, and I usually normally use it in combat," said Ignis. "That, and I kinda got into big trouble with my Master when I kept misusing it, like trying to sneak into the kitchen for cookies and stuff."

"Well, can you use it now?" asked Issac.

Ignis nodded and summoned her Keyblade, waving it once as though it was a wand and focusing her spell onto herself. In a split second, she suddenly vanished, yet she allowed herself to be heard by saying, "How is it, guys?"

"Wow! I really can't see you!" said Garet, waving around his arms and trying to touch the spot she was in, but constantly missing because she kept moving around.

"Wait, can you do the same to us?" wondered Issac.

"I never tried it on other people before, so I'll give it a go." After a moment passed, nothing happened. "Huh. I guess it only applies to me."

"Well, that sucks!" complained Garet.

"Then, we'll need alterations for our new plan," said Ivan. "How about this? We'll follow Ignis, but we'll hide from plain sight from the guards at the front. And then, Ignis, while you're still invisible, you go up and set fire to the wooden gates-"

"I thought we weren't going to do that, though!" reminded Mia.

"Well, I don't really see an alternate way, and besides, the distraction will buy us time to sneak past the guards, anyways."

"See? There you go! We go with my original idea!" Ignis pointed out.

"Original idea with additional steps," reminded Issac.

"Yes," agreed Ivan. "While Ignis is causing a havoc, the rest of us sneaks in and blend in with the villagers, pretending to be them. Once you're certain that everyone's trying to put out the fire, Ignis, then you sneak in and join us!"

"Sounds like a plan! Let's go!"

Ignis originally thought, like in every cliché movie or story, that a single, fatal flaw would make their plan go everything wrong, but luckily, and rather surprisingly, that didn't happen. Everything actually went according to plan; Ignis became invisible and took advantage of that to cast a fireball onto one of the wooden gates, thus causing a huge commotion as the guards attempt to put out the fire. While Ignis kept the guards distracted, Issac and the others snuck inside Lunpa and pretended to be the villagers. After some time has passed, as the guards were putting out the last of the flames, Ignis snuck in herself through the open front gate and quickly found her group.

Upon reuniting, the group split up once more to gather information on Hammet's whereabouts and more about Dodonpa. According to their investigation, it appeared that Dodonpa, along with his bed-ridden father, Donpa, were inside Lunpa Fortress, which was located at the north-end of Lunpa. However, just like the entrance of Lunpa, it was also guarded by two more guards.

"You'd think the fortress would have more guards to place in the entrance," muttered Ignis.

"Maybe there's a ton more inside?" wondered Garet.

"How are we going to get in? I doubt that the same fire trick will work twice," said Mia.

"Oh! I got it! I can cast Sleep!" said Ivan, snapping his fingers.

"...Then why didn't you do that with the guards in front?" questioned Issac.

"I...may have forgotten because it slipped...my...mind?"

"...You're an idiot, Ivan," said Garet bluntly.

"I know..."

After sneaking in upon putting the two guards to sleep, Ignis decided to slip through the entrance first since she had the advantage of being invisible. Luckily, nobody was wandering around the slightly darkened fortress that was lit up by several torches on the walls. "Psst! Clear!" she hissed, stepping forward a few steps to let her friends inside. She found it useless to motion them silently to head inside since they couldn't really see her anyways.

"Alright, we're in!" said Garet excitedly. "What next?!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down, Garet!" hissed Mia. "We're trying to be stealthy here, remember?"

"Oops!"

"I don't think anyone's heard us, so we should be good," said Ivan, glancing around the hallways. "The problem is, we don't know where Master Hammet is, and we don't know how big this fortress is."

"If that's the case, we should split up!" suggested Garet.

"Right away, wrong!" said Ignis, immediately denying his suggestion. "Idiot, in every horror and mystery movie/story, the one ideal rule is that you NEVER split up from the party! That's like asking for trouble!"

"Plus, we could easily get lost and get caught here," pointed out Issac. "I say, we all hold hands with each other and let Ignis lead. If we see a guard, let's let Ignis handle it."

"How should I handle it? I think it would be really suspicious if other guards come across sleeping guards and guards on fire," said Ignis.

"And you can't kill them, either. It'll really raise the alarm," reminded Mia.

"Just one or two guards sleeping on the job should be okay," said Issac. "Do you have any other methods to immobilize them?"

"I do have my Bind spell, and because of all you guys helping me train, my magic's much more fortified!" said Ignis proudly. "Like, I can freeze and trap enemies in ice or earth much more easily!"

"Yeah, but that's still going to cause a lot of suspicion if other guards come and see their frozen allies," said Ivan. "Let's just hope we don't run into a lot of guards."

"Do we have any rope with us?" asked Garet.

"I don't believe so. Even if we did, it wouldn't be enough for all of the guards here," said Issac. "We'll just have to hope that we find Lord Hammet as quickly as possible."

At that moment, Ignis' invisibility spell wore off. "What happened?" wondered Mia.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention something," said Ignis. "There are limits to my Concealment spell."

"Concealment? Is that what you call your invisibility spell?" wondered Ivan.

"Yeah. So, there's like a time limit with this spell. Luckily, it doesn't require too much magic power to cast it, but still. Also, because this spell requires a lot of concentration, I can't be disturbed or attacked, so let's try and keep as little talk as possible, okay?"

"Hopefully, we won't have to fight any guards, either," said Issac before locking hands with Ivan and Garet. "Alright, everyone good? Let's lock hands and let Ignis take the lead."

Unfortunately, unlike the last two plans, this particular plan nearly went downhill almost instantly. For one thing, because this was her first time in Lunpa Fortress, Ignis did, understandably get them lost in numerous occasions, resulting in them encountering several guards. Sometimes, they succeeded in bypassing those guards silently, but in other times, they were forced to fight the brigands and knock them out, or immobilize them with earth, vines, or ice. Additionally, they managed to find a new Mercury Djinn named Tonic, as well as obtain a cell key capable of opening any cell door within the fortress, but they ended up waking up the guard and knocking him out afterwards.

While the fortress itself was quite large and had many rooms, the deeper they went, the more horrors they discovered. The lower floors of the fortress didn't have any guards, because they ended up encountering several monsters along the way, which, thanks to their combined efforts, weren't that much of a challenge. What was really horrifying was that with each cell door they opened, it was either empty or had a skeleton in it, thus increasing their worries for Lord Hammet and wondering if he truly was alright.

Their efforts finally paid off when they reached the cell at the deepest, cavernous basement floor within Lunpa Fortress. Entering after unlocking the cell door, the group were ecstatic to see a round man with a moustache dressed as a merchant; Lord Hammet.

"Is it time to eat?" Hammet wondered, staring at the wall and thinking that from the sounds of the cell door unlocking, it was one of the guardsmen delivering him food. He turned around and was surprised to see five young teens entering his cell. "Who are you?"

"Master Hammet!" cried out Ivan, happy to see him.

"Ivan? Is that you?" asked Hammet, receiving a happy nod from his adopted son. "And these people...are they your friends?"

"Yes, Master Hammet! They've helped me so much in my journey, and I'm even more grateful to them for helping rescue you!"

Hammet smiled softly. "Then, it appears your journey has begun, Ivan."

"Yes. It is a little late, but we've come to save you," said Ivan.

Hammet frowned slightly and shook his head. "You shouldn't have risked yourself, Ivan."

"Uh, not to be a killjoy or anything," interrupted Ignis. "But maybe we can talk more after we get out of he-"

"Not so fast!"

A strange, new voice alerted them as everyone turned to see the new intruder blocking the cell door pathway. This new intruder was a young man with a moustache and a red cape, and he appeared to have a sinister sneer on his face as he entered the cell door.

"Oh, goddamnit!" cursed Ignis, slapping herself on the forehead.

"Dodonpa!" cried out Hammet.

'Sorry to interrupt your teary little reunion, Hammet!" sneered the mastermind behind Hammet's kidnapping; Dodonpa. He glanced at Ivan and said, "This must be your little rat, Ivan! You always did claim he'd rescue you! Look at him! He's just a child!"

"We're here too, by the way," muttered Ignis.

Dodonpa continued his monologue. "But to think these kids could get this far!"

"Hey, yeah!" shouted Garet, letting his temper get the best of him. "If we're kids, what does that make your pathetic thugs!"

"I'll admit, I was impressed that you managed to defeat them. But, how you managed to freeze and trap them like that, I have no idea, but I bet it doesn't matter right now!"

"Yeah, that was a pretty dead giveaway that there were intruders," said Ignis to herself as Issac nodded.

Ivan stepped forward with an angered expression. "What kind of scum takes ransom money and then doesn't free his hostage?!"

Surprised at this new information, Hammet glared at Dodonpa. "I see. So, you've been extorting money from Layana, haven't you?"

"But, that won't be happening anymore!" promised Ignis.

Mia nodded. "Now that we've found Hammet, we'll be taking him home!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" said Dodonpa, smirking. "After all, Hammet is what I like to call my little money tree."

"You scoundrel!" growled Garet.

"Asshole! Bigot! Moron!" insulted Ignis.

Annoyed, Dodonpa said, "Name-calling won't help you! I'm not giving Hammet up!"

"Everyone, it's five against one! Tackle him!" Ignis shouted.

Panicking, before anyone could so much as move, Dodonpa reacted quicker and pulled a secret, hidden lever from the wall, causing the back end wall of Hammet's cell to burst open, revealing a large, blue-skinned and red-spiked toad monster awaiting. "This little trap here marks the end of your good fortune! Prepare to become monster fodder! Meet...Toadonpa!"

"Toad-what?" was what Ignis said before the Toadonpa lunged out from its room and leapt down onto Hammet's cell, forcing them all into combat.

"What do we do, what do we do?!" exclaimed Mia, gripping her staff tightly.

"Barrier!" shouted Ignis, casting a barrier all over her and her friends after noticing Toadonpa about to spit something out. Her guess was correct as a glob of slimy water was spewed out and hit the barrier. From the acidic gas coming from the glob, she could only guess that it was a poisonous attack.

"What now?" wondered Ivan.

"Don't worry!" Ignis assured, still holding up her Barrier spell as Toadonpa continued assaulting her spell with poisonous, acidic glob attacks. "I've fought a monster similar to this one before!"

"How did you beat it?" called out Garet.

"Well, it was pretty immune to a lot of my magics," explained Ignis. "It started spewing out coins that exploded upon impact, and it had some sort of tongue lash attack! Oh, and it's tongue has some sort of Silence effect, meaning anytime it hit me with its tongue, I couldn't use my magic!"

"...I don't think Toadonpa-"

"Really not digging the stupid name, by the way."

"ANYWAYS!" said Ivan. "I don't think that monster will be shooting out exploding coins, but maybe we should be wary for any tongue attacks."

"Then, let's attack from a distance!" said Garet. "Okay, everyone! We have a shield surrounding us and there's that stupid toad monster! Let's fire with our Psynergy right now!"

"Are you kidding me?! That's not going to do anything!" shouted Ignis, sweat dripping down her forehead as she held back another assault of offensive fluid from Toadonpa. "We're inside my barrier magic, idiot! You're lucky I didn't cast Reflect!"

"What does us being in a barrier have anything to do with my plan?" wondered Garet.

"Garet," started Issac. "Our attacks aren't going to do anything to the monster because we're in a barrier. At best, our attacks will probably destroy the barrier from the inside, and not only will we be vulnerable, but we'll be defenseless for the moment!"

"...Yeah, I see the problem."

"None of us can attack so long as we're in the barrier!" shouted Ignis. "And I can't keep this up much longer!" As proof of her words, the more attacks Toadonpa spewed from its mouth, the more cracks formulated around the barrier.

"Alright, everyone, take out your support Djinns so we can boost ourselves up for the battle!" encouraged Issac. "Granite!"

"Breeze!"

"Forge!"

Issac, Garet, and Ivan's supportive Djinns helped to increase their resistance, reduce a lot of incoming damage from the enemy, and raise their physical attack power. In the meantime, Mia was the only one out of the group charging up her Mercury Djinn to create a counterattack once the barrier was let down.

"Almost...!" grunted Ignis before her Barrier spell shattered from protecting them from the last of Toadonpa's poisonous fluid attacks.

"Now! Sleet!" Mia shouted, summoning one of her offensive Mercury Djinn. Blinding cold ice sleets struck at Toadonpa, distracting it as an invigorated Ivan, Garet, and Issac charged in to strike at the toad monster.

As Ignis watched the three male members of her team trying to attack Toadonpa with their Djinn-enhanced attacks, she decided to play support roles with Mia from the sidelines and perhaps this time, she can summon her Familiar. However, just before she could, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Dodonpa whipping out a knife, stealthily sneaking up behind Hammet and raising his blade.

"Quake!" yelled Ignis, thrusting her palm and pointing at Dodonpa. Because of Issac's training with controlling her earth magic, her earth elemental magic has become more solidified and easier to control, depending on the level of the spell. Dodonpa found himself trapped in a small earth-like cage, unable to break himself free.

"Hey!"

"Mr. Lord Hammet!" Ignis called out, reaching her hand out to the now-startled merchant, who didn't even notice Dodonpa behind him until the evil man was trapped in an earthen cage. Hammet went towards Ignis and grasped her hand, being pulled towards and then behind her as she now played the role of protector for Hammet.

"Smog!" cried out Ivan, delivering yet another heavy blow to Toadonpa with another offensive Jupiter Djinn. He glanced back and noticed Ignis protecting Hammet. "Ignis! What happened?!"

He failed to see the Toadonpa leaping up, about to crash on top of him, until Issac rushed to protect Ivan with an Odysseus Psynergy move, blocking the attack and sending Toadonpa back. "Ivan, focus on the battle!" ordered Issac before charging back into the fray. "Flint!"

"We'll be fine, Ivan!" assured Ignis, summoning her Keyblade as her weapon to protect Hammet. "Just leave protecting Hammet to me! You go and deal with the weird toad creature!"

"Okay, we'll finish Toadonpa soon!"

"Still not gonna acknowledge it by its stupid name, who was probably named by a stupid evil moustache man!"

"Hey!" protested Dodonpa, tugging on the bars of the earthen cage. "Lemme out!"

"Shut up, man!" Ignis shouted.

"Tonic!" Mia, using her newest Mercury Djinn, healed Garet and Issac's poisonous states after they were hit with Toadonpa's poisonous attacks.

"Thanks, Mia!"

"Yeah, that was a quick save!"

An injured Ivan was thrown back and landed near the three of them, panting heavily. "It's...! It's already damaged enough! We can do it!"

Glancing up, everyone saw that Toadonpa was heavily injured to the point where just a few more attacks would be enough to finish it off, but it appears to be readying itself for one last, suicidal assault while licking its lips, eager to taste the delicious humans before it.

"Fire Raid!"

A keyblade embedded with swirling flames was hurled from behind the four and slashed at Toadonpa before returning back to its owner; Ignis. She frontflipped over the heads of her friends before dodging a poison attack from Toadonpa, slashing at its side as she bypassed it to get behind it before casting a strong fire spell.

"Firaga!"

The third-tier fire spell spelled doom for Toadonpa as the fireball spell exploded on impact and was strong enough to send Toadonpa flying through the air, forcing Ivan and the others to duck their heads. The sounds of a man screaming in pain and the final groan from Toadonpa reached their ears as they turned and saw Toadonpa's corpse on top of Dodonpa, who was now trapped underneath the monster's corpse with rubbles of earth surrounding them, meaning that Toadonpa's corpse had broken apart the earthen cage Ignis trapped Dodonpa in.

"Ugh! Get it off me!" grunted Dodonpa.

"Wait, how did Dodonpa get trapped under the monster?" wondered Garet.

Hammet, who was safe thanks to Ignis, stepped forward with an angry frown. "Dodonpa tried to pull another dirty trick! During your fight, he tried to hold me hostage, but the young red-haired lady over there saved me by trapping Dodonpa in a magic cage!"

"Since Dodonpa was trapped in there, he couldn't move, so the toad monster probably crashed into him then," theorized Ignis.

"You dirty snake!" hollered Ivan.

Mia shook her head in disgust at Dodonpa's actions. "Dodonpa, you are rotten to the core!"

Dodonpa shouted, "Yeah, okay! I'm sorry! Now, get this thing off me!"

"I don't know. That thing looks awfully heavy for us kids to lift," said Ivan.

"Should we try to move it, though?" wondered Mia.

"What? No!" objected Issac. "He got himself to blame for the mess he made!"

"Dude, if you're worried about him escaping once we get that thing off him, don't worry. I can just trap him in an earth cage again," replied Ignis.

Hammet nodded. "Yes, we'll have to eventually get that thing off him, so let's at least try!"

With the effort of all six of them, they successfully managed to shove Toadonpa's corpse off of the fallen Dodonpa and moved away from him so that he didn't try to escape nor pull any tricks on them.

"There. You should be able to get up now!" said Garet to Dodonpa.

"I...I can't," admitted Dodonpa, struggling to get up.

"Did you break your leg or something?" wondered Mia. Though she detested Dodonpa, as a healer, part of her healer's code is to heal anyone in need, whether they were bad or not.

"Considering he was hit with the full impact of a large monster, I wouldn't be surprised," commented Ignis.

Dodonpa said, "It's not broken...I should be able to stand after a bit."

Ivan smiled and sighed. "Thank goodness..."

Annoyed, Garet turned to Ivan. "What do you mean, 'thank goodness?!' Didn't he just try and kill us?!"

Confused, Hammet asked, "Can't we just forgive and forget?"

"Oh my god, you guys are idiots," Ignis commented, growing agitated and annoyed like Garet. "You guys cannot be serious! This evil moustache guy kidnapped Hammet, forced Kalay to give up ransom money, and even then, he refused to return Hammet! Plus, he just summoned a monster to kill us and was about to take Hammet again if it weren't for me! Please tell me you're not going to just forgive all that!"

Garet nodded. "Exactly! Get a grip, you guys!"

"But Hammet is safe now, isn't he?" pointed out Ivan.

"Yeah, but do you really think Dodonpa will reform if Hammet forgives him?!"

"But, he already said he wouldn't do anything!" said Hammet.

"What is wrong with you guys?!" wondered Ignis. "Ugh...is the battle and stress from rescuing Hammet getting to you guys?!"

Garet angrily turned to Hammet. "Of course he's going to say that! He wants us to forgive him!"

"What do you think we should do then?" asked Ivan.

"We should lock him up here, just like he did with Hammet."

"No! How can you be so cruel?!" shouted Dodonpa, frantically trying to move his injured body to get away, only for Ignis to block the exit.

"Oh? And yet you have no problem doing that to Hammet!" retaliated Mia angrily.

"You are literally the last person who should say that," added Ignis. "Though, I'm not sure how long that'll last, Garet. I mean, won't anybody notice that he's missing?"

"That is going to pose a problem," agreed Issac. "Still, I think we should lock him up."

"Serves the little punk right!"

Hearing a new, unfamiliar voice, everyone turned and saw an elderly man that resembled Dodonpa enter the cell, with Ignis moving out of the way.

"Dad!" cried out Dodonpa.

The man proclaimed as Dodonpa's father, Donpa, shook his head in disappointment and disgust at his fallen son. "Dodonpa, you pitiful wretch...I always told you that if you did evil to others, others would do evil to you. You must right all the misdeeds you've done! I...I feel bad for spoiling you. Look at the trouble it has caused..."

"See! It's all your fault that all this happened!"

"What?! You're blaming your Dad for something you did?!" exclaimed Ignis angrily. "How petty can you get?!"

Donpa shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, he's correct. Which is why this is going to hurt you more than it does me, Dodonpa!"

"...You're not serious, are you, Dad?" asked Dodonpa.

"I most certainly am! You're going to spend some time here thinking about all that you've done!" Donpa then walked up to Hammet and bowed his head. "Dodonpa has caused you all sorts of trouble, hasn't he?"

"No, not at all!" said Hammet.

"Wha-Don't lie!" called out Ignis. "He kidnapped you and held you hostage for ransom money, remember?"

"What?!" Donpa glared at his son upon hearing this new information before turning to Hammet. "I must apologize deeply for all of this."

Hammet frowned. "Thank you, Donpa, but you do not need to apologize."

"Yeah, you're not the one at fault," agreed Ignis.

Hearing that brought a smile on Donpa's face as he faced Ignis and her friends. "I am sorry about the trouble, but I have one last request. I don't know how you got in here, but please leave by the same means."

"Huh? Donpa, didn't you just say that you're going to lock up Dodonpa?" asked Garet.

"So, we shouldn't have to sneak around, should we?" wondered Ivan.

"Some of Dodonpa's henchmen are still loyal to him," explained Donpa. "I'm ashamed to say it, but they won't listen to any of my orders. This new gang of thieves will attack Hammet if they find him in the fortress. And they may come to check his cell, right?"

Hammet realized what Donpa was saying. "I see. Then, they'd have to free Dodonpa, wouldn't they?"

"And then he'd head straight to Kalay seeking his revenge!"

"I see. Yes, you're right," agreed Garet.

Mia said, "It would be terrible if Kalay were attacked."

"That's why you must go while you still can!" urged Donpa.

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," admitted Ignis. "See, we snuck in here by causing a bit of a commotion by setting fire to the front gates. While everyone tried to put the fire out, we snuck in, which is how we got inside the fortress. Sorry about that, by the way."

Donpa waved off her apology like it was nothing. "It's alright. Given the circumstances, I understand and forgive you. I heard of your intrusion, so I spread some rumors through the fortress. I said that brigands had snuck in to kidnap Hammet, but failed and ran off."

"Why in the world did you do that?" asked Garet.

"Now, they won't let anyone down here at all," answered Donpa. "Plus, many of Dodonpa's men have left to find the intruders."

"Dodonpa, you are a shrewd one!" complimented Mia, grinning.

Donpa shrugged. "I just thought I'd try and help however I could."

"With Dodonpa's henchmen gone, this is our chance to escape, right?" wondered Ivan.

Issac nodded. "Yes, but we should do so immediately."

"Yeah, but there's still one problem," Ignis pointed out. "I already explained how we got in, but how are we supposed to get out? After the whole fire incident, I bet there's a ton more security at the front, right?"

Donpa sighed. "Yes, unfortunately, Luckily, I know of a secret cave that leads both in and out of Lunpa. I can take you to that, but the rest is up to you."

"Who's going to look after Dodonpa- I still can't get over that name, by the way. Ahem, anyways, who's gonna look after him while you're gone?"

"My loyalist of men will watch over him in his new cell while I'm gone, but I will return. Mark my words, though, the next time you meet Dodonpa, he will be a changed man."

"I get it already! I won't do anything wrong! Come on, let me go!" whined Dodonpa. But the others were hearing none of that as they left the injured Dodonpa in his new cell, which was now heavily guarded by Donpa's loyal men as the group snuck out of the fortress, much more successfully with Donpa's guidance.

Somewhere in the village of Lunpa, Donpa revealed a secret cavern within Lunpa before saying his farewells to the group, once again apologizing for all the trouble his son has caused before wishing them luck. It didn't take long for the group to find their way through the cave, even finding a switch to open a gate. However, before they could proceed to leave, Ignis heard a scuffling sound and held her arm out, stopping the group.

"Wait, I heard something just now," she said, narrowing her eyes as she summoned her Keyblade. She moved in front of Hammet to protect him once more, and, because she's a more experienced fighter, the others trusted her judgement and pulled out their own weapons, ready for anything.

"Come to think of it, I thought I heard something, too, but I thought it was just my imagination," admitted Ivan.

"You and Ignis aren't the only ones. I heard something, too," said Mia.

"Do you think Dodonpa's henchmen found us?" wondered Garet.

"Oh, dear, it would be terrible if they did!" cried out Hammet.

A gasp came from behind one of the walls, and a man stepped out from the shadows, alarming the fighters. "It's true! That voice was Hammet's!"

"Bunza? Is that you?" asked Hammet. "It is you!"

Seeing Hammet being familiar with the strange man, everyone lowered their weapons and relaxed, seeing that the man named Bunza seemed harmless enough. Since Bunza was one of Hammet's merchants and a rather trustworthy one, they decided to trust him as well as they explained what was going on.

"...So, Dodonpa never had any intention of releasing Hammet?"

Hammet nodded. "That's right. That's why Ivan and his friends came to the rescue!"

"Once Issac made up his mind, we all decided to come save Hammet," Ivan added.

'Hey, Ivan! Are you saying this is all Issac's idea?" said Garet, annoyed. "We helped out, too!"

"N-no! I mean, you and Mia and Ignis helped out, too!"

"It's nice to be appreciated every now and then!~" cooed Ignis, sticking her tongue out as Garet chuckled.

Hammet glanced at the rest of Ivan's friends and smiled. "Oh, goodness, I haven't thanked you all properly for saving me, have I? Thank you, Mia, Issac, Garet, and Ignis. And, of course, you too, Ivan!"

Mia turned to Bunza and said, "You sure did a food job finding this cave, Bunza."

"Yes! Impressive work you did, Bunza!" agreed Hammet.

"It was pure coincidence," assured Bunza. "I really didn't want to come to Lunpa. Because we knew the thieves had Hammet imprisoned."

"Then why did you come here?" asked Garet.

"I recalled what Hammet told me about being a successful merchant."

Confused, Mia asked, "Really? He told you that you should start trading in Lunpa?"

"No, I meant his more general words of wisdom," corrected Bunza.

Hammet knew what his friend was referring to. "'Merchants must not judge customers on their appearances.'"

Bunza nodded. "'Do not avoid a place just because something unpleasant may happen.'"

Hammet continued, "'As long as customers await your goods, you must do everything in your power to sell to them!'"

"So, you came to serve the customers, even though you despise Dodonpa?" summarized Ivan, receiving a nod as a response. "Fate put this opportunity before you."

"But why did you think a Kalay merchant would be permitted into Lunpa?" asked Garet.

"I didn't," answered Bunza. "And, in fact, they would not let me in."

"Yet, knowing that, you still came?" asked Mia.

"I was taught by Master Eraqus that you shouldn't blame the actions of others onto one person," told Ignis. "Or, in this case, you can't blame the actions of one terrible man onto so many other people that just happened to be there in an unfortunate time."

"Basically, we shouldn't blame the people of Lunpa for Dodonpa's actions just because they live in his hometown," said Issac, nodding. "I can live with that creed."

"But you know what? There was that huge commotion, right?" said Bunza.

"He must mean the activity caused by Donpa's rumors!" cried out Ivan.

"That, and the fire I started," Ignis said.

Bunza continued, "It all came together for me...that commotion was related to Hammet! I had to find out what was going on."

"And that's how you found out about this cave?" asked Garet.

"I'll bet you couldn't find any way to get that gate open from this side," said Mia, referring to earlier when they found and flipped the switch on the gate.

"But then all of a sudden, it moved, so I hid myself," said Bunza.

"We startled you, didn't we, Bunza?" said Hammet.

Bunza turned to him. "I'm just glad you were able to get Hammet out safely!"

"Why do you say it like that, Bunza?" Ivan asked.

"Dodonpa's henchmen have been combing the area. Even if they aren't after Hammet, if they find him..."

"They might capture Hammet again! Let's get out of here, quickly!" cried out Mia.

"But we have to escape without being seen by Dodonpa's henchmen," pointed out Ivan.

"My invisibility spell will only work on me, so it won't work on any of you guys," reminded Ignis. "I mean, if any of their henchmen spots us, I guess I can provide as a distraction to give you guys time to escape, and-"

"No, we won't leave anyone behind," stated Issac firmly.

"Then, should we stay and fight?" wondered garet.

Bunza said, "Taking them all on is more foolhardy than invading their fortress."

"Then, what should we do, Bunza?" asked Hammet.

"I have a wagon nearby. Let's go all the way back to Kalay with my wagon."

"Won't a wagon stand out?" questioned Ivan. "If it were to be searched by Dodonpa's henchmen..."

Bunza shook his head. "There's no need to worry. I've been here since before the commotion."

Garet nodded. "Right. They've already seen your wagon around."

"That's right, Garet. They don't suspect me being involved! So, if there's no other issues, let's hurry and get going!"

Everyone nodded and headed straight for Bunza's wagon, which, fortunately, wasn't far from the cave. They were able to bypass any obstacles without any worry of being suspected, though Issac and the others did prepare their weapons in case they were to be discovered and attacked so they could protect Hammet. They managed to travel all the way back to Kalay without any further troubles and escorted Hammet back to his palace, where Layana, although happy to see Hammet, wasn't happy to have five young kids risking their lives to save her husband.

"I told you time and time again not to go to Lunpa, but you went anyway," scolded Layana, glaring at the five of them. Ivan and Mia looked guilty, Garet was annoyed, Issac showed a sudden interest in his boots, and Ignis whistled and was pretending to look away.

Hammet turned to his wife. "Please, Layana, don't be so harsh on them."

"Naturally, I'm happy they rescued you," spoke Layana. "But this was something Kalay should have handled alone. Issac, didn't you and your friends have a more pressing matter to attend to?"

Issac nodded. "Yes, our mission is to recover the Elemental Stars. But-"

"But you still went through something so reckless!"

Startled, Hammet tried to calm his wife down. "Layana, you shouldn't..."

Ivan timidly said, "I...I had to rescue Hammet, no matter what."

Layana sighed. "It's already done. There's nothing more to be said."

"Hold on!" protested Garet. "We all wanted to save Hammet just as badly as Ivan did!"

"Yeah! Look, what we did was reckless and against your orders, but it still went well! Why are you treating us like we're the bad guys!" said Ignis.

"Garet, Ignis, enough!" shouted Ivan. "It doesn't matter, alright? I'm the one at fault! Because of my selfishness, we wasted so much time, and...and I made a mistake, alright? We will leave immediately on Felix's trail!"

Layana nodded. "Yes. That would be best. Leave immediately."

"Wow, lady. Seriously?" deadpanned Ignis, annoyed, even if she did understand her concerns about the risks of the rescue mission.

Not wanting to stir up more trouble, Ivan announced, "We should be going, guys."

Uneased with how things ended, Mia asked, "Ivan, is this what you really want?"

Seeing Ivan nod with determination, Hammet knew that his adopted son had his mind set on finishing their quest. "Take your Shaman's Rod and go to Hesperia. That is what the Jupiter Adept said."

"Hesperia...Where is that?" wondered Ivan.

"It is the continent west of Angara, on the whole other side of the sea. Go there, and be careful."

Everyone nodded and left Hammet Palace immediately, though they felt the issue wasn't completely resolved with Layana's harsh and blunt coldness towards them and Ivan's depressed state. "Ivan..." started Ignis.

"I know what you're going to say, Ignis," said Ivan, sighing as they walked down the stairs. "I appreciate you all looking after me, but even though this is all my fault, I don't regret saving Hammet. But, I do want to thank you all for helping me, regardless. I won't waste anymore of your time."

Issac nodded. "I don't regret saving him either, but we can't sidetrack now. We need to make a plan on what to do next, like where the next lighthouse is located."

"I may have an idea about where to find the next lighthouse. But, we might have to take a ship."

"A ship?" wondered Garet. "Are we certain that we'll be able to find the next lighthouse in Hesperia?"

"No," said Ivan, shaking his head. "Hesperia isn't our destination. In fact-"

"Okay! Are we all listening? Let's stop right here!"

Issac and his friends heard a loud voice and turned, seeing two tour guides escorting a group of people near one of the exits of Kalay before they stopped. "Why are we stopping at a place like this?!" A tourist chef exclaimed.

"Yeah! We have to hurry, or we'll be late for Colosso!" cried out a female tourist.

"Late for Colosso?! We can't have that!"

"That won't do at all! We paid good money to see Colosso! We can't be late!"

"Everything will be fine, folks!" called out one of the tour guides. "We're just checking to make sure no one is missing!"

A red-haired man with a beard shrugged. "Well, I guess that's okay..."

His friend, a blue-haired man, stated, "But if anyone is missing, we're the ones who'll miss out. Forget about them! Let's get a move on!"

The second tour guide appeared startled. "Oh, dear..."

"Alright, hurry up and start counting!" the first tour guide ordered his partner. However, his partner went up to him, whispered something in his ear, and whatever it was caused the first tour guide to panic as he recounted the number of tourists in their group.

"Uh-oh, we're short one person. Now, where could he be?"

The tour guides recounted the number of tourists over and over, trying to make sure that they didn't miscalculate or anything. The amount of time they spent recounting the tourists made them both curious and growing impatient.

"What's going on? Why aren't we leaving for Tolbi yet?"

"There are a lot of people waiting to see Colosso, here!"

"Hey, what's up? Why are the guides pacing back and forth?"

"Come on! Why aren't we leaving yet?"

"I hear there was a landslide on the road to Tolbi. We paid good money to take this cruise to see Colosso!"

"We have to see if we're entering Colosso once we reach Tolbi."

"Right when we're leaving, they tell us we have to ride a boat?" wondered the red-bearded man. "I can't stand boats. If I had known, I never would have come."

The blue-haired man said, "It's just a shame that a man like you can't ride on a boat, Ouranos."

Growing irritated, one of the tour guides declared, "That's it, we can't wait any longer!"

"Can't wait? What do you mean?" his partner asked.

"We all knew that anyone who was late would be left behind, right?"

"Everyone understood that, yes."

"Then, what's the problem? Everyone'll miss the boat if we wait any longer!"

Such a statement coming from one of the tour guides caused everyone's worries to skyrocket as a small commotion started amongst the tourists.

"Miss the boat? We can't let that happen!"

"We paid a lot of good money! We have to arrive before the carnival begins!"

The tour guide's partner sighed and then nodded. "There's nothing we can do...let's go!"

"Yeah, let's go! Okay, follow me and stay in line!"

The tourist group hustled to leave Kalay, and the moment they were out of sight, out of nowhere, an elderly man walked in the middle of the street, as though in search of something.

"Hmm...now, where did my tour group went off to?" Having said that, he left in his own direction in a hurry, luckily in the same direction the tour group went to.

"..." Everyone turned to Issac, waiting for his command.

"...So, Ivan."

"Yeah, Issac?"

"I'm guessing that you think that the next lighthouse might be in an area far past the sea, and so, we'll need a boat, right?"

Ivan nodded. "Yes. We may not be part of the tour group just now, but perhaps they may be willing to accept additional passengers?"

"Great, then we're going to Tolbi, wherever that is!"

* * *

 **Merry Christmas, guys! Wow, it's been a full year since I started this fanfic, and it's become quite a bit popular, having over 100 reviews! I love you guys so much for appreciating my work! Now, I did add a couple of changes, but if you look at the walkthrough of Golden Sun and this fanfic, I bet you'll notice the changes quite a bit! The group wasn't supposed to journey to rescue Hammet until much later in the game, when they acquire a certain Psynergy, Cloak, to turn invisible, but I changed all of that to fit in the storyline!**

 **Anyways, read and review and Merry Christmas!**


	33. ANNOUNCEMENT! PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT!

**Merry Christmas, guys! I hope you all are doing well, celebrating Christmas with your friends and families and having the time of your life! As for me, I do have a bit of free time before I have to prepare Christmas dinner for my family, but before that, I'd like to spend my time to talk to you all about something very important.**

 **What exactly do you think I should do?**

 **So, I've been receiving reviews and PMs about the whole Golden Sun world, and while the people have complimented me and stuff, they also started stating how boring it's been getting and how the story may not be processing much. If the Golden Sun series was more popular, then I suppose people would urge me to continue, but now, they're saying they're ready to move on to the next Disney-related story.**

 **Now, I'm not saying that I'm hating them or belittling them. In fact, I encourage any kind of honesty, as it might help improve this story. However, I also kinda have to agree with them here. I am kinda getting a little exhausted and boring with the whole Golden Sun arc. I also want to move onto the next world, which will definitely...be interesting.**

 **I still want to do the whole three different, non-Disney, crossover worlds, because I want to show how much Ignis has grown, but I can understand how boring that can get because they're not really well-known video games, except for one, but it's a video game from long ago, maybe 10 years ago?**

 **So, I'm giving you all an option, which I would really appreciate it if you would post in the review section or PM me. Either way is fine.**

 **1\. We move on to the next world, and in the next chapter, I'll just summarize what happened with Ignis and the whole Golden Sun world. Note that if we choose this option, then before the next world, in the next chapter, I have to put in an Interlude chapter, like right before the next-world chapter.**

 **2\. We could continue with the storyline of the Golden Sun arc, but it would take an extremely long time to finish, probably way past 10 chapters, and I really don't want to put the chapters in some crossover fanfic and I don't want all the chapters I've spent hours and effort into to go to waste.**

 **Also, I'd like an additional request from all of you. Should the Golden Sun chapters stay where they are, or do you want me to remove them? Just your opinion is fine.**

 **So, the main reason why I wanted to do the three non-Disney worlds is, like I said before, to show how much stronger Ignis has grown. Not just physically, but mentally as well, like learning how to control her magic more, growing more stronger and faster, more experienced in battle, learning new life lessons, and so on. If you all decide you want me to summarize the three worlds, I can do so, but it'll have to be Golden Sun first, and after a few more Disney worlds, I'll summarize the other two non-Disney worlds and reveal what video games they came from.**

 **So, that's all, folks! Hope you get this message and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!**


	34. ANNOUNCEMENT 2! END OF GOLDEN SUN SAGA!

**Hey, guys! Yeah, remember when I said that in the next chapter, it would be the interlude? Yeah, sorry, that's the chapter AFTER this one. Don't worry, it'll be like, a really short announcement chapter, but really, in the next chapter, we'll be continuing off where we started. Which, is the interlude chapter. Now, I will point out that this is possibly the only interlude chapter in the story, but it is rather important before we move onto the next world, which will also be revealed at the end of the interlude chapter.**

 **I'll get to the point. The main reason why I'm making an announcement chapter like this is to summarize the rest of the adventures Ignis had to face while in her time in the Golden Sun universe. But before we get to that, I'd like to point out another few things. First off, I have read the reviews and the PMs several of you have sent me, and I wanted to express my gratitude and thanks for voicing your opinions, as well as criticizing me while pointing out the problems I had. After much consideration and thinking, as well as reading all of the comments and opinions prior to the last announcement chapter, I have decided to go with Option 1. As for the Golden Sun chapters that are already enlisted here, I'll just let them stay here so that anyone who's interested can read back on them. Also, truth be told, I don't really wanna delete chapters I've worked hard and endless hours on, so, I hope that's okay with you guys. But, really, the Golden Sun saga will have to end right here after I summarize what's going on. Once again, thank you all for voicing your insights.**

 **I also like to say thank you for making me see the error of my ways. It is true that I am a fan of the Golden Sun series, because not only was it the first, official GBA game, but it was also one of my childhood games I played a lot when I was a kid. My only hope is that the three games get remastered later on in the future, and that a fourth game gets established. Anyways, I'll start the summarization.**

* * *

 **Golden Sun Summarization**

 **Upon joining the tourist group that was heading to Tolbi to see its annual festival, Colosso, Issac and his friends ended up having to take a ship across a monster-invested sea. During the trip, Issac and his group had to face off monsters along with the Kraken monster before safely reaching land. After reaching Tolbi, the group explored the Altmiller Cave, where they rescued Tolbi's ruler, Lord Babi, who allowed them to participate in the warrior's tournament in Colosso. However, because there was only two more seats available, it was decided that Issac and Ignis would be the deciding factors of their team, and they both teamed up to take on the many obstacles of the tournament until they were the only two finalists remaining. With that, the final obstacle required both of them in a one-on-one battle to decide the winner. Both fought valiantly, taking their advantages to the maximum, however, because Ignis was more better-trained and more experienced, she ultimately won the tournament, though Issac did give her a run for her money, mainly because they trained each other during their adventures.**

 **After the tournament, Babi arranged a meeting for Issac and his friends to request something of them. As it turns out, Babi was actually 150 years old and appeared rather youthful because of the Mystic Draught, a life-extending and slow-aging draught that he stole from Lemuria, a hidden society somewhere out in sea. However, because his supply of the Mystic Draught was beginning to run out, he's been trying to find other methods of extending his life as well as learn more about Alchemy and any life-extending secrets it held. For that reason, Babi had sent Kraden, who was originally from Tolbi and the most valued scholar he's ever known, to Vale many years ago to study Sol Sanctum to unlock secrets about Alchemy. Another thing Babi's done is construct the Babi Lighthouse somewhere in the continent of Gondowan, and meant to act like an actual lighthouse unlike the other Elemental Lighthouses so it could lead a path to Lemuria, which is shrouded and hidden in a foggy labyrinth surrounded by whirlpools to keep bad people out. Furthmore, only a Lemurian ship could properly travel through the labyrinth, and can only be commanded by a Psynergy-wielding Adept, like Issac and his friends. Except for Ignis, because, obviously, she's not an Adept.**

 **Issac and his friends didn't have a choice in the matter, either, because they weren't allowed to leave Tolbi to go to the Venus Lighthouse without permission, so they agreed to use Babi's Lemurian Ship to go retrieve more Mystic Draught from Lemuria once their business in the Venus Lighthouse was concluded. Baby then sent his chief minister, Iodem, to accompany the group through the Sunhalla Desert to the town between Venus Lighthouse and the half-complete Babi Lighthouse, Lalivero. After arriving in Lalivero, they learned from the townspeople that Saturos' group invaded Lalivero and took a Laliveran girl hostage with them; a girl named Sheba. Not only is she Laliveran, but she's important because apparently, she fell from the sky as a baby and miraculously survived, and she possesses strange powers; powers the group suspects to be Psynergy. The group promises that as they travel to the Venus Lighthouse, they will help rescue Sheba, along with Kraden and Jenna, who are still held captive by Saturos and his group.**

 **Unfortunately, along the way, Ignis ended up getting separated from the group due to a huge and tough monster battle, forcing Issac, Mia, Garet, and Ivan to travel to the Venus Lighthouse by themselves as Ignis attempts to try and track them down on her own. She ended up encountering Alex, one of Saturos' companions, who was on his way to try and meet up with Jenna and Kraden in a small peninsula near the Venus Lighthouse, Idejima., because they agreed to split up into two groups; Saturos, Menardi, Felix, and Sheba to the Lighthouse, and the others to Idejima to wait for the other group, especially since Idejima had Menardi's personal Lemuria Ship.**

 **Ignis and Alex ended up fighting each other; both nearly equal in power. Magic vs Psynergy, strength vs strength, all sorts that played to their advantage as the two skilled fighters clashed against each other. However, Alex proved to be the more powerful fighter in the end and defeated Ignis, wearing her down effectively. While Alex boasted and praised her for being the first person in a long time to match him in a fight and would have loved her to be an ally and ask questions about her and her Keyblade, Ignis took this opportunity to create a distraction and escape. Her retreat made her accidentally end up in Idejima, where she was surprised to find Jenna and Kraden.**

 **The two recognized her as one of Issac's companions and help tended to her wounds, helping her rest while asking questions. Soon, Alex arrived, startling Ignis, who had recovered much from her wounds and was prepared to fight him again in order to rescue Jenna and Kraden. However, their fight never came to be, as the light from the Venus Lighthouse flashed, indicating that the lighthouse was unfortunately lit. Suddenly, the entire Gondowan continent began shaking as an earthquake occurred because of the lighthouse being lit, and because of that, the Idejima peninsula split apart from Gondowan and became an island of its own, rapidly floating away from the continent.**

 **Meanwhile, before the lighthouse was lit, Issac and his friends successfully reached the top of the lighthouse, where they witnessed Saturos and Felix arguing about Sheba. Felix is angry because they have taken an innocent person uninvolved in their problems captive and decided that with or without them, he will return Sheba back to where she came from. Saturos reveals that they need Sheba because she's a Jupiter Adept, and that, along with the Shaman's Rod, is required to reach and light the Jupiter Lighthouse. He and Menardi trick and force Issac and his friends to hand over the Shaman's Rod before giving it to Felix for safety and to prove his loyalty to their cause of lighting the rest of the lighthouses.**

 **Then, Saturos and Menardi engage Issac and his friends in a fight before losing, rendering them unable to stand. Issac and his friends plea with Felix to join their group for Jenna's sake and because they think that he's still in Saturos' group since he's still indebted to them, but Felix refused, insisting that even if Saturos and Menardi are dead, the mission to light all four lighthouses is still of upmost importance, forcing Issac and his friends to view Felix as an enemy. While they were distracted, Saturos threw the Venus Star into the well of the Venus Lighthouse, thus starting the process of the Venus Lighthouse being lit. Because of Mars and Venus sharing a symbolic relationship, the energy from the process restored Saturos and Menardi's bodies and Psynergy because they're from the Mars Clan, as well as an unexpected outcome; turning them into a two-headed dragon. Another tough battle occurs, and Menardi and Saturos return back to normal upon their defeat before falling from the top of the lighthouse to their demise.**

 **Their demise spelled the end of the process and the Venus Lighthouse officially being lit, but afterwards, a terrible earthquake erupted, causing Sheba to lose her footing and fall off the tower. Horrified, Felix jumps off the tower to save her. Luckily, the area of ground at the base of the lighthouse broke apart and was filled with water from the sea, making them safely land on the water. Taking Sheba, Felix spotted the floating island, Idejima, before swimming as fast as he could. Once he reached there, he collapsed and fell unconscious along with Sheba, and it didn't take long for Alex, Ignis, Jenna, and Kraden to find them and restore them back to normal.**

 **Because they were trapped in a floating, moving island, the group couldn't do anything, and they couldn't use Menardi's Lemurian ship because there was one more item necessary to navigate and control the ship that only an Adept could use; an item called the Black Orb. Suddenly, a tidal wave, most likely caused by the Venus Lighthouse lighting and the earthquake that came afterwards, appeared and washed over the island, despite Ignis' best attempts of casting her most powerful shield spells to block off the tidal wave. Not only did the tidal wave wash over the island, but impacted much of the world as well.** **Idejima drifted off to a small continent called Indra, and from there, that's when the plot of Golden Sun 2 begins.**

 **After regaining consciousness and miraculously surviving the tidal wave, the others woke up and helped each other, quickly discovering that Alex had gone missing and that they can now explore a new continent; Indra. Ignis points her Keyblade at Felix, prepared to fight him and reunite Kraden, Sheba, and Jenna back with Issac and the others until Kraden and Jenna persuade Ignis not to attack, saying that they have very valid and good reasons for lighting the lighthouses, but while they know that Ignis has good intentions of her own and that she doesn't know the full story, because they don't fully trust her, they cannot tell her these reasons. They also point out that because of Alex's fight with her, she was in no condition to fight Felix and would end up losing. In the end, they convince Felix and Ignis not to fight each other and to travel with each other, if only to keep an eye out on one another. Ignis agrees upon the condition that they will find and meet up with Issac, and only then will they explain the reasons why they intend on lighting the lighthouses. Felix, not wishing to meet Issac because he didn't want to fight him, lies and agrees with her because, like her, he's in no condition to fight and, upon learning from Alex how equal they were, fears she may overpower him and wishes not to fight with her.**

 **With Sheba's case, however, because she wasn't involved in their quest, she didn't necessarily need to involve herself any further with them. However, Sheba insists on traveling with them for reasons she cannot reveal to them, only telling them that it was her "destiny" to do so. Because Sheba had no other means of traveling back to Lalivero and since she was a Jupiter Adept, the group accepted her. As for Kraden, although he's an elderly old man and has no means of fighting, he also wishes to travel with Felix to learn more about Alchemy and its secrets, partially for Babi's sake. Ignis joined the group rather a bit forcibly because she wants to protect Kraden, Jenna, and Sheba the most, to keep an eye on the group for Issac's sake, and because she can prove to be a very valued and strong fighter. With the group assembled, they began exploring the new continent of Indra in search of a boat.**

 **After passing through a town called Dalia that was washed up and partially destroyed thanks to the tidal wave, the group headed towards the Kandorean Temple to train themselves and their Psynergy under the temple's head monk, Master Po, eventually acquiring the Lash Pebble after passing his trial, which granted them the Lash Psynergy. Using the Lash Psynergy, the group headed towards the Shrine of the Sea God cavern near Dalia to rescue some kids that were stuck there because of the tidal wave. Upon returning to rest at Dalia, the group found Alex, who, just like them, was also searching for a boat. Alex did talk to Dalia's town mayor, but discovered because of the tidal wave, all of their boats were destroyed, but he was advised to check the town of Madra. Felix requests Alex to join their party, only for the water Adept to refuse, saying he works best alone. With that, the group traversed through the Dehkan Plateau, obtaining the Pound Cube for the Pound Psynergy along the way, to reach the town of Madra.**

 **After arriving at Madra, the group discovered that prior to the tidal wave, a pirate crew lead by their captain, Briggs, was infamous for pillaging villages and towns across the sea for food and that after the tidal wave, the guards of Madra managed to capture and jail him. Unfortunately, the rest of his pirate crew invaded Madra to free Briggs, making their way to the continent of Osenia, where, coincidentally, a Lemuria ship was parked right next to their pirate ship, and its lone owner was found unconscious on the shores of Osenia. The Madra soldiers took the lone owner and accused him of being one of the pirate members, jailing him without any proof that he actually was one. Concerned that they may actually have an innocent man in jail, the elder of Madra, and his son, the mayor, decided to leave Madra and decide to pursue Briggs personally to Osenia. Felix and his group began investigating in Madra, discovering that the man in jail was a Mercury Adept named Piers, and that, because he's the owner of the Lemuria ship, that meant only he could navigate it and that he is also a Lemurian. Because of that, they decided to help Piers by following after the elder and his son through the continent of Osenia, clear Piers' name, and arrest Briggs once more.**

 **Felix's groyp and the Madran group traversed through the Yampi Desert, acquiring the Scoop Gem that bestowed them the Scoop Psynergy upon defeating the King of Scorpion boss, before finally arriving at the port town that traded with Madra, Alhafra. The town of Alhafra revealed to have recently completed a large sailing ship, but it was unusable at the moment because of the tidal wave, therefore, Briggs, having escaped from Madra with his pirate crew, used the gold he stole from Madra to purchase the ship and use it as a hideout. Upon encountering Briggs and his pirate crew, Felix' group ended up fighting them and ultimately winning in the end, arresting them in Alhafra's prison while making them confess that Piers is innocent, thus securing his freedom. Briggs also confessed that he and his pirate crew are from Champa, and that the reason they stole from towns is because the oceans in the world have been heating up, greatly affecting Champa's fishing lifestyle and trade. Because the ship was already paid for, and because she isn't responsible nor involved in the piracy, Briggs' wife, Chaucha, and her infant son, Eoleo, were allowed to stay in the ship as residence, at least, until the ship's repairs were done. Felix and his friends attempt to help out by trying to fix the ship, but found that even their Psynergy/magic couldn't be enough to remove some of the other obstacles in the way, making them decide to leave.**

 **On their way back, they explored a bit more of Osenia, even climbing up Air's Rock, an enormous mountain, to obtain a Jupiter Psynergy called Reveal. After Air's Rock, they rested at a settlement near Air's Rock named Garoh, where it's revealed that at nighttime, the people of Garoh turn into werewolves when they look up at the moon at night. Felix's group converse with Garoh's village leader, Maha, where they exchange information with each other and discover a bit more about Alchemy's secrets, specifically on the topic of Jupiter Psynergy.**

 **After returning to Madra, another tragedy struck; warriors from the tribal Kibombo had invaded and ransacked the town, taking the Black Orb within Madra before returning to their home somewhere in Gondowan. It should be interesting to note that the Black Orb belonged to Piers. After the elder and mayor returned to Madra first while Felix and his group had been exploring Air's Rock, they had freed Piers, who set out to Gondowan to chase after the Kibombo tribe that stole his Black Orb.**

 **Following Piers led the group through the heavily guarded Kibombo Mountains and towards the village of Naribwe, where, when they arrived, they witnessed the start of a ceremonial ritual for one of the tribesmen, Akafubu, to become the village's witch doctor. As Akafubu tries to offer the Black Orb as tribute to a giant statue named the Great Gabomba, the group finds Piers hidden in the shadows as he's busy trying to find a way to take back his Black Orb. He seeks to regain his Black Orb for his ship's function so he could return back home.**

 **Knowing Piers is a Lemurian excited Kraden because with Piers, he could see Lemuria, so he offers help in exchange for Piers to take them to Lemuria. Uncertain, Piers can't permit it because Kraden is acting on Babi's interest, and because of Babi's actions of stealing a Lemurian ship along with a shipload of Mystic Drought. Kraden then tells him that he isn't going to Lemuria just for Babi's sake; he also wants to go because he wants to discover more about Alchemy and its secrets. Whether Piers allows them to go to Lemuria or not, it didn't matter to Felix and the others because they would help him retrieve the Black Orb regardless. After discovering a secret way inside the Great Gabomba statue, they fix the mechanism that was preventing the witch doctor ceremony from being completed, thus, they were allowed to take back the Black Orb. On the way back to Madra, Piers decides that he will join and allow Felix's group to travel with him back to Lemuria because of their willingness to help him out and since they're good people, too.**

 **They return to Madra for a moment's rest and to assure the elder and mayor that Piers is alright before being given the Cyclone Chip, a Psynergy utility item that allowed them the usage of the Cyclone Psynergy, as a reward for saving Piers. Afterwards, the group encounter a Mars Adept named Karst, who arrived in Madra in search for Saturos and her older sister, Menardi. Felix and the others tell her of their demise by Issac and his group's hands, which fuels her anger and vengeance towards Issac, swearing to kill him. She then informs Felix's group to focus on finding and lighting the Jupiter Lighthouse before leaving.**

 **After she left, Felix's group ponders whether they find Issac and his group in order to protect them from Karst, but are reminded by the fact that Issac's group is trying to find and stop them from lighting the other lighthouses and would even resort to fighting. This led Ignis to figuring out that Felix had lied and had no intention of finding Issac from the beginning, resulting in the two having an argument with each other and would have worsen if the other members in their group didn't stop and calm them down. Kraden then convinces Ignis that while they cannot manage the time to search for Issac and his friends, they will attempt to talk to them when Issac's group has found them, and furthermore, Felix will explain his reasons for lighting the lighthouses once they reach Lemuria, a promise that Ignis holds the group towards. Once they arrived at the shore where Piers' Lemurian ship laid in, they exterminated the monsters infesting inside it, and, once everything was cleared, Piers used the Black Orb to commandeer the ship to travel wherever the group's heart desired.**

 **With the group members' current power, they cannot get past the foggy labyrinth and whirlpools surrounding Lemuria, thus prompting them to try again at a later date and increase their power and find new Psynergy. During their quest, they grew stronger in both body and mind, collecting more Djinns and acquiring new Summons to aid them in battle. As for Ignis, with Kraden and Felix's guidance, she also grew stronger and refined her magic, learning new kinds of magic and magic spells to aid her friends and even helped improved Jenna, Piers, and Sheba's fighting capabilities as well, just as she did with Issac, Garet, Mia, and Ivan. Upon exploring Aqua Rock, for Piers, he obtained the Parch Psynergy.**

 **Their travels towards various towns and other settlements throughout the sea led them to learn new secrets about the Sea of Time, which refers to the whirlpools and foggy labyrinth surrounding Lemuria. Additionally, from folklore, they discover that a mythical entity named Poseidon has reawakened within the ends of the Sea of Time as a final obstacle to guard Lemuria, and that he's invulnerable to all forms of only way to break his indestructible barrier is through an ancient trident called the Trident of Ankohl, which was split up into three pieces that are found only in three separate towers throughout the sea. The group set out and collected the three pieces from the three towers, the Shrine of the Sea God, the Ankohl Ruins, and the Tundaria Tower, at which, from that tower, they acquired another Psynergy utility item called the Burst Brooch, which grants them the Burst Psynergy. However, even though they managed to collect the three pieces, they do not have the means to reforging the three pieces into one trident.**

 **While searching for a capable blacksmith, the group found themselves in the settlement of Izumo that was being terrorized by a serpent-like dragon residing in Gaia Rock. A young man named Susa went to Gaia Rock to attempt to slay the serpent-like dragon in order to save Izumo's maiden and his lover, Kushinada, so Felix and his friends decide to help him out. They find Susa feeding the serpent-like dragon barrels of Dragonsbane, a type of sake, in order to weaken it, so they take it upon themselves to explore the rest of Gaia Rock. At the summit, Felix learns a new Psynergy, Sand, and the group come across a dancing animate doll called the Dancing Idol, which, when placed on special altars throughout Gaia Rock, acts as a skeleton key and causes either new paths to open or beams of light to shine onto the serpent's lair, weakening it. When the group returns to Susa, they find that he has finished feeding the serpent the last of the Dragonsbane before attempting to take on the serpent, only managing to deliver to a few hits before being knocked out from a powerful strike. This prompts Felix's group into action to not only engage the serpent into combat, but also to save and give Susa time to recover. Soon, during the tough battle, Susa wakes up and delivers the finishing blow to the serpent, turning it to stone. He thanks the group before leaving, and they follow him back to Izumo and decide to give him credit for the slaying of the serpent, then they talk to Susa's older sister, Uzume, which comes to the revelation that both she and her brother are both Adepts, and that they thank Felix's group for their assistance. Kushinada and Susa promises Felix that they will have offspring that will help his descendants in the future before the group leaves.**

 **Deciding to return to Alhafra to rest for the time being, the group decided that they've become strong enough to repair the rest of the ship and destroy the remaining obstacles. Once they do so, they are welcomed to the Alhafra mayor's home, and while that's happening, news that the ship has been repaired reached all over Alhafra. Seeing this as a good chance, Briggs' wife, Chaucha, has her infant son, Eoleo, cast Psynergy on the guard's key to free Briggs and lead to their escape on the ship. Felix and the others decide to pursue Briggs all the way back to Champa, where he's regarded as a hero for bringing back food. They track him down to his mountainside home, confronting both him and his grandmother, Obaba, in front of the Forge of Ankohl. Briggs tricks and convinces his grandmother that Felix and his friends were the bad guys, so Obaba uses the power of the forge to summon a lizard monster called Avimander to fight them off. However, Felix and his friends triumph over the monster, granting them the opportunity to tell Obaba all of the wrongdoings Briggs and his pirate crew have done, including the stolen food, shocking and angering Obaba. Chaucha arrives and explains the situation to Obaba, with the promise being that Briggs always intended to pay back the towns that he stole from. Felix and his group agrees to leave Briggs alone so long as he upholds his promise and corrects all the wrongdoings he's done.**

 **Because of the trouble her grandson has caused to Felix and his friends, Obaba offers her blacksmithing services to them. Taking this opportunity, they ask if she could reforge the Trident of Ankohl with the three pieces they acquired, something she was first astounded and honored to do. It took a while, but she successfully recreated the Trident of Ankohl. With the Lemurian ship, secrets to bypassing the foggy labyrinth and whirlpools, and now with the Trident of Ankohl in their possession, the group was now ready to head towards Lemuria.**

 **Just before they left Champa, the group encountered Alex, who revealed to now be a companion of Karst and her partner, Agatio. Instead of combining their two groups into one, Alex revealed several things that made Felix's group upset and angry enough not to consider their group as part of their own. Firstly, Alex thought that after Saturos and Menardi's deaths, Felix wouldn't be capable enough to finish the quest and light the other lighthouses and had planned on abandoning him, only to realize that Felix was indeed capable. To that end, he allowed Karst and Agatio to put further pressure onto Felix, something Ignis put a stop to when she started defending Felix. At the end of their conversation, Alex cruelly tells Kraden that Babi has passed away, before leaving with Karst and Agatio. While everyone tried comforting Kraden, they wonder to themselves if this meant that Kraden was now relieved of the responsibility of finding out the secrets of Alchemy for Babi's sake. Even so, Kraden insists on accompanying Felix and the others to Lemuria because he has been thinking of a theory about the state of the world, something Piers supports in because he also have thought up of theories, which will all be confirmed when they reached Lemuria. Felix, touched by Ignis defending him despite the fact that they still have some differences, is now more fully committed to keeping his promise of explaining everything to Ignis once they get to Lemuria.**

 **Immediately, they set out for Lemuria, and with the knowledge and new powers they've obtained, they've solved through the puzzles of the foggy labyrinth, bypassed the whirlpools, and successfully defeated Poseidon before entering Lemuria. Amazed by the architecture and culture of Lemuria, the group quickly discovered that the people of Lemuria are quite young-looking and much older in age due to drinking the Mystic Drought within Lemuria. While waiting for an audience with the Lemurian king, Hydros, the group head over to the house belonging to Piers' uncle, who is grateful and happy to see his nephew. However, he breaks the news that while Piers was away, they all assumed that he died from the tidal wave, which caused Piers' mother to die of a broken heart. Allowing Piers to grieve at his mothers' gravestone, the rest of the group are told by Pier's uncle that Piers was originally sent out on a mission by King Hydros, something Piers never told them about. They then find Lunpa the Righteous Thief, a legendary thief who founded a town named after himself, in Lemuria, still young due to drinking the Mystic Drought in Lemuria, and unable to return home due to being unable to acquire the means of returning home. Ignis reveals to Lunpa some of her adventures with Issac, which includes the current state of the town of Lunpa, Donpa, and the trouble Dodonpa has caused.**

 **Afterwards, Lunpa's discussion with Felix's group led to the theory that Kraden has been busy formulating and that he wanted to confirm whether it was true or not by coming to Lemuria. To Kraden's surprise, Lunpa and King Hydros thought of the same theory, since Lemuria was quite advanced due to Alchemy's influence. It's revealed that the sealing of Alchemy in the past caused civilizations to gradually wane over time rather than develop, and that Alchemy has remained sealed so long as the lighthouses aren't lit. Lunpa also theorizes that there's a possibility that there's another form of decay that came from the result of the absence of Alchemy, but decided that they should all discuss this further once they gained the audience of King Hydros.**

 **They travel to the throne room in the Lemurian Palace, where King Hydros, Piers, and a man named Conservato has been awaiting them. It's revealed that King Hydros ordered Piers to leave Piers to explore the rest of the world and examine and check the current state of the various seas, something that's in direct violation of the will of Conservato and the Lemurian senate since they disliked outsiders and anything to do with outsiders. It's determined that Poseidon's awakening had been the result of Saturos and Menardi lighting the Mercury and Venus Lighthouses and the changes the lighthouse beacons had on the world, such as the earthquakes and the tidal wave. Appalled at Felix for being involved in the lighting of the lighthouses, Conservato states that Alchemy is a force that would doom the world into destruction and war if it were ever released upon lighting the rest of the lighthouses, which was one of the reasons why Issac and his friends, Ignis included, have been trying to prevent.**

 **Hydros then shows a map of Weyard in the ancient past, where civilizations were large and thrived greatly with Alchemy around. Then, Lunpa pulls out a map of his own when he came to Lemuria around a century ago, though the continents were much more smaller compared to the continents in Hydro's ancient map. Piers confirms that Lunpa's map is more accurate, but that the continents are even more smaller than that. This caused everyone to realize that it's not just human civilization that's been waning, but also the physical state of the world of Weyard and that Weyard is at the risk of destruction if Alchemy isn't restored in time. After all, Weyard is analogous to a living being that's deprived of its substance, and the world requires the influence of the four lighthouses being lit and the release of Alchemy.**

 **The objective to light all four lighthouses is now valued as even more important than ever and that for the world's sake, they would have to light all four lighthouses even if it risks war and more power to arise upon the release of Alchemy. King Hydros then orders Felix and his companions to light the remaining lighthouses and for Piers to accompany them on their quest. It's during this time that Felix finally reveals to Ignis the original reason why he wanted to light the lighthouses, because his and Jenna's parents, along with Issac's father, have survived the storm that befallen Vale three years ago, but were taken hostage to Prox by Saturos and Menardi to get Felix's cooperation in joining the quest of lighting the other lighthouses since they need a Venus Adept like Felix to get through the Venus Lighthouse. Ignis is shocked and horrified upon learning the truth of everything and about her part about stopping Felix and his group. If she and her original group, which consists of Issac and his friends, had successfully stopped Felix and his group earlier and retrieved the other Elemental Stars, then the world of Weyard would well be on its way to destruction. She's even more horrified because as a Keyblade wielder, her duty is to protect worlds, and she was very close to destroying one, even if unknowing. Even though it was against the code and the rules, Ignis reveals everything about herself to the others because she thought it was necessary in case Alchemy does destroy the world even if they light the other lighthouses, telling them everything about the Unversed, the Keyblade, and about the existence of other worlds, though she is relieved that she has not encountered any Unversed. The others reassure her that it wasn't her fault, and that they were happy that she told them everything, because now, they had an alternate plan in case something bad does happen to Weyard, though Ignis is unsure because she has never heard of another world's residents moving to another world should Weyard be destroyed. King Hydros comforts her in assuring that even if telling them about other worlds was against the code, the fact that she did it to save Weyard would be enough to save a world from destruction. He gives Felix the Grindstone, a Psynergy utility item meant for the Grind Psynergy and to cancel out any obstacles during their course at sea. Conservato still refuses to see this all coming to a good outcome and warns Piers that he will forever be banished from Lemuria should he go with Felix and his friends, but now, Piers, like Ignis, is more committed to the quest now than ever. With the new knowledge and power bestowed onto them, the group traveled to a new sea, with the Jupier Lighthouse waiting for them, and Ignis' friendship with her new group more fortified and trustworthy than ever.**

 **Upon reaching the new sea, the group land on Hesperia first, where Ignis recalls to the group a prophecy Master Hammet, Ivan's adopted father, told her and Issac's friends about regarding about the Shaman's Rod. Within Hesperia, they reach the Shaman's Village and present the Shaman's Rod to the village leader, Moapa, who is shocked to see the Shaman's Rod because it's a national treasure that the Shaman Village handed to Contigo in the continent of Atteka as an act of goodwill and peace long ago to end the war when Alchemy was sealed. The Shamans are supposed to give the bearer of the Shaman's Rod the opportunity to earn back Contigo's treasure, the Hover Jade, a Psynergy utility item meant to grant the user the ability to fly at some extent. However, because they don't have Contigo heritage, Felix's group has trouble convincing Moapa to give them the Hover Jade, having to rely on Sheba to demonstrate her Jupiter Adept powers to grant them the chance to earn it. They had to complete the Trial Road, a race trial consisting of skill and power, where their group, along with Moapa's group, competed in, where at the end of the trial, fought each other until Felix's group won. Once they obtained the Hover Jade, the group set off to the continent of Atteka, where they presume the Jupiter Lighthouse to be.**

 **Near Contigo, the group discovered the Jupiter Lighthouse to be close by and began exploring within it, using their new Psynergy powers, such as Hover from the Hover Jade, to traverse through the many puzzles and obstacles within the lighthouse. However, during their exploration, they discovered Issac and his companions within the Jupiter Lighthouse as well, but, to their shock, they found that Garet and Mia had fallen into a trap set up by Karst and Agatio to separate Issac's group in half, leaving Issac and Ivan to confront Agatio and Karst. Karst and Agatio introduce themselves as warriors from Prox, a settlement full of the Mars Fire Clan founded in the northlands and convey that they're out for revenge for Menardi. They also reveal that due to the seal placed on Alchemy, Prox is on the brink of destruction and that the third member of their party is Alex, who, to their dismay and anger, has mysterious vanished. Deciding to deal with him later, the Fire Clan duo engages both Issac and Ivan in combat.**

 **After witnessing this, the group frantically rushes to rescue Issac and Ivan and lend them their aid, despite their differences. Alex encounters them, but wishes them no harm and knows that they wish to rescue Issac and his friends, so, much to their confusion, he heals them from their previous monster battles inside the lighthouse, before leaving them be. When Felix's group arrived, they found Ivan and Issac defeated, and just before Karst and Agatio could deal the finishing blow, Felix's group surrounds them, stopping them and protecting Ivan and Issac. They forced Agatio and Karst to stop and makes a deal with them; in exchange for sparing their lives, they will light the Jupiter Lighthouse. Karst, seeing as she and Agatio were greatly weakened by Issac and Ivan, surrenders and agrees to the terms, but not before adding to the condition that Felix takes the Mars Star away from Issac. Issac, weakened and half-consciousness, believes in Felix because he and his companions saved them, thus willingly gives up the Mars Star to Felix. Agatio and Karst leave first towards the summit of the Jupiter Lighthouse, and Felix and Ignis follow behind them while the rest begin healing Issac and Ivan and are in the process of rescuing Garet and Mia from the trap they've fallen in.**

 **Fulfilling his end of the bargain, Felix lights the Jupiter Lighthouse with the Jupiter Star. Suddenly, Karst snatches the Mars Star away from Felix, stating that she and Agatio will light the final lighthouse by themselves and that they have no more need for Felix and his friends. Ignis angrily questions about Felix's parents and Issac's father, prompting Agatio to answer that they will keep their promise and free them once the final lighthouse has been lit. Realizing that since Karst and Agatio have no more use for them and will kill them, Felix and Ignis work together to clash against the two Mars Adepts; their chances of victory rising upon the arrival of Jenna, Sheba, and Piers joining in the fight, ultimately defeating them. Upon witnessing the defeat of Karst and Agatio, Alex steps in and heals the two, but he also convinced the two to leave while they still can because they have the Mars Star and that Issac's group is coming, indicating that they cannot win a second time, especially since it'll be both Felix and Issac's groups against their smaller group. Frustrated, Karst and Agatio agree to leave with Alex warping them out of the lighthouse.**

 **Shortly after the antagonists left, Issac's group arrived and demand to know what's going on. Both Jenna and Ignis calms both groups down and assures them that they have a very good reason for lighting the lighthouses. In the end, they all agree to meet in Contigo to explain everything. Keeping their promise, Felix's group explained their reasons for lighting the lighthouses, shocking the other group in what they've learned, and that the reason they couldn't tell them was because they weren't strong enough, and for Issac and Garet's case, the release of Alchemy and the lighting of the lighthouses violates the sacred teachings of Vale. In the end, Issac agrees that the risk of lighting the lighthouses is worth it more than sitting idly by and allowing Weyard to collapse on its own. It's then that Ignis steps forth and explains where she came from, about the existence of the other worlds, because, even though she's breaking a lot of rules by revealing all of this to them, she deems it necessary since this is a special case. Ivan further backs her up on this because, from the start of the journey, he has read her mind and knew everything, and explained the importance of the secrecy of other worlds, even saying that the existence of them are, in a way, more important than the risk of releasing Alchemy to the world.**

 **Suddenly, Hama, someone Issac's group had met previously, arrives to join in the conversation, revealing herself to be Ivan's older sister. It has been prophesized that she and Ivan are the siblings that would return to Contigo once the Jupiter Lighthouse was lit. Hama also revealed that if she had told Ivan the truth about his origins and that she was his older sister, then not only would he have arrived in Contigo early, but it would have drastically affected fate as well. The more important reason for Hama's arrival is that she came to warn both groups of a new issue in Weyard. Now that the Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter Lighthouses have been lit, the Mars element is being suppressed on a global scale, making the temperatures of the world rapidly decrease. If the Mars Lighthouse is not lit soon, then Weyard will soon be engulfed in ice. Hama then uses her foresight powers to see into the future and says that Karst and Agatio will be unable to light the Mars Lighthouse due to a powerful force preventing them to do so, thus she urges the two groups to join forces, travel north to Prox to light the final lighthouse, and save Weyard.**

 **Felix and Issac, puts aside their differences and come to an understanding together, thus the two groups formed into one final traveling group, consisting of eight Adepts, one Keyblade bearer, and one scholar. They return to Piers' ship, where it's further discovered that Hama had the people of Contigo build the Wings of Anemos, metallic wings, and had them installed onto the sides of the Lemurian ship, as part of the prophecies. As the group set sail, Sheba reveals the reason for wanting to travel with Felix and the others, because she wanted to find her origins should she arrive at the Jupiter Lighthouse, but found not even a single clue. Kraden consoles Sheba by telling her that he barely knew his home nor his parents because he was taken away by Babi at the tender age of four to live out his life as a scholar, so, unlike him, Sheba at least got to know the comfort of having a father figure back in Lalivero.**

 **The northern edges of the world had glaciers blocking their path, preventing the large group from traveling further to Prox without destroying the glaciers first. Therefore, they're forced to find another method of destroying the glaciers, leading them to Magma Rock, where they find Magma Balls and a new Mars Psynergy that Jenna learned; Blaze. Near Magma Rock is a settlement site owned by dwarves called Loho, where the group obtained an ancient war weapon called a Cannon and had it installed to their ship. They return to the northern edges of the world and use the Cannon to destroy the glaciers blocking their path, securing their way to Prox.**

 **They're horrified to learn that Prox is under a harsh blizzard and that the people are constantly suffering because of it, and it's worse because they knew that if they didn't light the Mars Lighthouse soon, then Prox would be the first amongst Weyard to be destroyed. The group meets up with Puelle, the chieftain of Prox, along with the Elder, who determines that Agatio and Karst aren't going to activate the lighthouse because they've been gone for so long. Puelle had given the order to release Felix's parents and Issac's father should Felix return, but none of the three adults were anywhere in Prox. Deciding to worry about their whereabouts later, the group travels to the Mars Lighthouse, their last destination for their journey.**

 **While climbing and passing the obstacles of the Mars Lighthouse, the group encounters two Flame Dragons, and upon defeating them, are horrified to learn that the Flame Dragons transformed back to the dying forms of Agatio and Karst, whose injuries are too severe and fatal to be healed. They inform the group that while they themselves were climbing up the lighthouse, a mysterious force appeared before them and determined that they lacked the will to light the lighthouse before turning them into dragons, preventing them from accomplishing their goal. Left with no choice, Agatio and Karst hand the group the Mars Star and tell them to leave, telling them that they want to see their final moments alone, seeing the light of the Mars Beacon before they die.**

 **At the top of the Mars Lighthouse, the group are shocked to see the Wise One, guardian of Alchemy's seal and the entity that tasked Issac and Garet the quest to retrieve the Elemental Stars. When the Wise One questions Issac and Garet why they disobeyed his orders to do what they've been tasked to do, the others inform the Wise One that they found out that all of Weyard will be annihilated if Alchemy isn't released in time. The Wise One says that if Alchemy is released, then humanity may as well destroy Weyard itself since it's human nature to want to have dominion over power, only for the group to counter that they wouldn't let that happen and that it would be their responsibility in ensuring that never happens and that Alchemy would not be used for evil.**

 **Using his powers, the Wise One notifies the group that currently, Alex is climbing up the peak of Mt. Aleph. He tells them that Alex knows a lot more than they do, that once the four Elemental Beacons are alight, their lights would gather at the top of Mt. Aleph and merge into one golden light called the Golden Sun, which is a beam of pure Alchemy that would herald the return of Alchemy to Weyard and grant limitless power that Alex would obtain upon standing in its path, something that Alex desired from the very beginning. Angered that Alex used them all, Mia especially since she was the closest to Alex, Issac informs the group that they still have to light the lighthouses to save the world, even if it means satisfying Alex's thirst for power.**

 **Just before the group could light the beacon, the Wise One summons a three-headed dragon before disappearing. Kraden realizes what the three-headed dragon really is, but before he could inform the others, it was too late; they were already engaged in battle. It took a lot out of the group, even when it was a 9 against a three-headed dragon fight, but in the end the group triumphed over the dragon. The three-headed dragon disappeared, and in its place is revealed to be Felix's parents and Issac's father. Hurriedly, Mia, Piers, Ignis, and anyone else who could still heal rushed to their fallen forms and attempted to heal them with what little magic and Psynergy they had until they were all out and failed to revive them.**

 **When the others angrily curse at the Wise One for making them kill the three adults and tricking them, Issac calms them down by stating that their parents would understand that this was for the greater good and that they still had the task of lighting the lighthouse. And so, Felix, using the Mars Star, casted it down onto the lighthouse aerie, and the group watches as the Mars Beacon has been lit.**

 **Suddenly, the group received a long-distance telepathic communication from Hama, who tells them that now that all four lighthouses are lit, they, along with Mt. Aleph are now going to start the process of the Golden Sun and that they're going to expel a lot of energy, making it dangerous for people to be near the lighthouses and Mt. Aleph. It's also why the Wise One left after summoning the three-headed dragon, to appear to people in their dreams and warn them to take refuge. Hama warns them to leave the Mars Lighthouse, making the group take Felix's parents and Issac's father out of the lighthouse and towards safety as quickly as possible just as the process begun.**

 **With the activation of the Mars Beacon, balance is restored to the elements and the blizzard overtaking Prox has ceased, bringing warmth back to the world. The combined influenced of all four beacons restored Alchemy back to the world, allowing landmasses to grow in size slowly over energy from the Mars Lighthouse restored the barely living parents of Issac and Felix, reviving them, thus the group spent a few days in Prox, recovering their strength.**

 **While the group rests, Issac ponders why the Wise One had them fight their parents in the form of a three-headed dragon. Although he didn't know the answer, Kraden theorizes that the Wise One wished to test them if they were capable of making such a difficult choice, and that he was fairly certain that the Mars Beacon would have revived their parents.**

 **As much as Ignis wished to accompany the group back to Vale, she knew that she had stayed far too long in Weyard, much more than she ever had with the other worlds she's traveled in. She says her goodbyes to the group, and once she was alone, she used her Keyblade Glider to travel out of Weyard, entrusting the fate of it to Issac and the others and thinking she should help them out when the next time she visits. With new strength and knowledge she obtained from fighting countless enemies, training, solving many obstacles, and traveling with the rest of her group, she set out into another world, much more stronger than ever.**

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 **Okay, wow, I didn't really expect this much of a big summary. I swear, I'm not making any of this up, except for the parts where Ignis is involved. These events really did happen in the two Golden Sun games. If you guys still don't believe me, you can watch the walkthroughs by yourselves, but this is the basic summary of what Ignis went through.**

 **Anyways, next chapter is the interlude chapter, and I should inform you guys that I won't be uploading this story for a while. After all, I've got school to take care of and other stories to update, after all. I hope you all understand, and thanks so much for hearing me out! Read and review!**


	35. Interlude: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

**Hey, guys! Wow, okay, so it's been a while since I updated this amazing story since life has been a bit hectic for me, so yeah! But now I'm back and ready to begin this interlude chapter! In case any of you are curious, an interlude is basically something that takes place between some chapters, like if Ignis is doing something like killing Unversed in another world, then during that time, it just goes to another character's perspective, or at least that's what I assume. And you'll be quite surprised whose perspective will be in this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the songs, "From Shadow," and "Lusus Naturae,"** **from RWBY, created by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams. Mage of Hope would also like to note that some of the lyrics from the songs have changed a little, so not all of the lyrics are from the original songs.**

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"Again!"

Vanitas leapt up back to his feet, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain from his injuries. He casted a quick Cure on himself before charging forward once more; Void Gear locked with No Name, Xehanort's personal Keyblade.

Right now, Vanitas was engaged in yet another one of his harsh training sessions with Xehanort in order to prepare for when the time came for the forging of the _X_ -Blade, something both him and Xehanort have been trying to accomplish for a very long time. As frustrating as it may be, and he'll likely never admit it, Xehanort was far more stronger than Vanitas, surpassing the darkness-incarnate boy in terms of magic, experience, and much more, making Vanitas all the more determined to beat his old master. Hell, even leaving a scar on his ragged face would have satisfied the young masked boy.

Vanitas knew he wasn't performing his best today, just like in the past few training sessions he's had with Xehanort. Xehanort calls them training sessions, but Vanitas refers to them as beatdowns. Then again, every single beatdown has effectively made him stronger throughout the years, so he couldn't complain with the results, even if he not once defeated his elderly master despite getting stronger.

Ventus and his friends were all pathetic weaklings who couldn't beat him with his current strength, even if all three of them ganged up on him at the same time. Wait, three? No, it was supposed to be four. Ventus, Aqua, Terra, and...

Her.

Ignis. It's been a while since he's last heard or seen of her. He's had his Unversed survey over the rest of her friends to check up and spy on them, but for some reason, he couldn't find her anywhere at all for the past couple of days no matter how many worlds he had his Unversed search. It was like she completely vanished! Either she's located in some other unknown, faraway world at the moment, or...

He shook his head at the thought of her being dead. No, there's no way the stubborn, hotheaded idiot was actually dead! She may be weaker than he is, but he refused to accept the concept of her actually being dead in some unknown, faraway world that he's probably never explored before! He needs her! He wants her! He-

...Why does he so desire her?

His thoughts were smashed away when he felt pain overwhelming him from a powerful magical strike from Xehanort, causing him to fall on his back in a painful thud. He started to get up, but stopped when he felt the tip of No Name at his throat. He knew that just one little push forward, and the ancient, old Keyblade would pierce his throat, so he stayed still.

"...What's wrong? You're not like your usual self today, Vanitas," spoke Xehanort in an amused tone, though his golden eyes clearly display disappointment in his apprentice.

Vanitas hated being looked down upon, especially from Xehanort. He always wanted to prove he was the best, like no one ever was. He held no close relationship to the old man, but he still wanted to be acknowledged as a very powerful person, and someday, he wanted to be even more powerful than him, but right now, it was clear who was the stronger one. While he knew Xehanort was stronger than him, he absolutely refused to be seen as some...some pathetic _disappointment_. It was already bad enough that Ventus was already need, like he was much more special than him, but if Vanitas was acknowledged as being a disappointment, well, it would make him feel as though he was more inferior and useless than poor Venny.

"...I'm fine!" scoffed Vanitas, pushing away the Keyblade and getting up on his own. "I'm fine! Let's keep on-"

"No." Xehanort dismissed his Keyblade and turned around; his arms folded behind his back as he started walking away. "We're done for now. You've clearly have something in your mind that's affecting your battle process. We'll continue this next time, when you're more clear-minded and less...ignorant."

"Ignorant?!" Vanitas scowled, taking offense to his previous comment. "I was doing just fine! I can go again, much better than before! I-"

"No. Right now, you're acting like nothing more than a petulant child throwing a tantrum."

Vanitas gritted his teeth, taking every single ounce of his strength not to attack Xehanort from behind. Not only would this prove futile, but Xehanort would expect this from Vanitas and counterattack much more effectively, as well as prove Xehanort's point that he is acting like a child on a tantrum. He refused to be compared to a child and instead stood up straight, clenching Void Gear very tightly in his hand.

"...Fine," growled Vanitas.

Xehanort paused, but he didn't turn around to face the masked boy. "Oh, and one piece of advice, Vanitas. For someone like you-no, _especially_ for you, it's best if you sever any ties you have with anyone. Don't let any lingering feelings cloud your mind, because such trifling things are useless in battle."

"Please, I don't let emotions cloud me," scoffed Vanitas before smirking. "And severing ties? It's like you're asking me to be your enemy, old man."

Xehanort smirked. "Oh, Vanitas...you know as well as I do that we both need each other to accomplish our goals. I wish for the _X_ -Blade, and you wish to be free from pain by becoming the _X_ -Blade, so our goals align. We're simply tools to each other, nothing more than that."

"For once, we agree with something," said Vanitas, crossing his arms.

"Although, between the two of us, I wonder who's acting more like the tool here?"

"Fuck you, old man."

"Such language. You wound an old man's heart."

"You don't have a heart, jackass.

"Same to you, my apprentice."

Having said that, Xehanort opened up a Dark Corridor and stepped through it, vanishing into who knows where. The Dark Corridor closed shortly after he entered, leaving Vanitas all alone in the wind-whipped wasteland.

Once Xehanort was gone, Vanitas let loose his anger by pointing Void Gear at a cliff and firing a fully-powered Dark Firaga at it, blasting off a huge chunk of the cliff. That let off a bit of steam, but it wasn't nearly enough to let out his frustration.

His negative emotions began to form swirl up within him, an ominous, yet familiar feeling he's always had every time his powers that manifested from the darkness within activated on their own. A dark shadow emerged from Vanitas' body, taking form of a familiar creature; a monstrous foe that Ventus and his friends has continuously defeated over and over.

Unversed.

The origin of all Unversed, no matter what size, form, or unique powers they had, all came from within one single source; Vanitas. Unlike monsters one normally recognize from video games, fairy tales, and other sources, these "monsters" were special. They were literally **Negative Emotion Incarnate.**

Each Unversed is similar, and yet different in many ways, other than their appearance and different powers bestowed onto them by their creator, Vanitas. Because they were emotion incarnate, they were born from one or more single negative emotions. Fear, anger, hatred, sorrow, despair, hopelessness, and even emotions stemming from the natural, seven deadly sins. Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, and Pride.

Come to think of it, the Unversed he created out of those seven deadly sins...only one person had managed to kill most of them. Ignis. At the very least, out of all of the deadly sins, she managed to destroy five out of the seven, which was quite impressive in Vanitas' own book, especially since Ignis' other friends never once encountered any of the seven deadly sin Unversed. Everything always did come back to her in the end. Just what was it that made her so special?

Ignis' skills were average at best. She wasn't as magically talented as Aqua, nor was she as fast as Ventus or even physically strong like Terra. She seemed to be your everyday, run-of-the-mill Keyblade apprentice, but she was quite different than them. In fact, in some ways, she seemed better and a bit more interesting than her friends.

For instance, her defensive skills were quite good, so she'll be able to last a bit longer in a fight. In addition to long-term battles, her supportive and defensive magic was far better than her offensive magic, no matter how much she wanted to try and improve her offensive magic for the sake of her creation magic. Speaking of her creation magic, it was solely due to training and her imagination that she made her creation magic quite strong. If anything, she seemed more skilled with fire offensive magic than any of the other elemental magic.

But what really made her more interesting was the fact that she started using darkness magic, a type of magic she was absolutely forbidden to learn and use by her pathetic Keyblade Master, Eraqus. Yet, even so, she chose to disobey his orders in favor of being interested in darkness magic which was a sureway sign of her changing her alignment from light to dark, yet, for some reason, she hasn't...turned evil.

Rather, she was learning more about both light and darkness magic simultaneously. Sure, she was more interested in learning darkness magic than light magic, but the fact that she hasn't succumbed to the tempting power of darkness and joined the dark side just shows how resistant she is to the temptation, or that she's becoming...neutral.

There hasn't been any single Keyblade wielder who's become neutral. Xehanort may be close, but he's much more closer to the darkness, despite his claims about light and darkness needing to coexist with each other. And Eraqus is definitely not a neutral Keyblade wielder either, since he's so obsessed with the light.

It would be quite interesting if Ignis does become a neutral-sided Keyblade wielder. Who knows what unexpected, unpredicted things she could-

Vanitas mentally slapped himself as he snapped out of his thoughts. He did it again! He was thinking about stupid, stubborn Ignis once again! To be fair, out of all of the four Keyblade wielders, she has proven to be closer to a match to him in combat and will increasingly grow stronger the more time passes, wherever she is. Plus, she has become more...interesting.

But why? Why, why, WHY? Why was she interesting? Why was she constantly in his mind? Vanitas blamed Ventus for these annoying feelings he held towards her. He was fully aware that these sickening feelings were akin to love, thanks to Ventus' huge crush on Ignis. He didn't need such...such useless feelings, especially ones that constantly hinder his path to freedom, which is one of the many reasons why he absolutely _loathed_ Ventus.

It wasn't just Ventus he hated, but also his friends, annoying people who claim the power of friendship and love is much stronger than anything else, and...! Wait, if he hated Ventus' friends, then...did that mean he also hated Ignis as well? Of course it had to mean like that! The answer was obvious, especially since he's going to have to kill her sometime later in the future, after all!

Yet, despite his mind telling him it was absolutely the right thing to do, why does his chest hurt upon thinking that? It's almost as though he has a heart, and that his heart doesn't want him to even think about hurting Ignis.

Frustrated, Vanitas focused his gaze on the Unversed that his emotions had summoned earlier. In a flash, he bisected the Unversed in half with his Keyblade, killing the emotion incarnate monster in an instant.

A surge of pain coursed throughout his body as the fragment of emotion that gave birth to the Unversed returned back its source. This always happened! Every single time, whether he summoned an Unversed willingly or not! If an Unversed was defeated, it would always return back to him, but the pain would be like tenfold to him each time.

The Unversed...he summoned so many over the past few years ever since he was created as Ventus' shadow. So many Unversed based on his own painful feelings and from what he had to see from Ventus' happy life with his friends and HER.

He was envious.

His emotions represented the seven deadly sins, and then some, He desired no more pain from his miserable life. His power to create the Unversed was his most destructive force, and yet, his weakness as well, for all the pain his power brought to him ever time an Unversed was defeated. The pain increased immensely when significantly, more powerful Unversed were slain; a backlash to his almighty power that made him a GOD amongst his Unversed creations.

It was pretty obvious to him that his Unversed - his _own power_ \- represented his suffering. Xehanort taught him that he can convert his pain into power, something that's been proven true over and over as he used his Unversed and even amongst his other powers to ruthlessly slaughter every single weakling that got in his way as he explored other worlds of his own volition. To everyone he met in different worlds throughout the years, everyone was a weakling. Sure, there were good fighters, but they were at the bottom of the barrel compared to him, whose always on top of the pyramid.

A sadistic laughter burst from his mouth as he threw his head back; the thought of maliciously harming others invigorating his body as it started trembling with excitement. He awaited for the day when he could finally kill the rest of Ventus' pitiful friends and take Ventus to forge the _X-_ Blade, all to escape this suffering and pain.

Vanitas' emotions soared high as more black masses flowed out of his body, emerging as Unversed of many negative emotions that were filling up the young masked boy. Anger, envy, malice, and many more negative emotions powered up the Unversed as they were summoned from their master's overwhelming emotions. What strength they contained came from their master, and whenever they returned to him not through defeat, but willingly, Vanitas grows stronger from absorbing them back.

Truly a backlash power.

Vanitas' laughter ceased and was instead replaced by a growl as he glared at his Unversed with scorn. Though they were of his creations, they caused him unbelievable amounts of pain every since they were defeated. And if they were defeated, then they were nothing more than _weaklings._ And so, he had no use for weaklings.

He charged forth, wielding his Keyblade, Void Gear, to exterminate the vermin that was rightfully his. His weaklings.

 **From Shadows**

 **By: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams**

 _Born with_

 _No life!_

 _Into subjugation!_

 _Treated_

 _Like a_

 _Worthless animal!_

 _Stripped of_

 _All rights!_

 _Just a lesser being!_

 _Crushed by_

 _Ruthless human rule!_

From the very beginning, Vanitas couldn't possibly be classified as a regular human being. Oh, he had the handsome, attractive body of one, but he was still born from the darkness of a weakling, and humans don't normally give birth to _monsters_ like him. In fact, when he was born, he was fully masked, but behind that mask, was a monstrous, doll-like face with red eyes and jet-black skin, a face that belonged perfectly to a monster like him.

From the start, he had no freedom. Nothing to go by. He was just a monster hiding his face behind a mask that the darkness fabricated for him. Darkness was his one true friend, and he embraced the power all the time. But at the same time, even with the power of darkness, Vanitas was weak, so weak, he had no idea what to do about the Unversed and the pain that came along with his power. He was so weak, he was forced to be subjected to Xehanort's effective, but cruel and abusive training methods. Vanitas knew that he and Xehanort had the same goals, but also that the boy himself was nothing more than a tool for Xehanort to use and discard later in the future. Vanitas was weak, but he was so much stronger than Ventus. But because of some coincidental fate, Ventus somehow proved useful enough to continue living for Xehanort's upcoming plan, breaking out of his shell and gaining a new light, all while Vanitas wore a new, human-like appearance of his own, resembling that of a young man who would soon become a hero of light in the future.

Vanitas was not only darkness incarnate, but a literal wolf in sheep's clothing afterwards.

 _When it started,_

 _All I wanted was a chance to live my life!_

 _Now in darkness,_

 _Taking anything I want and I will rise!_

 _I'll rise!_

 _I'll rise!_

Vanitas tore down yet another Unversed, grimacing silently as another jolt of pain exploded within him as his Unversed reverted back inside him. He was now on a slaughtering mayhem, killing every single Unversed within his sight, banishing them with Void Gear or his devastating magic. He needed to clear his mind of any hindrances and grow stronger after all, and his legion of weaklings were perfect targets to grow stronger, even if they did bring him pain upon defeat.

As the years grew by, he only became stronger and stronger, not just by exterminating weaklings, but also through Xehanort's guidance as well. He may be an old man and an asshole, but he was still his Master, and several times stronger than him. One day, though, he will surpass his Master and when that day comes, it'll be the day when he no longer has anymore use for the old fool.

 _From shadows,_

 _I'll descend upon the world!_

 _Take back what you've stole!_

 _From shadows,_

 _I'll reclaim my destiny!_

 _Set my future free!_

 _And I'll rise!_

 _And I'll rise!_

While Vanitas performed a barrage of swift, sword techniques with Void Gear on a onslaught against a bunch of other Unversed, the pain from killing the Unversed made him remember something that he absolutely despised Ventus of. Why should he suffer when that weakling isn't? Why is he the one who has to bear all this pain while that weakling Ventus is always having fun, enjoying his life with his friends? And it's even more infuriating because Vanitas is forced to recall Ventus' happy memories, especially memories of...Ignis.

The thought of Ventus being happy with Ignis infuriated him even moreso than the concept of Vanitas suffering under the backlash of his power. Everything always led back to that weakling, Ventus! Vanitas was created from Ventus' darkness, Vanitas was forced to witness Ventus' memories as the darkness incarnate boy had to grow stronger in ruthless and painful ways, and now, thanks to Ventus, he was having all sorts of feeling towards the girl named Ignis!

For some reason, whenever he thought of Ignis, his emotions are always twisted in a...conflict. He hates her, but at the same time, he doesn't as well. He won't go admit to something mushy as _loving_ her in front of anyone, but she has impressed him a few times, something not even Ventus has done. Aqua and Terra were just as strong as young Keyblade Master candidates, but Ignis was rising up to match their power exponentially, so she'll be a worthy opponent to fight when the time comes. But, it's more than just her strength that he finds admirable.

Her personality is far too bright, too chirpy, too perky, something that has annoyed Vanitas more than once. But, she has demonstrated charisma and a strong willpower, and one of the things interesting about her is that she's not afraid to backtalk against him. Of course, he finds her willing to use darkness magic to be another interesting thing, but he didn't say that would have to be the only interesting quality about her.

Which, again, leads back to the question: Why was he so intrigued with her?

Deep down, he knows that he does love her. It may have started solely due to Ventus' crush on her, but then, Vanitas started to slowly develop his own reasons for loving her. He hated that he loved her, because these feelings will get in the way of him being free of all this pain. This... _love_ will only hinder his way to becoming one with Ventus to form the _X-Blade_ , his only method of escaping the pain.

 _Above the darkness and the shame!_

 _Above the torture and the pain!_

 _Above the ridicule and hate!_

 _Above the binding of my fate!_

Vanitas let out a yell as he slashed with a stronger attack, killing yet another Unversed and suffering another wave of pain. Normally, fighting these many Unversed combined with the amount of pain that's been constantly coursing through him ever since his fight started would have made him lose consciousness, but for whatever reason, whether it was just his own negative emotions powering him up or a different reason, he still kept going.

One time, just one time, he had a crazy thought. What if he killed the rest of Ventus' friends, used Ventus to forge the _X_ -Blade, and spared Ignis alone? Just her, and nobody else. Maybe Xehanort would have opposed this decision, but the biggest threats to his plan gone, with the only remaining threat being a helpless girl that couldn't stand up to the Keyblade Master? It sounded like a sweet deal to Vanitas.

But that was nothing more than a fleeting fairy tale.

Xehanort doesn't like loose ends, and he certainly wouldn't want even a menial threat like Ignis to live. Xehanort was somewhat a perfectionist, so obviously, he wouldn't want any single threats nor any flaws in his plans. That, and because Ignis would never allow any of her loved ones to die under her watch. She's definitely the type of person to sacrifice herself before allowing any of her friends to die. People would call that trait admirable, but Vanitas would say that it was a stupid trait.

Besides, if Ignis knew the full truth about him, about how he's the source of all Unversed, monsters that harmed innocents, including her friends, as well as his future plans for her and her friends, especially towards Ventus, she would hate him. She would hate and despise him just like any normal human being would. Just like any rational person, she'd think of him as a liar, murderer, insane, and most of all...

Monster.

 _Call me_

 _A Liar,_

 _Degenerate and killer!_

 _Psycho!_

 _Heartless!_

 _Insane criminal!_

Yes, of course she would. And she wouldn't be the only one thinking that way. Ventus, Aqua, Terra, those guys would also think of him as such. He was nothing more than a tool for Xehanort, a means to an end to completely Xehanort and his goals. If he was a tool, then Ventus was nothing more than a puppet, a puppet who doesn't even know his role unless his puppetmasters controlled and led him on.

He's committed far too many atrocities, too much bloodshed throughout the years, to ever be redeemed. And the thing is, he doesn't want to be redeemed, because if he has to face redemption and "change for the greater good," he'll have to be like one of those goody-two-shoes warriors of light, dedicated to protecting others and stopping evil, and all that cliché shit.

Why change who he is when he enjoys what he loves best; wrecking shit and causing mayhem like bloodshed all around?

 _Stupid_

 _Mutt and_

 _Nothing but pure evil!_

 _Primal_

 _Bloodshed_

 _Is all I ever do!_

Nobody could ever understand how he felt, or the suffering he's had to endure every single day of his life. The only bit of happiness he's ever experienced was watching the suffering and deaths of others. He's not afraid to admit that he is one sadistic son-of-a-bitch that takes pleasure in seeing other suffer and die. A cruel philosophy he's always had, is that if he had to suffer, so should others, especially towards his other half.

There's not a single person in existence that could ever understand nor go through all of the suffering he had and still is experiencing. People would view him as a monster, a killer, whatever negative thing they had to say about him. Others would hate him and try to kill him to make sure he never hurts them, but the ones he hates the most are those that pity him, thinking he's simply a young, misguided man who needs love and all that bull crap.

Those that hate him should die, but those that disgustingly pity him should suffer before dying.

 _I'm misguided?_

 _Treated like I'm a criminal and I should hide._

 _Born in darkness,_

 _Tired of being pushed around and I will fly!_

 _I'll fly!_

 _I'll fly!_

Despite the ever-growing pain that continued to inflict upon his body the more he killed his Unversed, Vanitas didn't once falter nor lose consciousness while constantly slaughtering wave after waves of Unversed. He smirked to himself as he continued his onslaught despite the backlash pain it brought to him as a result. If he was managing well for this long, it just goes to show how much stronger he's gotten.

It's a huge step towards the completion of the _X-_ Blade.

 _From shadows,_

 _I'll descend upon the world!_

Finishing off another group of Unversed, Vanitas felt himself both vibrating in pain, yet glimmering with strength. It's just as the old man said: the more enemies he killed, the more stronger he becomes. He has to release all of his negative emotions, yet control them at the same time. He didn't really get nor care what the old man meant, but now, he's starting to.

Once the time comes for the _X_ -Blade to be forged, he'll be strong enough. Strong enough to erase all of the pain and suffering. Strong enough to create an infinite army of Unversed without repercussions. Definitely more than strong enough to take on Ventus and his weakling friends. And...

Powerful enough to betray his master.

 _From shadows,_

 _I'll reclaim our destiny!_

It was only now that he realized that he no longer felt the rushing waves of pain coursing through his body as he swung at empty air. What was supposed to be corpses of black masses has already merged back into Vanitas' body during his slaughtering of his own Unversed, his own creation of demonic emotion -incarnate monsters. He looked around, expecting to see nothing but the barren wasteland of the world he had grown accustomed to, but was surprised to see one Unversed remaining.

A Hareraiser.

Hareraisers were amongst the most weakest of the Unversed he had, so he didn't normally send them out much except for stealth purposes. But, for some odd reason, during his onslaught of mercilessly killing his Unversed, this small creature of darkness was able to survive that round.

Ignis' face came into thought when he took a second glance at the Hareraiser.

Come to think of it, the last time he summoned a Hareraiser, he had used it to act as both bait and as a spy to lure out Ignis after she fell victim to a very powerful sleeping magic spell that would only be broken once the princess in the world she had been in was awaken. He remembered that event very well, because not only did he get to see her fight his Unversed of Sloth, but he got to see her in a dress, dance with her, and more importantly...

Stole her first kiss.

Back to the matter at hand, which involved the Hareraiser. Because Vanitas knew Ignis could absolutely not resist any cute things, he took advantage of the Hareraiser's cutesy appearance to lure out Ignis to see if she was awake. She was no good to him sleeping, after all, or even dead back then.

He was full of negativity, he knew that and it's likely it'll never change. But before, when he stole her first kiss, he felt...a spark. Something he's never felt before. Just for that instance, he enjoyed it. He wanted to feel that way again, so he swooped down for another taste of her lips, but unfortunately, his second kiss with her wasn't quite as mesmerizing as the first. But, just like how he's wondering why he's so obsessed and intrigued with Ignis, he wanted to feel that feeling once more.

He wanted...to be loved.

Not the kind of love where one praises him and views him as some sort of ruler. That's just admiration and respect. No, he wanted to feel that warmth called love. Ignis doesn't even know she had her first kiss taken away, which makes this even more fun and exciting. Vanitas wanted to be loved by someone who, despite knowing his past and the cruelty he's done, would still accept a monster like him.

Vanitas...wanted to be loved by his fallen angel.

"Ugh, what am I thinking?" grumbled Vanitas, shaking his head. "Why am I still thinking about her? She's anything but an angel! I have to get these mushy, stupid love thoughts out of my head-And I'm talking to myself. As if I couldn't get anymore insane than I already am. I need to get outta here for a while and clear my mind."

He started walking away and paused, turning around to see the Hareraiser Unversed following behind him. He went up to it and kicked it away, barking out a harsh laugh before opening up a Corridor of Darkness and exiting through it, abandoning his poor and useless weakling of an Unversed.

* * *

Vanitas honestly wasn't expecting to be standing in the very shores of his Master's home world; Destiny Islands.

All he wanted to do was wander around in some random-ass world, unleash some havoc by summoning some Unversed, maybe even joining in the fray if he was interest enough? This wasn't the first time he's caused chaos in another world for fun, after all.

After wandering around Destiny Islands for a bit, he could understand a bit of what his Master had been feeling when his Master wanted to go out beyond the oceans and see what other world, or rather, worlds, laid ahead the horizon. Honestly, if he had been in his Master's shoes, he would have either left the world much more sooner, or probably have died out of boredom.

Speaking of which, judging from the skies and the sun being halfway down from view of the ocean, Vanitas could guess that it was around sunset time, meaning night would soon appear. Vanitas removed his mask, feeling the island breezes waft over his black, spiky locks and his face as his nose caught whiff of the oceanic scent that seemed nostalgic.

"Sora, are you sure you want to split up? I don't want you to get lost again!"

"I'll be fine, Hina! You go check the beach, and I'll check the forest! Riku's really good at Hide-And-Seek, and I wanna beat him at his own game!"

"O-Okay, but be careful! If I don't find Riku, then I'm coming to get you, Sora! You're my cute little brother, after all!"

"Okay, Sis!"

Hearing the sound of children's voices, Vanitas glanced over and saw two children on top of one of the wooden bridges on the island splitting up. The boy rushed off towards the small forest on the island, whereas the young girl descended down from the bridge and was making her way to the beach, specifically where Vanitas was.

Smirking, Vanitas snapped his fingers, summoning forth a few Floods and mentally ordered them to attack and scare the girl. He was a sick son-of-a-bitch, unleashing monsters of his own creation to attack an innocent little girl, but did he care? No. He just wanted to see the suffering and demise of the little girl as a way to pass time.

Hinatsu was running around the beach in search of her friend, Riku, whom she and Sora had been playing a game of Hide-And-Seek with. She knew that Riku was pretty good at hiding and never lost a game of Hide-And-Seek before, which made Sora even more motivated to try and break his winning record. She too, wished to find Riku, but she was more concerned towards her brother. After a quick search on the beach shores, if she doesn't find Riku, she'll go into the island forest and search for Sora. Perhaps the young, black-haired boy over there knows?

Suddenly, some small, unknown monsters popped up around her, blocking off any means of escape. One of them even leapt forward and slashed at her arm, causing her to cry out in pain. Blood pooled down from the slash marks on her arm, making her know very clearly that these monsters were out to get her for whatever reason. She knew that she was supposed to keep magic a secret, so that meant that she couldn't really use it without Miss Ignis around or her permission, but these monsters were hurting her, so Miss Ignis would understand if she told her, right?

When another of the monsters leapt towards her, Hinatsu panicked and extended her arm out, remembering the magic lessons Miss Ignis taught her. "F-Fire!" A burst of flame came from her palm, and though it didn't destroy the monster at first, it did damage and take the monster by surprise that the child that it was fighting now had a means of attack.

Even Vanitas had to admit, he hadn't expected the young girl to be a caster of magic. From what he knew about Destiny Islands from Xehanort, nobody knew how to use magic, but then again, it has been years since the old man left in his youth, so maybe things have advanced in this boring little island world.

The Unversed that Vanitas had summoned earlier were quickly annihilated by the young girl's magic. It seemed that basic fire magic wasn't the only magic she knew; she knew other elemental types of magic, like water and wind magic that she used to defeat the Floods. Not only that, but she displayed a basic Cure spell to heal the wound on her arm.

"T-That was really scary..." Vanitas heard the girl murmur to herself. "I hope Miss Ignis will understand..."

Ignis? She was here? Growing interested, Vanitas walked towards the young black-haired girl, stopping near her so him overshadowing her could bring her attention. As expected, the girl noticed and turned around, blinking her wide, silver eyes up at him.

Wait, silver eyes? Now this just became a LOT more interesting.

"H-Hello? Mister? Can I help you with something?" The silver-eyed, black-haired girl asked, tilting her head curiously to the side.

"...Who taught you how to use magic, kid?" asked Vanitas.

Her silver eyes went wider before her face changed to that of panic. "O-Oh no! You weren't supposed to see that! Oh, no! Miss Ignis is going to be so mad at me! She told me to keep magic a secret!"

So Ignis was indeed here. There weren't a lot of people named Ignis, so Vanitas could venture a guess that "Miss Ignis" was the Ignis that he knew personally.

"This Ignis...Does she have long, red hair? Cheerful personality? Armor?"

"Hmm? Y-Yes...Miss Ignis is like that...Are you friends with her?"

"...Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Never in a million years will he admit in front of Ignis out loud that they were friends, though. Nor does he want to be when they could be something more...

Snapping out of his thoughts, Vanitas told the young girl, "Ignis and I are...close in a way. Because of our 'friendship,' I also know magic, because I, too, know magic. Look." To prove his point, Vanitas conjured up a dark flame in his palm and showed it to her, amazing the little girl.

"Wow...you can use a black version of fire!"

 _'I mean, she's not wrong, but that sounds so racist,'_ Vanitas chuckled in his mind. "So, you can trust me, because I'm Ignis' 'friend.'"

"Oh, okay...Um...Where's Miss Ignis, then?"

"She's...busy. I'm just traveling by. So, what's your name, kid?"

"Hinatsu! May I ask for your name, too, sir?"

"You don't really need to know," said Vanitas. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to stay on this island for very long, so you don't need to know the name of someone you'll never meet again."

"Hmm...True, but you are friends with Miss Ignis, so I feel it would be rude if I don't know at least one of her friends!" said Hinatsu. "Well, you don't have to tell me, but I can just ask Miss Ignis who you are the next time she comes! And how rude you were!"

 _'Cheeky little thing, are you?'_ Vanitas thought, his eye twitching as he now paid further attention to the girl. "Alright, fine. If you're so interested, then I'll tell you. It's Vanitas."

"Vani...? Vani-tas? Vanitas!"

"Yeah, that's right."

Hinatsu hopped excitedly in front of Vanitas; a happy expression planted on her face. "Vanitas! Vanitas! Vanitas! Guess what? Guess what? I learned something new about your name the other day in the library! Not just yours, but Miss Ignis', too!"

Vanitas raised an eyebrow, deciding to entertain this child for a bit. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"In another language, Latin, 'Vanitas' means vanity! I don't know what vanity means, but it must be something special! Miss Ignis' name is special, after all, too! Her name means 'fire' in Latin, and it suits her well, because her hair is the color of fire! Mr. Vanitas, what does 'vanity' mean?

Vanity was nothing special. In fact, vanity, in its definition, meant emptiness, as well as worthlessness. A fitting name that he despised, and yet, he didn't want to discard such a fitting name that suited him just fine.

"It means nothing. Don't worry about it," said Vanitas, reaching his hand out to pat and ruffle the young girl's hair, running his fingers through the girl's soft hair. Hinatsu didn't seem to mind him ruffling her hair, in fact, she inched closer, wanting to feel more of his touch against her head, smiling widely with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sensational touch.

Her silver eyes...along with her ability to use magic almost effortlessly...there was no doubt about it that the little girl named Hinatsu was definitely from the Argentum clan, a clan that specialized in many forms of magic, including ancient and forbidden types of magic that made them both blessings and a threat to other worlds, even though they themselves have never invaded other worlds before.

Keyblade history books stated that the Argentum Clan were masters of magic and that their most notable trait was having silver eyes. The books spoke of how the Argentum Clan wanted the power of the Keyblade for their own selfish and malicious deeds, so they began either capturing or killing off any Keyblade wielders, even going so far as to cruelly and painfully torturing them before killing them. They were viewed as the most vicious clan of magicians to ever exist.

That was far from the truth. Actually, that wasn't even the truth at all.

Those pathetic history books were created by the original Keyblade wielders, probably the first generation of Keyblade wielders, in order to hide up their own crimes and blame the innocent victims for what they've done. Vanitas learned the truth about the whole Keyblade and Argentum Clan issue from Xehanort, who learned the truth from research and investigations on his own.

The real truth of this tragedy is that the Argentum Clan were originally the ones who founded the power known as "magic," and were an isolated civilization with advanced, magical technology. One day, it was decided that the Argentum Clan would spread their knowledge out to other worlds, and that they played a major role in the creation of the Keyblade, the one weapon that could combat against dark forces like the Heartless, so the clan wanted to use their powers and knowledge to further help others and stop evil.

It was true about the fact that all the Argentum clan members were masterful at magic, sages of magic, even. They created magic and separated it in many other forms and types of different magic. Over each generation, their numbers grew, as well as their magic. Soon, the power of their ever-growing power took form in their eyes, changing their original eye color into that of the silver color. In a way, silver eyes was just a mark of extraordinary magical prowess for the clan, now being a hereditary trait for future generations.

Unfortunately, the first Keyblade wielders grew envious and wanted all of the power and knowledge the Argentum Clan had to offer, so the greedy Keyblade wielded plotted together and, in an unexpected ambush, wiped out the civilization in a single night. The people the clan had trusted so deeply had betrayed and literally backstabbed them, and those who were captured were tortured endlessly until they were killed. Afterwards, the Keyblade wielders stole the books and whatever knowledge they obtained to use for themselves.

What was even worse was that these Keyblade wielders portrayed themselves as heroes, making up some outlandish story about how the Argentum Clan were the evildoers plotting to conquer other worlds, using any means necessary until the Keyblade wielders banded together to stop them.

Well, it seemed several members escaped on the night of the massacre and taught others their own magic before eventually being hunted down simply for being members of the Argentum Clan. Not all were exterminated, as evident in the form of the little girl named Hinatsu, whose silver eyes and remarkable magical ability are proof of her being part of the Argentum Clan, even if it was forcibly massacred centuries ago.

"Mister?" Hinatsu looked up at Vanitas, eyeing the Keyblade in his other hand. "What's that weird key thing you have in your hand?"

Ah, Void Gear. Vanitas had forgotten that he still had this in his hand and didn't dismiss the Keyblade back in The Keyblade Graveyard. Maybe he had been so distracted with his thoughts, he had forgotten about Void Gear still in his hand?

...This just brought a new idea in his head. A very interesting idea. He wasn't interested in the Argentum Clan, not when it had proven weak upon being defeated by a group of Keyblade wielders, not when they had the magical advantage. But...there was no records of a member from a forgotten clan being a potential Keyblade wielder, was there?

Vanitas ceased ruffling Hinatsu' now messy hair and knelt down on one knee, spinning Void Gear until the sword handle was faced towards Hinatsu.

"Wanna hold it?"

"Hmm? O-Okay!"

Once Hinatsu grasped her small, little fingers around the sword handle, Vanitas released his grip on Void Gear. Because the Keyblade's weight was unsuited for a small girl like Hinatsu, she struggled to keep it in the air until she couldn't take it and had most of the Keyblade fall to the sandy grounds beneath her feet, with her keeping up only the handle part of Void Gear.

"Oof! I-I'm sorry, mister! I didn't mean to drop the key thingie!"

"You technically didn't drop it. It's still in your hand. Hmm..."

Vanitas watched as Hinatsu struggled to lift up Void Gear, clutching the handle with both small hands. He waited a minute...then another...and then another...until he completely verified that the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony was completed.

Technically, a Keyblade wielder doesn't have to have the title of "Keyblade Master" to pass the power of a Keyblade onto another individual, only having the skills and level of a Master would do the trick. The fact that Void Gear is still in Hinatsu's hand and has not automatically returned back to Vanitas' hand is proof that Hinatsu has potential to becoming a Keyblade wielder. If the Keyblade did not approve of Hinatsu, Void Gear would have immediately returned to Vanitas' hand. Maybe Hinatsu wouldn't really inherit his Keyblade, but rather, later in the future, she would possess the power to wielder her own Keyblade.

Vanitas always believed in getting work done the easier and effective ways possible. As such, he didn't bother uttering the incantation necessary for the ceremony. He found it both a waste of time and useless when all the ceremony required was for a Keyblade Master to allow another individual to touch the Keyblade.

Why did he allow Hinatsu the power to wield a Keyblade? Simple; he was _bored_. He wanted to see what would happen if an Argentum Clan member were to wield the power of the Keyblade? A member from a clan of sages, combined with that of the power belonging to the ones that massacred her ancestors...Now that would be quite an interesting, powerful person, now, would it?

Come to think of it, didn't Hinatsu have a brother of her own? That boy she was with earlier?

Taking Void Gear back from Hinatsu, Vanitas asked her, "Hey, kid. Don't you have a brother?"

Hinatsu' eyes widened. "Oh, no! It's been so long! I have to go find him-"

"Ah, wait." Vanitas stopped her, planting a hand on her shoulder. "Before you leave, I have some questions to ask."

"Okay, okay! Please make it quick, though!"

Vanitas nodded. "Alright, I'll keep this brief. Does your brother have the same colored eyes as yours?"

"Hmm?"

"Your brother. I heard you talking to your brother earlier. Does he have the same colored eyes as you?"

"Sora?" Hinatsu shook her head. "No, his eyes are blue. Mine's grayish, kinda like silver."

 _'They ARE silver,'_ Vanitas thought, wanting to tell her that before deciding not to waste his time. "So, what were you two talking about earlier?"

"Oh, my and my brother were trying to find our friend, Riku. He's playing Hide-And-Seek with us, and he's really good! I just wonder where he is right now..."

"Hina!"

Both looked up and saw both Sora and Riku standing a bit far away from them, waving at them. They seem to be waiting for Hinatsu.

"Oh, I gotta go!" said Hinatsu, turning around to leave.

"Wait, one more thing," said Vanitas. "Do you mind not telling Ignis that I was here, as well as what we did?"

"Why?"

"I...want to tell her myself. As well as what a good girl you've been. And how you're a responsible young girl for taking care of her friends and...is he your younger-older? Twin brother?"

Hinatsu grinned. "Oh, he's younger than me, so he's my younger brother by 1 year! He's my young, _adopted_ brother."

Vanitas blinked in surprise. "Adopted?"

"Yeah, I found out the other day. Mama and Papa said that soon, we'll have a family meeting, and they'll tell me and Sora all about what adoption is! But, okay! I'll be sure not to tell Miss Ignis since you're going to tell her yourself! Bye-bye, Mister Vanitas!"

Vanitas watched as the tiny little girl ran off and rejoined with her friends, locking hands with both of them as they wandered off somewhere to play. Silver eyes were a hereditary trait, so at first, it surprised him when he learned that her brother, Sora, had blue eyes, when he should have had silver eyes. However, her being adopted into another family made much more sense.

He thought it would be boring to visit Destiny Island, but it seems this experience had been well-worth it.

* * *

 _Back at The Keyblade Graveyard..._

The moment he stepped back into the barren wasteland world, he felt immense pain flowing into his body, indicating that another one of his Unversed was defeated once more. However, the defeat of this Unversed only led him to witness the one who had slain his Unversed.

Ignis.

More pain and memories of his slain Unversed poured into him like an overflowing river, causing him to witness the parts where Ignis slain the Unversed returning to his body. The deaths of his useless and weak Unversed were not in vain, as he now knew exactly where she was, as in, which world she's in.

That's right...the pain made him remember that he still had a duty to uphold. He had to summon more and more of his underlings to test and make Ventus and his friends grow stronger, even if it brought him both pain and strength every single time. But the difference this time in creating more Unversed is that he's more determined than ever to do so.

And, he's thought up of an Unversed to be as equal as him, a hundred time more powerful than any of the Unversed he's ever created before.

Concentrating and masterfully performing the role of a puppet master, Vanitas focused all of his negative thoughts into the creation and summoning of his Unversed army. It was like he was a conductor in an orchestra, leading his players to perform in a wide stage; the stage being the battlefield, a bloody battlefield with nothing but death.

As much as he viewed his Unversed as weaklings under him, they still have their uses, and he viewed the Unversed as his most beautiful pieces of creation, given that the power of the Unversed was his to manipulate to his heart's content. Xehanort was right about one thing: The fools obsessed and deluded that the power of light is their only salvation and good in the universe could never comprehend the beauty within darkness.

 **Lusus Naturae**

 **By: Jeff and Casey Lee Williams**

 _Gnarled and mangled_

 _Warped deformed_

 _They see nightmare_

 _A mutant swarm!_

 _I see beauty_

 _Underneath_

 _I see promise_

 _In nature's freak!_

Swarming all around him and filling up areas upon areas within the empty world he was in, Vanitas started creating all sorts of Unversed in his own image, grinning maliciously as he took in the beauty of the powerful creatures surrounding him. Afterwards, it didn't take long for his own strong, negative emotions to do the rest of the work for him as he focused on only one Unversed truly worthy of deserving his attention.

His ultimate creation equal to him.

 _A mystery of blood and bone_

 _Soulless, origin unknown_

 _Twisted devil, villain lost in time_

 _Mindless, born of bubbling ooze_

 _Intelligence I will infuse_

 _A curse upon the world, but now you're MINE!_

Like all of his other Unversed, the being he was creating was going to be yet another one of his Unversed, but the major difference is, this Unversed was going to consist of all of his negative emotions merging into one being, in addition, he will release all of his strengths and power onto the being to make him his equal.

This Unversed will be his perfect creation.

 _I will raise you up_

 _Design the perfect beast!_

 _Elevate the savage_

 _Use you to deceive!_

The best part about all this? None of those light-loving fools will ever see this coming. They view his Unversed as nothing more than monsters, and while that's true, they couldn't fathom to understand deeply of what the Unversed truly were.

The Unversed weren't just monsters, they were _emotion incarnate._ They're too stuck up in their delusions about the light being the ultimate good that they fail to realize a much greater evil is about to be unleash, an evil far greater than the Unversed, who are nothing more than underlings and tools, but also his personal creations. Personal weaklings who have nothing but their own purpose of creating destruction in life.

 _They don't know_

 _They don't understand_

 _There's a goal!_

 _It's my master plan!_

 _These simple-minded fools just see my plans abstruse!_

 _I'll give the monster's life a use!_

Vanitas concentrated more on the being he was so intent on perfecting to be his equal. His efforts were slowly and effective giving to fruition, as the black mass that came out of Vanitas just like where all the other Unversed originated from was taking form.

The master of Unversed grinned; his golden eyes shimmering with malicious joy as his eyes took in the forming appearance of his new creation, all while the rest of his negative emotions were doing his work creating new Unversed. His new creation was taking in all of his abilities and powers, and his new appearance was not only fitting, but absolutely _perfect_ beyond creation.

 _Awaken, my brood!_

 _Today you will rise!_

 _I've give you life_

 _My Luscus Naturae!_

 _Open your eyes!_

All Unversed originated from one source only, and that was Vanitas. In fact, the first Unversed he created was from the very spot he was standing on, in the Keyblade Graveyard. He may be the embodiment of Ventus' darkness, but Vanitas felt as though he was the embodiment of darkness all around. Simply thinking like that made him feel confident and an all-powerful being, almost like a god.

At first, the Unversed were a mystery to him, and they've gotten traits that still are a bit of a mystery for their young master. But, there's still so much more to learn about the Unversed and what other hidden potential they may have within. They're his little pets, underlings, weaklings whose lives he can toy away with little to no consequence, other than the backlashing wave of pain he always experiences whenever one of his Unversed dies.

People fear what they do not understand, which is why they'll _never_ understand the Unversed; his precious creations. They see an Unversed, they automatically think it's a monster and try everything they have to kill it. The reason why not many people can kill his Unversed? It's because instead of trying to understand it, they just drop everything to kill them, and their negative emotions only succeed in powering up his negatively emotionally attractive Unversed.

 _Created in a netherworld!_

 _Into this realm you were hurled!_

 _Emotionally misunderstood!_

 _I will decode and knowledge gain_

 _Your mysteries I will explain!_

 _I'll lucubrate and change you for the good!_

So far, the only people he knows that have effectively defeated a lot of his Unversed are Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Ignis. They've become nuisances, but necessary nuisances if they wished to become stronger by defeating his Unversed every single time. But, he could never forgive them for delivering so much pain to him, even if it was, once again, necessary, as it's all part of Xehanort's plan.

One good thing from all this besides making them grow stronger and more of an interesting challenge is that he doesn't need to hold back his power every time he summoned more Unversed. The stronger they grew, the stronger he'll make his Unversed, over and over again. No matter how many they defeat, they could never truly kill them unless they kill the source, which is him, and he'll be damned if he lets himself get killed easily.

Everything was for the sake of forging the _X-_ Blade. For the sake of ending this unbearable pain.

 _The fools they've placed in power_

 _Try to halt my dreams!_

 _They will fail to stop me!_

 _Grimm I will redeem!_

Vanitas took in his surrounded and found that he had masterfully created an army of different kinds of Unversed, ready to be unleashed to invade and conquer a whole bunch of other worlds. Truly, his most fearsome and weak power, all at the same time.

The Unversed was created by him and him only. It was his own power, and nobody else's, not even Ventus, from whom Vanitas himself originated from. He chose to divulge in the power of darkness for his own sadistic and selfish needs. He claims to have no need for weaklings, and yet he has weaklings as his subordinates, his servants, his slaves, his creations.

He wasn't any mere master or king to the Unversed. No, he was their GOD.

He gave them everything. He gave birth to them. He gave them power. He gave them form. He gave them at least one negative emotion surging within their pathetic bodies. They were all a part of him. Just like the saying, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," where ashes came from, it'll eventually return to dust.

In other words, when Vanitas created the Unversed, they will always return to him, whether through their god's will or through death.

 _I'm your god!_

 _I will make you grow!_

 _You're my own_

 _Twisted embryo!_

Many would call him mad, a monster amongst monster, for enjoying the suffering of others and for creating such abominations that shouldn't exist in their lives. What do THEY know about suffering, anyways? If they had time to complain, they had time to get stronger to counter against the Unversed. Vanitas always did love a challenge, after all.

And when they try and are lying in their own pool of blood, about to face death, perhaps he'll smugly tell them the origins of the Unversed so that they can take it upon themselves that they stood no chance and would die, taking the secret to their graves?

 _They call me sick obsessed_

 _A madman with no proof!_

 _In triumph I will show the truth!_

Vanitas raised an arm, and in doing so, created yet another group of Unversed from his own power within. But what he seemed more focused and interested on was his own personal, perfect creation.

It was almost complete. His design, which took after his own appearance, was flawless, especially since Vanitas was personally creating this particular Unversed not just with his own negative emotions, but also pouring in his abilities and powers into this all-powerful being as well, to assure that this being will not be defeated by anyone weaker than him.

 _Awaken, my brood!_

 _Today you will rise!_

 _I've give you life_

 _My Luscus Naturae!_

 _Open your eyes!_

A strong wave of pain exploded inside him as Vanitas gripped his chest and grunted, giving out shallow breaths afterwards. He saw the sight of Ignis striking down yet another Unversed, which explains the pain in his body as the defeated Unversed returned back to him. More and more waves of pain joined back into his body with more Unversed returning.

A grin formed on his face as he came to a realization. Wherever Ignis had been a while back, she has indeed grown much stronger. He could feel it in her attacks the moment they struck down his Unversed. If she grew stronger, that meant that she's going to pose more of a challenge than the first time they fought, and that _excited_ him.

It didn't matter to him if his Unversed were defeated, because he could always just regenerate more back over and over again in an endless loop. If one weak Unversed was unable to do its task, then it's simply logic that a much stronger Unversed will crush the weak Unversed and do its job for it.

What he loved about the Unversed is that they will _never_ betray him. They're just thoughts and embodiments of the negative emotions swirling within him constantly. They have no other purpose other than destruction and obeying their one and only master, so any thoughts of betrayal has and will never cross their feeble, loyal minds.

 _When evolution fails,_

 _Darkness will prevail!_

 _What nature warped,_

 _I will restore!_

 _I will love_

 _What all abhor!_

 _They call me sick obsessed_

 _A madman with no proof!_

 _I'll give the monster's life a use!_

 _Awaken, my brood!_

 _Today, you will rise!_

 _I've given you life_

 _My Luscus Naturae!_

 _Open your eyes!_

With his creation of an Unversed complete, Vanitas eyed his new, personal Unversed from head to toe, loving the appearance of the Unversed. He was an exact replica of his own master, minus the colors. They were almost like twins, with the new Unversed taking in the colors of both white and black.

Vanitas Remnant.

That was the name Vanitas decided to give to this replica of an Unversed. More specifically, he decided to name him Remnant, for short.

With a single wave of his arm, Vanitas sent the large numbers of his Unversed away, scattering them all to all kinds of different worlds to cause havoc and chaos all throughout the Lanes Between. It was inevitable that many would be slain in the hands of Ventus and his friends, and that pretty soon, he'll be feeling wave after waves of pain, but that's something he's already gotten used to. He sent all but one Unversed; that Unversed being his Remnant.

He decided to have his Remnant remain hidden in The Keyblade Graveyard. It would certainly be a bit of overkill if he sent his Remnant to other worlds and have him face off and possibly kill any of Ventus and his friends. For the time being, Vanitas knew deep down that both he and Xehanort still needed them for a little bit longer.

Vanitas did indeed sent away his Unversed, but specifically instructed his Unversed to stay away from one world only. That one world was the world in which Ignis was currently in. Vanitas decided to personally handle that world and see what Ignis was doing, and he didn't need the interference of his Unversed this time.

Using the powers of darkness, Vanitas floated higher into the atmosphere until he was nowhere in sight in The Keyblade Graveyard, having flown into The Lanes Between so he could travel all the way towards the world Ignis was staying in.

Yes, he was heading towards the world of La Cité des Cloches.

Also known as...Notre Dame.

* * *

 **Wow, amazing! The first chapter for this new year of 2020, and I finished it!**

 **Sorry it's taken a while, but I wanted to update one other story before continuing this story! And I believe it was totally worth it, because this interlude was from Vanitas' perspective, in a way. It deals with his current emotions and how he feels about this whole ordeal! I tried my best not to make him too OOC or anything like that when it came to his feelings with Ignis and how he views her as his "fallen angel." I actually thought that last bit was kinda sweet for a guy like him! But I also tried to focus more attention on his negative emotions and how he views life, based on the actual Birth By Sleep novel. I hope I did a good job!**

 **Also, yes! That is the real tragedy of what happened between the Argentum Clan and the Keyblade wielders from the very beginning. The Keyblade wielders were corrupt, greedy people who took all of the credit as they wrote down that the Argentum Clan were the bad guys, while portraying themselves as the good guys, wrongfully accusing them while being seen as the heroes. This situation is similar to the Darcsens from the Valkyria Chronicles games, if you guys already know that.**

 **And, what a twist! So, it turns out that Hinatsu is the adopted big sister of Sora. Before you guys say anything, no, she's not going to be like one of those other Sora's sister OCs, where she's the twin sister and that they're so similar, and that they copy each other's movements and team up with each other. No, I find those really annoying. Hinatsu is going to be different from Sora, in so many ways. She's a realist, and she's going to be more mature than Sora. She is, in no way, related to his happy-go-lucky personality. She'll have different abilities, different powers, and she won't be like all those annoying OCs that seem to act like Mary Sues to me!**

 **I'm sorry for all of you who do have similar OCs like that, but I just wanted to rant a bit, because I haven't seen a really good Kingdom Hearts OC story. Most that I've encountered often have characters that are SO OOC towards each other. Like, the bad guy is so bad, and he has ambitions, but suddenly, one girl shows up, and he drops everything for the name of love? NO! That's so annoying and boring!**

 **For those of you wondering if you're sensing the irony in my story regarding that cliché thing between Ignis and Vanitas, mine is actually a bit different. Maybe I did make Vanitas a little OOC, but I didn't make him immediately drop everything just to be with one girl. No, his pain is real! Sure, he has conflicting feelings with Ignis, but I'm also trying to make his struggle real, kinda like what I did with this chapter. I am trying to suit his personality from the games and light novel into this story as much as I can, and I really hope I'm going about the right direction and doing okay with his character.**

 **Also, another twist to put in is, if you all thought that IGNIS was the one who was going to let Hinatsu inherit her Keyblade, you are really mistaken. Plot twist! It was Vanitas, for all the reasons I put in this chapter. We've seen Riku inherit the Keyblade from Terra, Kairi from Aqua, and Sora only managed to get the Keyblade, because at the time, Riku's heart fell to darkness, and he had Ventus, a Keyblade wielder, inside his heart. But, what if a bad guy made someone else, an important member of the Island Friends, their next inheritor? Wouldn't that be an interesting point?**

 **And now, we reach the discussion of the songs I put in this chapter, "From Shadows," and "Lusus Naturae," that came from RWBY. I feel like these two songs fitted Vanitas perfectly, so you can go back to the lyrics and think about how they reflect off his character. I even tried to describe how the lyrics fit him like a glove through descriptions and right between lyrics, so I hope you guys do understand. You guys can even listen to the songs if you want to, because I absolutely love these songs! RWBY songs are the best!**

 **Next chapter, I'm sure you already know, but it's already revealed what world will happen next. And...in the next world, that's kinda a bit of a point of no return. Like, everything will change in the next world in more ways than one. And yes, I know that this world is already featured in Dream Drop Distance, but if you knew the fate of that world, then...well, this story will explain further about that fate. You may not understand right now, but you'll understand once the next world arc is like, halfway over.**

 **With that said, read and review!**


	36. La Cité des Cloches (1)

**Yeah! My usual writing style is back, and I actually enjoyed the last chapter! Once more, I apologize to all of you who were bored with the Golden Sun Saga. I just...I just wanted to try something new, like putting in a bit of a crossover from another world, but now, I realize what a bit of a mistake that was and even I was starting to grow a bit bored of that, so from now, if I ever do any crossover worlds that are not Disney-related, then I'll be sure to just summarize them. Well, that shortens my original plan for this story, but I guess this is for the best.**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own any of the Disney songs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Ballad of the Wind Fish" from Nintendo.**

* * *

 _'You know, I like attention, but I feel like this...is a bit of an awkward attention,'_ Ignis thought awkwardly, walking down the streets of a new world as she felt curious gazes glancing upon her.

After her last adventure to save another world, which took place in the world of Weyard, Ignis traveled through The Lanes Between, in search of another world, because deep down, she knew she couldn't just return back to The Land of Departure, especially since she kinda didn't have any clue where the Land of Departure was. And even if she did knew, she didn't feel...ready to return yet.

Therefore, the next world she spotted after leaving Weyard, she jumped into the chance of entering that world. She didn't trust herself to use the power of her Keyblade to summon a light portal, because it was one, if not, the only thing she has yet to master and required the help of her Master Eraqus. Every time she used it, it would always lead her to a random location, thus taking her Master a while to find her as a result.

Upon arriving, which was around real early in the morning, it didn't take her long to gather some information about the world, or rather, city she was in. The world's official name was La Cité des Cloches, but folks around the city prefer to call the city, "Notre Dame," something that sounded like a foreign tongue to Ignis, but she soon found herself liking the name of the city as well. It had a...peculiar touch to the name, at least.

Around the time it took for her to get some new information, she also noticed that she was attracting a bit of attention to herself from the citizens, probably because of her looks. She knew what they were all thinking, especially when they were all muttering "What a peculiar-looking girl," or, "How does she have hair as red as fire?" or, "She has such beautiful, long hair, like a noble!" or, her particularly favorite one, "A female knight? I've never seen one before! She looks so elegant and strong!"

Well, it wasn't everyday that the citizens from this world saw a young, red long-haired girl dressed in unusual, light armor and clothing. Maybe this world was just like Camelot, where female rights were just as restricted as that world.

Ignis's stomach growled in hunger just as her nose caught a waft of something delicious in the air. Come to think of it, she barely ate anything ever since leaving Weyard, so it was only natural that she was starving. She glanced around, sniffing the air in search for the delicious scent and found herself standing in front of a bakery.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Startled by the loud voice that came from inside the bakery, Ignis cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. She was shocked to see a large man in a baker's hat holding one loaf of bread on one hand, while the other was gripping the wrist of a dirty, ragged little boy rather tightly, as though any second, the large man's grasp could pop the boy's wrist clean off.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" Ignis slammed the door opened, not caring about the loud noise it made once she did so, and rushed over. "What do you think you're doing to that little boy?!"

The baker glared at her, not once releasing his grip on the little boy's wrist even as the boy attempted to escape, like clawing and trying to bite his tiny teeth in the baker's arm. "It's none of your business, young lady! Right now, I am trying to deal with a troublesome rascal, so if you want to buy bread here, please come back later-"

"Yeah, I'm not leaving after watching you harm an innocent little boy!"

"Innocent?! This worthless gypsy tried to steal from me! In no way is he innocent!" yelled the baker, shaking the boy roughly, further tightening his grip on the boy's wrist and making him cry out in pain.

One side of Ignis wanted to rip the baker up into shreds for harming the boy, even if he did steal. The other side, however, was more rational and decided to solve things in a peaceful and non-violent way, no matter how much the other side of her wanted to beat up the baker.

"Wait, wait, wait!" called out Ignis, taking out some of her Munny, which she had used her magic to convert to this world's own version of money earlier when she first landed in this world. "Here, this'll be enough for the bread and then some, right? Take it and leave the kid alone!"

The baker eyed the money with greed clearly expressed on his face, before glaring at Ignis. "You think this'll be enough?"

"Hey, I read the prices, and that amount of money is more than enough to pay for the bread," said Ignis. "Don't tell me you're one of those types who'll demand me more money!" _'If that happens, it'll give me a perfect excuse to stun him, and then take the boy to safety! I know I'm not allowed to promote violence simply because I want to beat up this guy, no thanks to Master's teachings, but damn, do I really want to! Hurting a kid is unforgivable!'_

"That's not what I mean, stupid girl!" growled the baker. "I mean, about the gypsy thief! You may have saved him this time, but what about the next time he steals? This isn't the first time he's stolen from my bakery before!"

Ignis glanced over to the little boy, who was cradling his wrist and looking up at her with a pleading look in his eyes. Feeling sorry for the boy and deciding to deal with his situation a bit later, Ignis turned back to the baker and said, "Okay, I have no idea what the full story, and even if what you say is true, you don't just solve the problem by hurting a little boy like that! I'll deal with the little boy myself!"

The baker scoffed, turning around. "Do whatever you like. Gypsies and gypsy sympathizers are not allowed in my bakery, so get out!"

"Hey!" yelled Ignis. "What about that bread you're carrying? I already paid for it to give it to the little boy! Now, give it, here!"

The baker slightly turned his head, and Ignis could have swore she saw a slight grin on his face. "Oh, this? This bread's no good at all, missy. It's been contaminated by some _filthy rat_ , after all, so I have to throw it away. Don't worry, you can buy other breads here...though twice as much as the money you gave me."

Ignis felt her eye twitch in anger as she understood the baker's game. Not only did he hint that he thought of the little boy as nothing more than a "filthy rat," but he had the galls to try and make her pay even more at a higher price!

Seeing that Ignis wasn't responding, the baker smirked and proceeded to exit back to his kitchen when a sudden rush of wind flew by his feet and caused him to trip and fall flat on his face. Too shocked to place blame at this strange predicament, as he tried to get up, he barely noticed Ignis and the little boy running out of the bakery.

After casting a quick and weak Aero spell at the baker's feet, Ignis took the opportunity to scoop up the little boy into her arms and run out of the bakery. Ignoring the perplexed and stunned looks of people witnessing her carrying a dirty, ragged little boy in her arms, Ignis took him to the side of a building where barely anyone was around and set him down.

Kneeling in front of him, Ignis asked him gently, "Are you alright?"

Still stunned over the sudden change of events that occurred just a while ago, the little boy nodded, rubbing his wrist. "Mmm hmm..."

Ignis noticed his little action of rubbing his arm and placed her hand over his hand. "Is it okay if I look at your wrist real quick?"

The little boy felt uncertain and rather a little uncomfortable from hearing her request. Yes, she helped him out and stood up to that mean baker man, but he knew, just like everyone else, that she would leave him as soon as he tells her that he's a gypsy. But, it wouldn't hurt to show him his wrist as a small token of thanks, right?

Ignis gasped when she saw the darkish bruise on his wrist and immediately went straight to work. "Cure!" She gently wrapped her hands around his bruised wrist; a faint green glow emitting from her hands as she focused on her healing magic. A second later, when she felt the spell has transpired, she released her hands away from his wrist, and the little boy was in awe not only because the bruise and pain had vanished, but because he had witnessed actual magic being performed in front of him!

"Wow..." The little boy looked up at her; eyes gleaming in excitement. "Mademoiselle, did you really-?!"

Ignis smiled at his excitement and pressed a finger to her lips, shaking her head. "In exchange for that little healing spell, promise not to tell anybody? It'll be our little secret!~"

"O-Okay, Miss..." The little boy agreed, his excitement dying down a little, but nevertheless, still there.

The sight of the little boy having grown excited over her casting magic on him reminded Ignis back when she was a little girl. Of course, she had been a rather hyperactive little child back then who was a bit obsessed with magic the first time she saw it. That hyperactiveness had toned down immensely since then, though she still retains her childish and cheerful attitude even now.

"Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself!" said Ignis. "My name is Ignis! What's yours?"

The little boy smiled. "Liam. I-It's nice to meet you too, Miss Ignis."

Ignis couldn't help but squeal at the little boy not only being polite, but referring to her in such a cute tone, thus startling Liam. "Kya!~ I just can't help it! You're so cute! I wanna hug you! Can I hug you?!"

"H-huh? O-okay...? Hngh!"

Liam was surprised by how tight her hugs was, but upon hearing Ignis' childish giggles as she hugged him, Liam couldn't help but relax and hug back. The red-haired miss was truly kind, having saved him from the baker and even healing his own wrist of her own volition.

Once she was satisfied, Ignis released Liam from her hug, bearing a bright smile on her face. "Ah...I feel so much better now!~ Thanks for the hug, Liam!"

Liam nodded. "It's no problem at all, Mademoiselle Ignis, but..." His smile faltered as he looked away. "You...You shouldn't associate yourself with me any longer. You'll only be insulted and hurt if you do."

"Hmm? Are you talking about that baker from earlier? Pfft! Like I'm scared of him!" scoffed Ignis.

Liam shook his head. "No, not just him. The people of Notre Dame...I...I'm a gypsy."

"A gypsy? What's that?"

Liam blinked in surprise. "You...you do not know what a gypsy is, Miss Ignis?"

Ignis shook her head. "Uh...Let's say that I'm a...traveler. Yeah. I just arrived in this city today, so I wouldn't know what a gypsy is! Is that like, a bad thing? Are gypsies like, bad or something?"

"Oh, no! We are free-spirited people! But...people still do not like us gypsies...I still am so confused as to why many people do not like us gypsies," admitted Liam sadly.

 _'Well, that's one thing of interest I'll have to investigate,'_ Ignis thought, intrigued. "Look, I still don't understand everything about this whole 'people-don't-like gypsies' thing, but I think one of the reasons why people don't like gypsies is because you keep on stealing. I-"

"We can't help it!" blurted out Liam. "Nobody is willing to hire gypsies, so we cannot get jobs, and without jobs, we cannot pay for food and clothes and medicine!"

"That doesn't make stealing a whole lot better, though," said Ignis. "Like I said, I still don't understand anything about all this, but for now, why don't I take you back to your parents or something? I can't just let you wander off on your own."

Liam shook his head. "No...No...I can't...We...We live somewhere...far in this city."

"I don't mind taking up some of my own time escorting you back home."

"I...I really can't let you know where I live."

"Well, I can't let you go back home by yourself, anyways," said Ignis. "That just means we're at a stalemate here. I won't let you go home alone, but you won't tell me where you live."

"...I...There is someone who can take me back home. He's very trusting and kind to me, and all the other gypsy children! He can take me back home! Plus, his show's about to start, soon!"

"Show?" wondered Ignis. "Is he some kind of entertainer or something...?"

Liam nodded. "Of course! He's a storyteller and he uses puppets to tell stories! It's a lot of fun! And, he's a great singer, too!"

"Singer, hmm? Now, I'm interested!" said Ignis. "Say, you said that his show's going to start soon, right? Can I watch the show with you?"

"Absolutely! Monsieur Clopin always encourages new audiences! He always asks us to bring us our new friends!"

"Great! Do you know where he is? Because, I'm still new to this city, and-"

"Of course! Please, follow me!"

Liam took Ignis by the hand and escorted her through the wonderful streets of Notre Dame. Everywhere they went, Ignis witnessed everything within her sight. Children happily playing and running around, people shopping and walking around in medieval-like colorful clothing, vendors selling foods, jewelry, and other things in various vendor stalls, carriages being driven in specific roads, banners and flags everywhere, music playing in the background by dancing people whom Ignis suspected to be gypsies, it was like an every-day carnival in Notre Dame.

Soon, the sight of Clopin's puppet theatre came into view in the form of a wooden cart with a large window cut in the front, decorated like a stage as one would normally view a puppet show as. The man standing behind the stage was dressed in colorful jester clothes; his main colors consisting of magenta, gold, and an indigo blue. Additionally, he wore a mask that clearly suited the rest of his outfit and he seemed to be almost ready to perform his show.

Already, a small crowd of children gathered around the cart, eager to watch Clopin's puppet show. They were chatting amongst themselves excitedly, wondering what Clopin's next puppet show was going to be, what puppets he was going to do, and what other fancy shenanigans he was going to pull during the show. Judging from their reactions, Ignis assumed that Clopin was a rather popular entertainer, or, at the very least, around children.

"Monsieur Clopin! Monsieur Clopin! I brought a friend!" called out Liam, still dragging alongside Ignis as some of the children cleared out of the way so the two of them could get to the front of the puppet theatre cart.

"Oh? A newcomer? I've never seen someone with such luscious, red hair as bright as the color of fire or blood!" praised Clopin, expressing surprise and praise upon seeing Ignis.

"Awww, thanks! I really do work hard at keeping my hair long and silky as possible!~" cooed Ignis, taking in the praise happily. "Hey, so I heard that you can do puppet shows and that you're an amazing singer, so can I watch your show?"

Clopin smiled brightly. "Why, of course, mademoiselle! Anyone that appreciates the musical arts is always welcome at Clopin's Puppet Theatre! Is everyone ready for the performance of a lifetime?"

The children, and even Ignis, cheered as they gathered around, awaiting for Clopin's show to begin. Their eager and bright expressions always flared up Clopin's spirit and determination to give them a grand performance like never before.

Clearing his throat, Clopin prepared himself and began to sing in a slightly low voice that was as clear as pure glass.

 **The Bells of Notre Dame**

 **Composed by: Alan Menken**

 **Sung by: Clopin**

 **The Archdeacon**

 **The Chorus**

 **Judge Claude Frollo**

 _(Olim, olim, Deus accelere)  
_  
 _(Hoc sæculum splendium)  
_  
 _(Accelere fiat venire olim )_

 _"Morning in Paris, the city awakes_

 _To the bells of Notre Dame!_

 _The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes_

 _To the bells of Notre Dame!_

 _To the big bells as loud as the thunder!_

 _To the big bells as soft as a psalm..._

 _And some say the soul of the city's_

 _The toll of the bells_

 _The bells of Notre Dame!"_

Instantly, Ignis became infatuated with Clopin's mesmerizing singing voice and stepped closer; eyes shining with not only expectation, but also joy and excitement, awaiting for what's to come next. For the first time ever, she was comparing her singing to Clopin's, and so far, Clopin has had a lead start for top singing!

Clopin paused his singing for a moment, replacing the next segment with his puppet show as bells started ringing from the background, though they were faint. "Listen, they're beautiful, no?" spoke Clopin, perking up his head up to the sky, as though trying to hear something from afar; most likely the bells. "So many colors of sound, so many changing moods! Because, you know, they don't ring by themselves!"

Then, a hand puppet greatly resembling Clopin popped out from under the stage. "They don't?"

"No, you silly boy." Clopin then pulled on a string, drawing back a curtain to the side revealing the famous Notre Dame's bell tower, which was also part of his song. "Up there, high, high in the dark bell tower lives the mysterious bell ringer. Who is this creature?"

Clopin Puppet popped up and questioned, "Who?"

"What is he?"

"What?" interrupted Clopin Puppet again.

"How did he come to be there?"

"How?" Clopin Puppet interrupted once more.

"Hush!" scolded Clopin, whacking his hand puppet with a stick.

"Ow!" The Clopin Puppet, despite his permanent smile on his face, almost seemed to pout upon being hit by his puppeteer. This little action was not only amusing to the children and Ignis, but also caused them to laugh and giggle from the comedy displayed before them.

"Clopin will tell you!" Clopin's lighthearted and playful tone downplayed into a more suspenseful tone that seemed to cast both fear and anticipation from his audience as he played the next part of his show. "It is a tale...a tale of a man... _and a **monster**..."_

As quick as lightning, Clopin changed the theater's scenery to that of a brooding and dark night, with the city of Notre Dame in the background, especially with the bell tower in the background's skillful artwork. Several other hand puppets popped up, possibly characters in Clopin's tale to describe both the man and the monster he so emphasized earlier.

 _"Dark was the night when our tale was begun_

 _On the docks near Notre Dame!"_

Clopin's puppet show begun, with him narrating, playing the roles of the characters in puppet form, and singing all at the same time; an impressive feat in Ignis' eyes as she, along with the children, witnessed the entire play from start to finish.

The next part of the play involved a barge driver rowing a boat with not only him, but three other gypsies and a baby in the female gypsy's arms. The baby was loudly wailing, which were sure to bring a lot of attention to the traveling passengers if the baby didn't quiet down.

"Shut it up, will you?" one of the male gypsies spoke harshly to the female gypsy, who was doing her best to comfort her infant.

"We'll be spotted!" The other male gypsy hissed.

"Hush, little one!" The female gypsy whispered softly to her child, and through sheer luck, the little infant obeyed.

 _"Four frightened gypsies slid silently under_

 _The docks near Notre Dame!"_

After arriving at a safe, secure location in the docks, the passengers got off the row boat with the barge driver getting off last and extending his hand out to the passengers. "Four guilders for safe passage into Paris," demanded the barge driver, with a greedy expression that was quickly replaced with shock and fear when an arrow struck his oar-like stick.

The arrow had come from one of the several arches taking aim at the group, blocking one of their paths of escaping. From the upper stone stairs, more soldiers poured down, wielding spears as they pointed their weapons and surrounded the gypsies with no way of escape.

 _"But a trap had been laid for the gypsies!_

 _And they gazed up in fear and alarm!_

 _At a figure whose clutches_

 _Were iron as much as the bells-!_

 _The bells of Notre Dame!"_

True to the song, a dark figure riding on a his horse stepped out of the shadows and entered the scene, revealing himself to be an elderly, yet imposing man of high authority.

The sight of the dark rider of high authority caused one of the gypsy's eyes to widen at fear. "Judge Claude Frollo!"

 _(Kyrie Eleison)_

 _"Judge Claude Frollo longed to purge the world of vice and sin!_

 _(Kyrie Eleison)_

 _And he saw corruption everywhere, except within!"_

The first gypsy man grew closer to the female gypsy and her child, as though to protect them, before he was yanked away and shackled, dragged away by the soldiers.

"Bring these gypsy vermin to the palace of justice," ordered Frollo, though his tone seemed to spat at the sight of the gypsies, as though even seeing them was disgusting enough.

"You there!" One of the soldiers grabbed onto the female gypsy, who had been trying to sneak away and escape all on her own, only to get caught by said soldier. "What are you hiding?"

"Stolen goods, no doubt," determined Frollo. "Take them from her."

Ignis couldn't help but interrupt in the middle of the play, intrigued and curious to know what was going to happen next just as Clopin changed the scenery from a dark night to a artwork depicting a closer view of the church. "So, what happened next?"

Possibly due to a theatre effect, lightning flashed, and Clopin's face burst from the darkness and a bit close to Ignis', startling her as she backed away a bit. " _She ran_!"

The next scene showed the female gypsy running down an alleyway as fast as possible, clutching onto her infant child as Frollo rode down after her, intent on capturing her. The horse's speed should have outpaced hers long ago, yet determination to live, or at the very least, ensure her baby was safe, allowed the mother to speed up past her limits.

 _(Dies iræ, dies illa)_

 _(Solvet sæclum in favilla)_

 _(Teste David cum Sibylla)_

 _(Quantus tremor est futurus)_

 _(Quando Judex est venturus)_

She bypassed many buildings and alleyways; her feet constantly patting against the cold snow that night, but she refused to stand around for even a second in fear of losing her freedom should she waste time getting herself warm. The only advantage she had while running solo was that she was about to maneuver around small areas that neither Frollo nor his horse couldn't gain access to.

Finally, the female gypsy arrived on the steps of the Notre Dame cathedral; completely out of breath. She rushed up to the doors and began pounding as hard and loud as she could. "Sanctuary! Please, give us sanctuary!"

The female gypsy frantically continued knocking until she saw that Frollo had caught up to her, charging at her full speed with his dark stallion. In order to save her baby's life, she ran for it, but soon, Frollo caught up to her and grabbed onto the bundle's wrapping. Desperate to save her child, the woman held on as strongly as possible until Frollo's kick caused her to let go.

The woman not only fell back onto the stone steps of Notre Dame, but the fall also broke her neck and split the back of her head, thus killing her.

Frollo glared down coldly at the woman's corpse, internally pleased that he was able to rid the world of a "sinner," until the baby's cries roused him out of that thought and caught his attention.

"A baby...?" Frollo muttered, pulling back some of the wrappings of the bundle. The sight of the baby caused him to gasp in horror and nearly drop him out of shock, recoiling. " _A **monster**!" _He quickly covered the baby up again, disgusted to even look at the baby's face once more before glancing around, trying to find a solution of how to deal with the..."monster."

 _(Solvet sæclum in favilla)  
_  
 _(Dies iræ, dies illa)_

His solution came in the form of a nearby well. Regaining his cold composure, Frollo had his horse trot towards the wall, glancing over the well and confirming that there was indeed, cold water up to the rim that even a baby would not survive long while underwater. He lifted the baby up with one hand by his bundle with a disgusted look on his face, prepared to loose his fingers and ridding himself of the monstrous, innocent baby.

Once again, lightning flashed, and for a brief second, Clopin, who was standing valiantly with his arm outstretched, hollered, "STOP! Cried the Archdeacon!"

Whom Clopin had been impersonating was an important character called the Archdeacon, head of the Notre Dame church, who had stopped Frollo in his actions.

Frollo did stop, but he didn't let go of the bundle holding the infant he deemed as a monster. "This is an unholy demon. I'm sending it back to Hell, where it belongs."

The Archdeacon knelt down on the snow, besides the female gypsy's corpse as he held her in his arms with a sorrowful expression on his face. " _See there the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of Notre Dame!"_

"I am guiltless. She ran, I pursued," defended Frollo nonchalantly.

 _"Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt on the steps of Notre Dame?"_

"My conscious is clear!" snapped Frollo, still defending himself and thinking he did the right thing in killing a "sinner."

 _"You can lie to yourself and your minions!"_ accused the Archdeacon angrily. _"You can claim that you haven't a qualm! But you never can run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes!"_ The Archdeacon then pointed to the various statues around the church of Notre Dame, as though casting judgement onto Frollo himself. _"The very eyes of Notre Dame!"_

 _(Kyrie Eleison)_

Frollo glanced all around him, his confident and nonchalant face twisting into that of fear and guilt as he felt the invisible eyes of God's servants viewing down on him, judging him with contempt and anger for the immoral sin he was about to commit.

 _"And for one time in his life_

 _Of power and control!_

 _(Kyrie Eleison)_

 _Frollo felt a twinge of fear_

 _For his immortal soul!"_

"What must I do...?" whispered Frollo to himself, wanting to get back on the good graces of God.

The Archdeacon, who was beginning to head back inside the cathedral with the dead woman in his arms, solemnly turned back to Frollo. "Care for the child, and raise it as your own."

"What?! I'm to be settled with this misshapen...?" Frollo's expression of disgust and wickedness reverted to a look of calmness as he remembered that he must "atone" for his sins by agreeing with the Archdeacon and raising the infant in his arms. "...Very well. Let him live with you, in your church."

The Archdeacon seemed surprised and puzzled by Frollo's request. "Live here? Where?"

"Anywhere," was Frollo's response as he stared up the top of the cathedral. _"Just so he's locked up away where no one else can see._ The bell tower, perhaps. And who knows? Our Lord works in mysterious ways." He glanced down at the child in his arms, contemplating on what to do with him once he's older. _"Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be of use to me."_

The scenery vanished in a flash of red as Clopin covered the scenery with one of the red curtains, donning it like a cape a second later with the stage's scenery artwork having disappeared behind a new sheet of blue. "And Frollo gave the child a cruel name. A name that means 'half-formed'... _Quasimodo_."

The blue sheets moved out of the way as Clopin worked with his puppeteer skills, revealing what had occurred in the later future with Frollo now acting as Quasimodo's caretaker. As both ascended upwards to the top of the bell tower, a new shadowy figure with a hunchback reached up to the top of the bell tower in the puppet show.

 _"Now here is a riddle to guess if you can,_

 _Sing the bells of Notre Dame!_

 _Who is the monster and who is the man?"_

And, as Clopin was reciting the last part of his show, as if on cue, the actual, large bells of Notre Dame began ringing, tolling all across the city loud and clear.

 _"Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells,_

 _Bells, bells, bells, bells,_

 _Bells of NOTRE DAME!"_

The last, clear and powerful D note resonated with the chiming of the large bells, making it even more powerful at the end of Clopin's tale of the monster and the man. Awe struck the silent crowd before they all cheered and applauded for Clopin and his magnificent performance. It wasn't just children who enjoyed his performance, but just about half of the street as well, as there were adults who joined the crowd of the audience to watch Clopin's tale. To thank him for his performance, many in the audience threw gold coins at him, something that Clopin happily accepted as he caught them all with his hat.

Ignis was one of the many to clap loudly while in awe at Clopin's performance. His performance...definitely touched her heart while giving her chills all at the same time, something that rarely happened, which is expected, given that before, she couldn't go out into other worlds freely. She may pride herself in having an amazing singing voice, but she wanted to commemorate Clopin's singing talent, and in this case, she wasn't ashamed to admit that he was possibly better than she was.

"That's all for today, people of Notre Dame!" announced Clopin, having collected his gold from the crowd. "Join me again next time, and I shall entertain you all with another tale! What? You wish for a hint about my new tale? Well, you'll have to find out next time! Au revoir!~"

Some of the children groaned in disappointment, wanting to see more of Clopin's performances before they reluctantly left along with the rest of the crowd. The only ones remaining from the crowd were Ignis and her new little friend, Liam.

"That was so incredible! You were amazing! I've never had my breath taken away by such a wonderful performance!" gasped Ignis, grinning wildly as she couldn't help but jump up and down while clapping. "Encore! Encore! Encore!"

Clopin smiled and bowed at Ignis. "Why, thank you, mademoiselle! Unfortunately, that is all I have to provide for today, but if you're lucky, you get to be one of the lucky few to get a front-row seat to my next show!"

"Yay!" Ignis then remembered the other reason why she came along with Liam and tapped Liam on the shoulder, lightly pushing him forward. "Oh, yeah! Liam told me that he knew you and that you can take him home!"

"Oh? Well, yes, I can. Thank you very much for looking after him. I hope he didn't cause any trouble," said Clopin.

Ignis frowned at the memory when she first met him and placed her hands on her hips, looking annoyed. "He wasn't the one who caused trouble, but it was that stupid baker guy! He bruised poor Liam's wrist, so I had to hea-Er, I had to take care of him!"

Clopin looked surprised and turned to Liam. "Liam, is this true?"

Liam nodded. "Mademoiselle Ignis saved me! He hurt me, but she paid for the bread that I...um..."

"Liam...did you get caught stealing again? I warned you to be more careful!"

"I...I apologize, Monsieur Clopin…"

Ignis couldn't believe her ears as she glanced back between both gypsies. "W-What?! Are you seriously encouraging this?! Dude, you realize that stealing is still bad, no matter what, right?"

Clopin glanced at Ignis. "Ah...Of course you would not understand. You are but new to this city, no?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm a traveler. Liam did mention that he's a gypsy, and that people around these streets don't really like gypsies. He also mentioned that gypsies are free - spirited people, but I don't see why that's a reason to hate them."

"Liam isn't wrong about that," assured Clopin. "As much as I would like to answer your curious little mind, mademoiselle, I'm afraid that I cannot, as I must take little Liam back home. I hope you understand."

Ignis nodded. "No, it's alright. A little guy like him should probably get back home as soon as possible. I don't want him to experience something as awful as what happened back at the bakery ever again." She knelt down in front of Liam and patted him on the head. "Hey, Liam? I don't want you to try stealing again, okay? Can you promise me that?"

Liam looked away with guilt written all over his face. "I...I can't-"

"Mademoiselle," spoke up Clopin. "I understand your concern, and yes, normally, stealing is bad, but the gypsies' situation is...difficult. Believe me, I do not wish for young children such as Liam to become sinners, but it is for survival."

"Survival? Against what? The people here?" wondered Ignis, more confused than ever.

"You could say that, but I believe that many other gypsies here in Notre Dame will tell you more about our circumstances," assured Clopin. "Now, come along, little Liam. We must take you back home."

Liam nodded and waved at Ignis. "Thank you for helping me earlier, Mademoiselle Ignis. I...I will try my best to be a good boy."

Ignis smiled. "That's all I ask for. Well, see ya!" Turning around, she ran off into the streets of Notre Dame, leaving Liam along with Clopin.

"...What do you think, Liam? Is that mademoiselle a good person?" wondered Clopin.

Although Liam was grateful for the genuine kindness Ignis gave to him, he didn't completely trust her. He felt bad for breaking his promise with her, but he thought it necessary to tell the leader of the gypsies, Clopin, about her.

"Yes, I believe so. I...I do not think she knows much about the city. She says she is a traveler, and..." Liam couldn't help but blush as he rubbed the heel of his shoe against the ground. "She is very pretty."

Clopin chuckled. "Yes, she is quite beautiful, isn't she? One would mistake her for a noble if it weren't for the strange, armored clothing she wears. Though, I did not realize you had a bit of a crush on her, Liam. I cannot blame you, though."

Liam's face turned red as he looked away even more. "M-Monsieur Clopin! Please do not tease me!"

"Why not? You had quite a crush on Esmeralda as well. Well, she is much more beautiful than our new friend, anyways."

"M-M-Monsieur Clopin!"

"I digress, though," said Clopin, leaning in close. "But something of interest has come to mind. Mademoiselle Ignis has said that you had a bruised wrist? But, I do not see any bruise anywhere."

"W-Well, you may not believe me, but...Mademoiselle Ignis can...use magic. She used healing magic to heal my wrist. I-I know it may sound ridiculous, but-"

"Hmm...This is of interest. I do not believe you are lying, Liam, but it may be of interest to keep an eye on her for a while. Oh, and if you see Mademoiselle Ignis next time, do not tell her of our conversation, alright, Liam?"

"Yes, Monsieur Clopin!"

* * *

 _'Gypsy...Gypsy...Gypsy...I don't even know what a gypsy even looks like,'_ thought Ignis, wandering around the streets. _'All I know is that they're free - spirited and...it can't be the skin color, can it? I don't want to sound like a racist, but-'_

"Spare change? Spare change, anyone?"

Ignis turned and saw an elderly old man sitting on a rug, holding up an empty, dirty cup and obviously begging for money. All of the other bystanders just ignored and walked past the poor man. Those that did look at the man only glared at him with contempt, as if his very existence is a sin that should never exist.

Curious, she went up to the old man, and, feeling bad, decided to take out a handful of her Munny. Just before she was about to place them into his cup, a bystander noticed and stopped her, grabbing her wrist.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" asked the man. "Don't needlessly toss your money for this pathetic gypsy."

Ignis glared at the man and yanked her hand away. "Pathetic? All I need is an old man who deserves some money to live his life."

"You're wasting your time. Don't waste your money on some filthy old gypsy who's probably going to die maybe next week? Next month?"

Ignis was starting to really dislike some of the people in Notre Dame if this was their attitude. "Wow, okay, _racist,_ if I want your opinion, then I'll ask, but for now, it's my own money, and I'll do what I want with it. And what I want to do with it right now is give it to this old man, so butt out!"

"Tch, whatever. Your loss." The bystander walked away, leaving both Ignis and the elderly old man alone.

Turning back to the elderly old man, Ignis smiled and placed her handful of Munny into his cup. "Are you okay, mister? I'm sorry that you had to see that."

The elderly old man shook his head and smiled back at her. "No, no, Mademoiselle. Thank you...for even sparing a bit of your time with an old man like me. But...I must ask, why? Why must you waste your time with a gypsy like me?"

"Jeez, what is it with these people being so racist towards gypsies?" wondered Ignis, scratching her head. "Look, old man, I'm new to this city, and I barely know anything about gypsies, and I don't care! Well, actually, I'm actually really curious about what the big deal gypsies are, but right now, I just see an old man starving and begging for money to buy food, so, even though it won't help much, I chose to give you some of my money. I hope that helps."

"No, it is more than enough. Thank you. May God bless you," said the old gypsy.

"Hmm...Uh...I know this is weird, but can I sit next to you? I want to talk and ask some questions. I'll keep you company along the way."

The old gypsy was more than happy to finally have someone to talk to in order to not only pass the time, but also have some company. They learned each other's names and a few of their favorite hobbies as they chatted with each other, becoming quick friends as a result. Ignis' new friend was named Jacques, and surprisingly, he was a blind old man whose favorite hobby was listening to birds chirping. Ignis introduced herself to Jacques and told him some of her favorite hobbies as well, such as singing and running around a lot, pleasing Jacques. Ignis even tried to entertain Jacques by imitating bird chirps by whistling, though her attempts did fail. Nevertheless, Jacques was quite happy that she did it for him.

After talking with Jacques, Ignis learned a great deal about Notre Dame and its situation with the gypsies. Apparently, the hatred and discrimination against gypsies all stemmed from one Judge Claude Frollo, someone Ignis recognized from Clopin's performance. In all honesty, she thought that his performance was fictional and just part of his performance until she heard his name. It wasn't exactly clear about Frollo's full reasons why he hated gypsies, but from what she heard from Jacques, Frollo thought the gypsies were capable of witchcraft and that gypsies were people he was unable to control. Therefore, he attempted to persecute and then execute any gypsies his men captured, believing all of the gypsies to be sinners.

Because Frollo was in a very high authoritarian position, his influence had spread mostly throughout Notre Dame, causing many people to resent and even become racist towards the gypsies. As a result, lots of gypsies had to work out on the streets, singing and dancing just to try and earn gold coins everyday to buy food and other supplies they needed. Jacques' explanation on the situation based on his own experiences made Ignis quickly realize that something was very wrong with this world if such cruel authority was placed onto Judge Frollo.

She decided that now might be a good time to investigate further on Notre Dame and thanked Jacques before leaving him alone. She came across a couple more gypsies in different areas all over Notre Dame, and in exchange for giving them some Munny, she requested information about Notre Dame and the situation about the gypsies, which they were more than happy to reveal so long as it got them free gold. Just like with Jacques' story, it seems that other gypsies had suffered under the strict influence of Frollo and his corrupted men. She spent several more hours investigating until it was around the sunset that she chose to cease her investigation for today while thinking about what her next step should be.

Ignis didn't know what to do in this situation. As a Keyblade wielder, she has a duty to save worlds from destructive forces of darkness, like the Unversed. But, so far, she hasn't once encountered any Unversed in this world. On the other hand, she wished to help out the gypsies from this Frollo person because she felt bad and thought they were mistreated for something that they didn't deserve all because of one man. However, she also knew it was a sort of a principal rule not to get involved in worldly affairs, as it might disturb the world and cause some unknown consequence.

Just as Ignis was lost in thought, she snapped out of it when she heard a familiar cry. She saw Jacques trying to take back his cup away from a soldier, who was trying to yank the cup away.

"Filthy gypsy! There's no way you earned this much gold! You must have stolen it!"

"N-No, Monsieur! This is mine! I cannot steal anything because I am blind!"

"A likely story! I bet you gypsies say that line all the time to play innocent, huh?!"

Ignis was shocked and angry at the scene before her. She recognized that the other man was a soldier based on his armored garments and the fact that he had a sword attached to his hip. She heard that soldiers are chivalrous, and that they were meant to protect the innocent and weak, just like Keyblade wielder. But now? Now she was witnessing the opposite of that. She was witnessing a soldier, someone who was supposed to help the innocent and weak, practically robbing a poor, elderly man.

"Hey, stop it!" yelled Ignis, running over and pushing the soldier away before standing in front of Jacques, protecting him. "What are you doing?!"

"It's none of your concern, girly! Step aside! I need to teach that thief a lesson!"

"Thief?! What are you talking about? He's blind! How can a thief steal anything if he's blind?" questioned Ignis.

"He only claims to be blind! All gypsies are nothing but tricky, manipulative liars! I'm doing the city of Notre Dame a favor by punishing sinners like that old man! He stole the gold coins and-"

"He never stole them!"

"And how would you know?"

"Because I gave them to him!"

A small crowd had formed around Ignis and the soldier ever since they started arguing, wondering what was happening. Surprised was definitely the word for the crowd's reaction when they learned that the young, red-haired girl had actively given a portion of her gold coins to an elderly gypsy.

Shock was evident all over the soldier's face as he registered this information. "You...? Why would-You're lying because you feel pity for that old man!"

Jacques shook his head. "No, she's telling the truth, Monsieur-"

"I didn't tell you that you could speak, filthy scum! Go roll over and die like the old bastard you are!" spat out the soldier.

Ignis' jaw dropped at the attitude the soldier displayed, especially his disrespect towards Jacques, a vulnerable, blind old man. "How dare you?!" she yelled, getting all worked up. "You don't just say that to anyone, especially a kind, old man like him! And he's not lying! I did give him my gold coins!"

"Oh? And where did you get those gold coins, Mademoiselle?" questioned the soldier.

"I'm a traveler, of course I have money with me," said Ignis. "But that's besides the point! How could you, a soldier, just go around bullying and tormenting this old man?"

"I don't have to explain my reasons to you!"

"Is this what a true soldier is supposed to be acting?!" questioned Ignis, indignantly still standing up to him.

"Silence!"

"Sir!" A young soldier went up the other older soldier, saluting to him. "T-There's trouble in another street! Some other gypsies are arguing and causing some trouble in the tailor's shop!"

"What?!" The older soldier growled, glaring at Ignis and the old gypsy. "Fine! Soldier, you stay here and deal with the situation! It shouldn't take long! As for you, girly, don't think I won't hesitate to arrest you just because you're one of those gypsy sympathizers! You get in my way again, and you'll be in serious trouble!"

The older soldier turned to leave, and Ignis, still pissed at the older soldier for his actions and how he insulted Jacques, secretly used a bit of her weak earth magic to make him trip and fall onto a mud puddle. It proved to be a success, as the older soldier cried out as he tripped and fell facedown onto a mud puddle, dirtying himself and causing some within the crowd to laugh at his misfortune. The older soldier cursed to himself before getting up and stomping away.

Ignis giggled herself before remembering Jacques, rushing to his side as she collected some of the gold coins that had fallen to the ground to give them back to him. "Are you okay, Mr. Jacques?"

Jacques coughed before smiling. "Yes, thank you for standing up to me, Mademoiselle Ignis..."

The young soldier started waving his arms around, as though trying to shoo away the crowd. "Alright, everyone! Show's over! Shoo! Nothing to see here!" After waiting for the crowd to disperse and leave to attend to their own needs, the young soldier walked up to the two. "Monsieur, are you alright?"

Standing straight up, Ignis stepped forward to defend Jacques. "I swear, if you're trying to arrest him for-"

"No, no! Nothing like that!" assured the young soldier before leaning in close for a whisper. "Actually, I kinda lied. There is no gypsies in the tailor shop nor is there some kind of trouble ahead. I just said that so that he would leave this poor, blind gypsy alone."

Ignis' stern expression reverted to a surprised look. "R-Really?"

"Yup! You and this elderly man are free to go. Oh, and let's keep this a bit of a secret, shall we?" The young soldier winked and tossed a gold coin onto Jacques' cup.

"Thank you, young one," thanked Jacques, grateful for the young soldier's actions.

Just as the young soldier was about to leave, Ignis stopped him. "Hold on. While I do appreciate what you've done, why did-"

"Why did I help? Simple. Why wouldn't I? It's a soldier's duty to protect the weak and innocent," replied the young soldier. "I'm still a newbie at all this, but...well, I don't agree with everything about what Judge Frollo says, about gypsies being sinners and all. To me, they just seem like people struggling to get through life because of one powerful man's inhumane actions."

Ignis nodded. "I couldn't agree more. But...earlier, I did catch a gypsy who was trying to steal. Granted, what he did was wrong, but I saw also a poor, starving child. The baker hurt that poor child, so I have to intervene. Believe me, I agree that what I saw about the gypsies are them struggling through life, but...for them to go so low as to have even a child steal things..."

The soldier, with a sorrowful face, nodded. "Yeah, I've seen a few child thieves myself. I'm not the only one who wants to try and stop this wrongful way of society either. Some of my fellow soldiers feel the same towards the gypsies and we pity them, but there's not much we can do. Judge Frollo is powerful, and he's got most of the soldiers on his side being extremely vicious towards the gypsies."

"That's...really horrible."

"I...I have to go. Duty calls, and if I linger here any longer, that soldier from earlier will return and cause all sorts of trouble again," said the soldier. "Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. You can call me Conrad. May I ask for your name, Mademoiselle?"

"Yeah. It's Ignis, nice to meet you."

"Ignis...Do you know your name means 'Fire' in Latin?" revealed Conrad. "It certainly suits you, as your beautiful hair is as red as fire."

Ignis grinned. "Awww, thanks! Yeah, that's real interesting to hear the meaning of my name! I've always thought my name was quite unique! Well, good luck on your duties, Conrad!"

After Conrad left, Jacques spoke up. "He's not a bad soldier, Ignis."

"Huh?" Ignis turned to him. "After he saved us from some asshole? Yeah, I can tell he's a good person!"

Jacques nodded. "Mademoiselle Ignis, you must realized that many soldiers here in Notre Dame...they do not care for us gypsies. However, like Jacques, there are other gypsy sympathizers. Not many, but there are certainly others that would harbor and hide gypsies into their own home."

"Hmm...I wonder if me helping people like you would make me one of the sympathizers...?"

"Mademoiselle Ignis, I only urge you to be very careful, even if you are a traveler and are only temporarily staying here in Notre Dame. I do not want to see young, kind people like you hurt because of us."

Ignis smiled softly and knelt down in front of him, clasping her palms onto his. "Don't worry about me. You just worry about yourself. Besides, I'm not just a traveler, but I'm a fighter as well. I can take care of myself if I come across any other trouble." Though he was blind, she winked at him and fished out some more Munny from her pocket, putting them in his cup. "I only wish I could do more to help."

"Your donation and kind words are more than enough for a frail, old man such as myself...Thank you."

* * *

 _That night..._

"I'm terrible sorry, Mademoiselle, but the entire inn is already booked," apologized the innkeeper, talking to Ignis after she requested for a room to stay for the next few nights. "It's filled with folks from all over, coming to see the Festival of Fools."

"The Festival of Fools? What's that?" wondered Ignis.

"Oh, it's an annual festival that takes place once a year, and the festival will take place within a few days! It's a truly, magnificent festival! Sadly for you, there are no more rooms to spare."

"Are you sure? I mean, I've seen stables outside the inn. Is it okay if I sleep in there?"

The innkeeper looked surprised. "You wish to sleep within the stables? Well, there is certainly room, but it will be quite smelly with all of the horses and other animals. Plus, you will still need to pay. Are you certain?"

"Eh, I'll be fine," said Ignis, paying upfront the money for a few nights.

"Hmm...Very well. You may choose any spot within the stables, but I urge you not to release nor bother any of the animals. If you wish to use the hay to make your bed, I suggest you not take too much. Those are my only conditions. Is that clear?"

"Alright, sir! Is it okay if I take a bit of a walk before sleeping in my temporary room? Well, I guess it's not exactly a room, but...kinda?"

The innkeeper nodded, shooing her away with a wave of his hand. "Be my guest. You may do what you want so long as you follow those rules. You have paid for a few nights rest, after all."

"Great! Thanks!"

The luminescent candle-like streetlights were certainly a view to be seen as Ignis wandered down the streets of Notre Dame. Now, there was very few to no occupants walking down the streets, as everyone else had already sealed themselves within their homes to rest for the night. Ignis took a moment to relax while watching the city's beauty lit up by the streetlights.

"Please, doctor! My wife, her water has broke! We need help!"

"Get out! Filthy gypsies are not allowed in my establishment! Go take your filth child somewhere else!"

Startled, Ignis looked around and saw a doctor yelling at a couple before slamming the door to his own center, having kicked the couple out. Ignis not only noted that the couple were gypsies, but that one of them, a woman, was heavily pregnant and in great pain, ready to collapse.

Ignis rushed over without thinking, catching the woman and having her lean to her side. "Are you okay, Miss?" She looked up to the man, presumably the woman's husband, and asked, "What's happened?"

Normally, the gypsy man would state that it wasn't the young girl's concern, but seeing the state his wife was in, he had no other choice. "M-My wife, Annabella, she is with child! Her water broke a little earlier, but no doctor here in Notre Dame is willing to help us because we are gypsies!"

 _'God, is everyone here a racist?! Oh, wait, there's Conrad. Never mind,'_ thought Ignis as she tried to think of a solution. "Ah...Ah...What about your home? I mean, it's safer to have childbirth in hospitals and stuff, but-"

"No, our home is...too far at the moment! We cannot make it in the state we are in!"

"Then why the hell were you guys out-?! Ugh, never mind!" Ignis bit her lip and once again, tried a different solution. "Oh! Uh...I did kinda rent a room at an inn, well, it's in the stables, but maybe you can have your childbirth there? I know it's not the most ideal place, but I don't think giving birth in the middle of the streets is a good idea, either!"

"Pablo...just do what she says...' grunted the woman called Annabella.

"But, we don't-"

"I am GIVING BIRTH to your child! I don't think we have any other options here!" hollered Annabella, grabbing her husband by the collar and glaring deadly at him.

Even Ignis was startled and terrified of the pregnant woman at the moment. "O-Okay, right this way please! Let's hurry-!"

Both Pablo and Ignis helped carried the pregnant gypsy towards the direction of the inn, which, luckily, wasn't too far away. Ignis has yet to explore the stables, but she recognized the stables from all of the hay and the cages trapping the horses and other farm animals. Hurriedly, Ignis gathered a bunch of hay to create a comfortable bed for Annabella, and Pablo laid his wife down onto it.

"Oh, what to do?! I'm no doctor!" cried out Pablo. "I have to go find one of our gypsy friends, Lavender! She will certainly know what to do!"

"Is she a doctor?"

"Yes, in a sort! She is training to be a doctor, but-"

"Then why didn't you go grab her instead of going to one of those racist doctors?!" questioned Ignis.

"Because we didn't have time and our home was too far away-"

Suddenly, Annabella started screaming, ceasing the two's argument and making them focus on her. Ignis held onto her hand, and in response, Annabella grasped it tightly as she continued screaming at the top of her lungs.

 _'I can defeat strong monsters, I can use magic, I can heal wounds, but I don't know how to handle pregnancy!'_ thought Ignis, panicking. "H-Hey! Mr. Pablo, was it? Go ahead and go get your doctor friend!"

"What?! And leave my wife alone?! I can't!" protested Pablo.

"Look, genius, I don't know anything about your doctor friend! You're the only one who does! Besides, if you go, I can keep an eye out for her and try my best for her!" Ignis turned back to pregnant gypsy, noticing that she was starting to sweat and pant heavily. "I...I only know a few things about pregnancy, that you need a lot of hot water and towels and stuff! Look, just hurry back as fast as you can!"

Pablo gritted his teeth, wanting to stay by his wife's side, but he knew that the red-haired girl was right. Neither of them were doctors, and he was the only one of the two who knew about a trustworthy doctor. "Fine! I'll try and come back as soon as possible! Just take care of my wife!"

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" Ignis released the soon-to-be mother's hand away from hers so she could find the supplies necessary for the pregnancy. She found some buckets and filled them up with water from a nearby well before heating them up quickly with her fire magic. However, she was unable to find any spare towels or cloths, so she had to settle with applying some ice magic onto Annabella's body a little just to cool her sweating and heating body.

Just when things couldn't get any worse, it did at the appearance of some Unversed. Knowing she had to take them out as swiftly and quietly as possible, Ignis engaged them in combat, wasting no time as she defeated them with her new sword skills she learned from Weyard, the last world she was in. Of course, before getting into combat, she did set up a powerful Barriera spell around Annabella to keep her safe.

After defeating the Unversed in the area, Ignis returned to tend back to Annabella, whose condition only worsened without any support. Soon, Pablo returned with his gypsy doctor friend, Lavender, who then began administering the correct procedures for a pregnancy.

The pregnancy took many hours before it was finally over. During that time, the group had to endure hearing the newly mother's screams as she tried to push the baby out from her stomach, with Lavender guiding her through and speaking comfortable words. Pablo held onto his wife's hand the whole time, gritting his teeth every time Annabella squeezed with inhumane strength, while knowing this was part of the pregnancy process. As for Ignis, she became a temporary assistant to Lavender, obeying her orders to take care of Annabella, and as an added bonus, Ignis started singing smoothing songs to comfort Annabella, since singing can help ease a pregnancy.

At long last, the baby had popped out from Annabella's abdomen and began wailing loudly just as the sun started arising, indicating that the pregnancy took the entire night to occur. Immediately, Lavender cut the umbilical cord with her tools before proceeding to clean the newborn child with the warm water Ignis had heated up before. Ignis handed Lavender some clean towels to dry off the child, keeping her awed attention onto the newborn child.

After drying the baby and wrapping it in some blankets, Lavender handed the baby to its new mother, Annabella. "Congratulations," panted Lavender, smiling. "It's a beautiful, baby girl."

Tears formed onto Annabella's eyes as she cradled her newborn girl in her arms, glancing up at her husband for a moment. "Did you hear that, Pablo? A baby girl?"

"Yes, you did a remarkable job, Annabella," said Pablo, kissing his wife on the forehead.

Ignis couldn't help but smile and tear up at the sight of a new life before her eyes. As a Keyblade apprentice, she was always taught to protect and cherish life, because life is precious and must be protected under the guidance of light, so one doesn't get corrupted by the darkness. Witnessing childbirth for the first time made her realize just how important cherishing life truly is.

Although Ignis still holds onto those sort of righteous beliefs, she also found her own path to light changing ever since she was forced out of the Land of Departure. She learned so much more about light, and even the benefits to darkness. She never really used the light or darkness for evil, especially darkness, only to defeat her foes and protect others. Yes, she shouldn't allow darkness to corrupt someone, especially one as innocent as the baby girl, but at the same time, she shouldn't let innocents be blinded by the light, either.

Ignis glanced to the side, watching the sight of a brand new day as the parents were still holding onto their newborn child. "...It's a brand new day. The dawn of a new day."

"...Dawn."

"What?" Ignis turned back to the mother.

Annabella wiped away her tears and smiled at Ignis. "Dawn. That's our daughter's new name. She was born on the dawn of a new day, so it's only fitting that she bears such a beautiful and meaningful name."

Dawn. It was certainly a fitting name for the new baby...as well as the path that Ignis was trending on.

At first, Ignis had been curious about darkness magic ever since Merlin taught her that balance was absolutely necessary, like how darkness needed light, and light needed darkness. This was unlike Master Eraqus' teachings, where he told her and the others that darkness was an abomination that must be destroyed in favor of the light. The more worlds she traveled, the more she realized that Merlin was right.

Yes, she had to face enemies that were associated with the darkness, but those weren't the only enemies. The other enemies she faced were in service of the light, like King John back in Nottingham. He was supposed to uphold his citizens over himself and his own selfishness, but Robin Hood, whose actions normally favor the darkness, chose to help the others while committing crimes worthy of darkness. This made it evident for Ignis that not all good was in light, and not all evil was in darkness.

Ignis didn't want to be corrupted by darkness, but she also didn't want to be blinded by evil light, as well. She wanted to choose a path of balance, between the both of them. She wanted to use both darkness and light for good- no, to protect others. Therefore, she felt that she was trending...on the path to dawn.

A path of balance.

"Mademoiselle..." spoke up Annabella. "Would you like to hold our new baby girl?"

"What?" gasped Ignis, taken aback. "A-Are you sure? I-I mean, I know babies are super cute and all, and I'm a pretty strong, and healthy girl, but I...I mean, I don't want to drop the baby and-"

"You'll be fine," assured Pablo, taking his new daughter, Dawn, away from Annabella's arms and offering Dawn to Ignis. "Here. Hold her."

"Ah...Well..."

Ignis gently took the newborn baby girl in her arms, frozen in place. She has never held someone so fragile, so small, so delicate before in her entire life. This...this is what it feels to hold precious life into one's arms. What it means to protect when you have life in your own hands.

Suddenly, Dawn started crying and wiggling around, causing Ignis to tighten her arms around the baby girl before sitting down, not wanting to drop the little baby girl from standing up. "Ah...What do I do?! What do I do?!"

Lavender reached her arms out. "Here, let me-"

"No," stopped Annabella. "I believe...she wants a song. Maybe one of your lovely songs will help calm her down?"

"I...Okay, I can do that!" said Ignis, glancing down at the baby girl in her arms with softened eyes before she began softly singing.

 **Ballad of the Wind**

 _"Sleepers wake,_

 _Dreams will fade_

 _Although we cling fast._

 _Was it real?_

 _What we saw?_

 _I believe..._

 _Lost in dreams,_

 _We sleep on_

 _Tossing and turning._

 _Stay with me,_

 _By my side_

 _Never leave._

 _What if the worse comes?_

 _If someday this sweet reverie ends?_

 _We too..._

 _Our memories,_

 _For real_

 _Fade us by!_

 _Dream with me,_

 _By the sea_

 _We watch the waves crash_

 _Hold my hand,_

 _Think of me_

 _And I'll fly..."_

At the end of her song, Ignis saw that Dawn had grown comfortable and had fallen asleep. Satisfied, Ignis handed the baby girl back to her mother and watched Dawn dozing off with a peaceful expression.

"You have such a lovely singing voice," complimented Annabella. "Just as lovely as Monsieur Clopin."

"Oh, please! He's a much better singer than me! I don't think I can get my voice as high as that huge D note he played before!"

"Even so, thank you for singing to our new daughter. I've never heard of that lovely song before."

Ignis grinned and rubbed the back of her head embarrassedly. "Ah...well, I'm a traveler, so I come across a lot of different songs. And trust me, I have A LOT of favorite songs."

"By the way, we never did catch your name," said Pablo. "We have been so busy with the baby, so..."

"Ignis. My name is Ignis. It's a pleasure to meet you, and a great honor to deliver a baby!"

"Ignis...It suits you. The 'flame' that lights a new dawn."

"The flame that lights a new dawn...I like the sound of that."

The new family, a doctor, and a Keyblade wielder all sat in silence as they basked in the light of a new dawn, wanting to relish in the peaceful moment for just a little longer.

* * *

 **And I'm done with the new chapter, the first part of the new world Ignis is in, Notre Dame! Well, technically, the new world she's in is called** **La Cité des Cloches, but I'm certain people would like to refer to this world as Notre Dame.**

 **There are a couple of reasons why I picked this world to be Ignis' next world, and I can't reveal all of them, so I'll just reveal two for now. The first one, because they have amazing musical talent! Seriously, one of the reasons I loved the movie, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," was because of the music! It was like, opera-leveled music! So, with Ignis' love for singing, I thought she might fit in and I do have a bit of a role for her to play involving her musical talent.**

 **The second reason is for her to understand more about the new path she's chosen, about balance. The gypsies are portrayed as "evil," while the soldiers that are meant to maintain order are seen as "good," but it's the total opposite. Frollo, a man whose religious and believe he's trying to purge all sinners, well, his actions are evil, and, even though admittedly, there are gypsies that steal and do bad things to survive, they're all mostly good and only wanted to show their freedom through entertainment. It's only because of Frollo's actions that the gypsies seem to have a bit of a bad reputation. Plus, with the soldiers being corrupted by Frollo, it's natural they'd be racist and assume all gypsies are evil, even finding excuses just to arrest, and torture and/or execute any gypsy, or gypsy sympathizers.**

 **I felt like the Nottingham world wasn't enough for Ignis to see more of the corruption, and thought that she needed to see more of the "evil light," and "good darkness." I feel that the Notre Dame world will be a better choice to display more of that sort of corruption here. Don't get me wrong; I don't intend to portray darkness as the new good, and light as the new evil. I still intend on letting Ignis still use the power of light, while also trying to use darkness magic to make up for using the power of darkness. I just want her to try and find a balance for both.**

 **Also, just a heads up, but the Unversed that Ignis fought during the pregnancy is, at the very moment, what Vanitas felt in the last chapter. When he returned to the Keyblade Graveyard and was about to summon more Unversed, he felt pain from Unversed in another world being destroyed. During that time, it was when Ignis was fighting the Unversed to protect the pregnancy, which is how Vanitas knew where Ignis was after she slain his Unversed.**

 **Another thing I want to say is that The Ballad of the Wind Fish? Yeah, that song isn't only a beautiful lullaby to hear, but it also foreshadows a chapter later on. Is it one of the parts of Notre Dame? No, it just foreshadows a certain chapter. I'll tell you guys when the time comes. I just want to do some foreshadowing, because I always love foreshadowing and mystery solving!**

 **Anyways, I love The Hunchback of Notre Dame! I even heard rumors that there's a live-action film going to be taking place, just like with Aladdin and the upcoming movie, Mulan! I'll determine whether or not I'll see the movie, but I watched the live - action movie, Aladdin, and it was incredible! Besides the music in the Notre Dame movie, I really enjoyed the dark, scary theme in the movie, and dark themes aren't really usual in Disney movies, so that was a nice change of pace!**

 **Anyways, read and review!**


	37. La Cité des Cloches (2)

**So glad that you guys enjoyed the start of the Notre Dame world, and I'm sure you'll enjoy more as the chapters involving it goes on. I really love the support you guys have been giving me, and I have been looking forward to doing this world for a long while now, so I was truly happy to have uploaded my first part of the Notre Dame world! Thanks, everyone!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Arabian Nights," as that song belongs to the Disney company.**

* * *

 _'Kya!~ I wish I could have stayed a bit longer just to touch Dawn's squishy little cheeks a little bit more! But, I have to go get food for the family,'_ thought Ignis, thinking back on the cute little baby that was currently residing in her stable inn room along with the gypsy family.

It's been around 2 days ever since the birth of Dawn, the gypsy baby that Ignis helped deliver with help from Dawn's parents, Pablo and Annabella, and their gypsy doctor friend, Lavender. During that time, Ignis had been taking care of Dawn and her family, running errands such as buying supplies and helping the family relax, with guidance from Lavender, of course. Ignis didn't necessarily neglect her Keyblade duties, either, as she spent some of her free time exploring the city of Notre Dame in search of any Unversed, only to surprisingly find none. Not only that, but at the end of the day, she would go somewhere alone by herself and begin training, working on her sword skills and magic, especially on her light and darkness magic, as well as Summoning magic. She could feel that she was so close to coming to a breakthrough, and that just one more push would do it.

Normally, if a world didn't have anymore Unversed, Ignis would leave just like that; her duty fulfilled to that world. However, there were a few reasons why she didn't leave right there and then. 1) She actually wanted to explore the world of Notre Dame a bit longer, especially since the city seems a lot interesting to her. She did plan on staying until the Festival of Fools was over, though, which would take place within a few days. 2) It was a bit highly suspicious that there was only one time where she fought the Unversed, and yet, none have appeared since then, so if she left now, more might come back. 3) She wanted to take care of Dawn and her family for a little while until they were ready to head back to their home within Notre Dame, which, even though they refused to say where it was, did mentioned it was somewhere far away. And 4) She did sense darkness within the city of Notre Dame, as well as some light within, although the strongest source of light seemed to be coming within the cathedral.

In regards to Dawn and her family, Ignis may not know too much about pregnancy, other than the basics of a mother giving birth to a newborn, but she did at least know that the mother was in no condition to move after a painful process. Ignis also didn't want to drive the family away, especially given their condition, so she allowed them to stay with her in her temporary inn room outside in the stables, at least until the day she has to leave.

Pablo and Annabella expressed their gratitude towards her many times, but Ignis assured them that it wasn't necessarily. The parents were even more touched when Ignis went out of her way to buy supplies, such as food and more clothing, for not just them, but for their newborn daughter as well. Ignis never asked for any money in return; only that she wanted to play and spend time with Dawn, a simple request that the parents were more than happy to agree upon.

Dr. Lavender helped out as well, though she made few visits during the past 2 days to check up on the family. It was understandable, given that she was one of the few gypsy doctors within the city and possibly had other gypsy patients to attend to. However, the medical advice and information she gave to them was extremely helpful and helped put Annabella at ease.

Ignis was fully aware that babies were precious and were born pure and innocent, so full of light. She knew life was important, but she wasn't fully aware just how important and valuable life was until the instant Dawn was placed into her arms. A small, tiny ball of living light...held in her arms within that very moment. It was a moment she would forever cherish and never forget. She felt the warmth of life within that tiny baby.

Life was precious...but at the same time, it was cruel. Life's experiences, events, and choices can drastically change someone, for either the good or the bad. Despite being a good person, Ignis herself had done bad things. No, she had done worst things ever since her journey began.

She disobeyed her Master's orders over and over again by continuously using darkness magic and some other forbidden magic in which her Master would deem as evil, and honestly, she wouldn't blame him. Some of the magic she's been using, such as the Curse Magic spell, Stigma, is considered black magic, specifically forbidden magic, and she has been using it on a few Unversed and other enemies she's made in other worlds. She may be reckless in battle, but even she knew how dangerous forbidden magic can be, which fortunately for her, she only knew one Curse Magic spell upon accidentally stumbling across it in Merlin's endless maze of books. That magic spell helped turned the tides when she faced against that one Unversed in The Hundred Acre Woods world.

But disobeying her Master's orders wasn't even the worst thing she's done. No, she's done far worst. She could have chosen anytime during her journey to return back home, but she didn't. Instead, she continued to pursue more knowledge on her path to obtaining balance, instead of just light. She...also remembered the last time she spoke with her friends, and how...negative they've been towards her. As hurtful as it was, she never once blamed them for their reactions, and instead only blamed herself because if they had yelled at her, then it was probably something she deserved.

But the worst thing she had done during this journey? _Killed someone._

Ignis always shuddered whenever she thought of the first time she killed someone. Granted, the first time was out of self-defense and to protect Arthur from Madam Mim, an evil person whom she killed. Even so, the scenery of Madam Mim being killed, stabbed in the heart by her very own Keyblade, would never escape her memory. In fact, it was because of that action that helped set Ignis from the path of light to trying to find a path between light and darkness.

Ignis had no idea what sort of future awaited for her now that she's trying to pursue the path of balance, and honestly, it _terrifies_ her, because it's unpredictable now.

Even if that was the case, she knew that she should focus on the present now. Worry more about the future later, and do what she can do right here and now. She'll just have to deal with any trouble that comes ahead when the time comes. For now, she had to go buy supplies for a gentle and loving gypsy family who's awaiting for her.

* * *

 _Later..._

Esmeralda was practically a celebrity amongst the gypsies and those residing in Notre Dame, mainly due to her magnificent dancing performances and unmatched beauty. She utilized and took advantage of these benefits everyday just to get food on the table, even if it sometimes resorted to seduction and other...things she prefer not to think about. She wasn't the only one, as Frollo's tyrannical rule affected not just hers, but the rest of the gypsies' lives as well.

As someone who hides in the shadows and performs out into the spotlight, Esmeralda knows a lot about the ins and outs of the city, including every single rumor she's heard ever since she was a little girl. That also includes the latest rumor of a red-haired female knight that entered Notre Dame.

She has only been around for a few days, but already, she's become well-liked by a couple of gypsies, mainly because she defended and helped them throughout her time in Notre Dame. They spoke tales of how much of a cheerful, funny, and kind person she's been, though they have mentioned that she asked questions about Notre Dame, about its current state and why gypsies are being discriminated against. It was only natural for one to be curious, seeing as she appears to be an outsider.

As for the red-haired female knight part, from what Esmeralda had gathered, the girl had luscious hair as red as blood or fire, and she appeared to be wearing strange armored clothing, thus why she was called a "red-haired female knight." In addition to her hair as bright as fire, the girl's name was Ignis, which in Latin, meant fire.

If the rumors really were true as they say, Esmeralda would love to meet this young girl. If she doesn't have the chance to talk to her, then at the very least, Esmeralda would love to see her at least once. Some of the gypsies claim that she has the beauty of a noble, despite her claiming not to be any noble.

"Ahahaha! This is so much fun!"

"Wow! I never knew you could learn numbers like this!"

"Yay! I'm having so much fun!"

Esmeralda clutched her cloak over her head even more tightly, turning her head over to where the voices of children were coming from. She saw and recognized several of the children as the orphans from one of the orphanages in Notre Dame. They may not be gypsies, but she always pitied them because there was barely anything she could do to ease their situation as orphans-no, innocent children who lost their parents, whether to war, illness, or something else. Whenever she saw any one of them, they always had a dejected look on their faces.

But not today.

Today, they had happy and playful looks on their faces as they gathered around some sort of strange paint art on the ground. Another unfamiliar person was with them, guiding them and seemingly trying to teach them something about the paint art. This person was a girl, and she had long, red hair, along with armored clothing...

It didn't take long for Esmeralda to realize that that was the red-haired female knight from the rumors; the girl named Ignis.

Ignis was indeed beautiful, but she looked more cute-looking than beautiful in her own opinion. Because of Esmeralda's own experiences, she could somewhat tell if a person is good or not, and she could already confirm that Ignis had a playful and upbeat spirit within her, especially since she seemed to enjoy playing with the orphans.

One of the orphans walked up to Ignis and tugged on her long skirt. "Mademoiselle Ignis? I'm sorry, but I forgot what the name of this game is..."

Ignis smiled and knelt down in front of her, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry. I assume this game isn't that common in this city? Well, back where I come from, it is pretty common, but I'll tell you all about it. It's called Hopscotch. It's a fun game that I used to play with my friends when I was around your age! Although, we don't really play it anymore, but it's still fun!"

"Why is it called Hopscotch?" asked one orphan boy.

"'Hop' comes from hopping! Like, jumping!" explained Ignis, bouncing up and down playfully. "As for the 'scotch' part...well, I don't really know where that came from, but I guess it doesn't matter. Now, you can have fun and learn numbers along the way! Watch!" Ignis picked up a rock and tossed it gently across the tile of numbers she created, landing on a 10. While jumping to retrieve the rock, she counted out loud the number of each tile she leapt onto before arriving at the 10th number tile and picking up the rock.

Esmeralda observed everything with a keen eye, rubbing her chin as she watched, interested. _'She's not so bad...Not many are willing to use their time to play as well as teach the orphans here. It's true that Notre Dame doesn't have too high of an educational system, so seeing someone devote their own time to helping these children is...nice.'_

Some of the children stopped playing when their stomachs started growling. Ignis noticed and asked, "Are you guys hungry?" When she received confirmation based on their nods and embarrassed looks, Ignis smiled and said, "Alright, not to worry! Just gimme a sec and wait here!"

Esmeralda, noticing that Ignis was heading down her direction, turned around and leaned against a nearby wall, luckily being close to a vendor stall selling grilled skewers, which was exactly where Ignis intended on going towards.

"Hey, mister!" called out Ignis, running up to the vendor, who had just finished grilling a new batch of grilled skewers. "I'd like to have..." Ignis turned her head and counted the orphans still waiting for her not too far away. "...16 grilled skewers, please!"

The vendor glanced over to where she had been looking at previously and narrowed his eyes, looking at her and knowing exactly why she wished for that many grilled skewers. "If you plan on feeding those orphans, then I'd advise you not to do so. It's a waste."

Ignis was, at first, surprised by his response, before getting mad. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're one of those guys who looks down on orphans or hate children!"

"Hey, I happen to have a son and a wife, you know!" scowled the vendor. "But, no, I'm not like those people you described. I'm just saying this for your sake. I'll be more than happy to give you the amount of skewers you so desire, but that's only a temporary solution. What will you do tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the next month? The next year? Are you just going to keep paying for those children to eat every single day? That's not a real solution at all. You'd only be reusing the same, temporary solution over and over again if you go down that route."

As cruel as the vendor's words were, even Esmeralda could understand where his perspective had come from. She had seen him attempt to help out the orphanage a few times before he eventually came to that conclusion he just described. It was similar to a quote she read, "If you don't work, you don't eat." For children, because they're young and inexperienced, they can't work at real-life jobs, but adults are different; they have to work to earn money and use that money to buy food and other necessities.

Like the vendor said, feeding the orphans without a permanent food source is only a temporary solution. Esmeralda was touched and understood why Ignis wanted to help the children, but despite her good intentions, it won't be enough to solve all of the orphans' problems in their lives. It was sad and heartbreaking, but that was simply the reality of nature. Especially since Esmeralda herself did try and feed the children once before, but couldn't arrive at a permanent solution herself.

"...I get what you're saying," said Ignis, smiling up at the vendor. "Yeah, maybe this is only a temporary solution. I can't solve world hunger, but, if I can at least make those children happy, even for a little bit, that's still better than doing nothing, right?"

"...Fine, fine. Here," the vendor placed the specific number of grilled skewers she requested and handed them over to Ignis, being given the money for the grilled skewers in exchange. "Don't come crying to me if you fail, though!"

"Thanks, mister!" called out Ignis, taking one of the grilled skewers and eating one herself as she hurried back to the orphans to give them their share of the grilled skewers.

Esmeralda followed not too far behind and hid as she watched Ignis happily interacting with the children more. There were no signs of stress or anything in her expression indicating that she had grown tired and weary of the children. People around her age and older would normally grow tired and have better things to take care of, but it seemed that Ignis genuinely seemed to care and was having fun being around the children. Right now, she was lifting up one of the children and swinging him around just for fun.

Esmeralda decided to follow after Ignis and watch after her for a while. While she detested the term, what she was doing was technically stalking, but she wanted to know more about Ignis. And, if her singing voice was just as good as the other gypsies say, then there's a chance that she might ask her to participate in the Festival of Fools, and not just to sightsee the famous festival.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Filthy gypsy!"

"Yeah! Your kind's so ugly!"

"You're so weak and scrawny! You can't even fight back!"

Esmeralda watched in horror as she saw some children beating up and picking on a poor, gypsy boy. It wasn't just Frollo who discriminated against the gypsies, but a fair number of citizens in Notre Dame as well, though not all. Just before she could reach out and stop the bullying, she spotted Ignis grabbing a white sheet with holes from a nearby crate, drape it over her body, and stomp towards the children.

"Booo! I'm a ghoooossstt! Now, go away or I'll haunt and curse you naughty children!" Esmeralda heard Ignis call out.

The children stopped beating up the gypsy boy and turned to stare at her. "Ha! We know that is not a real ghost! We know that is simply a costume!"

"Yeah! Now, go away!"

Ignis tilted her head. "Oh? But, can someone in a costume do...THIS?!" She muttered a quick Aero spell underneath her feet, causing a gust of wind to sweep her upwards. To keep up the act, she increased the length of time for her first-tier wind spell, allowing her to be airborne as the gust of winds kept her afloat.

"Oh, no! She is a ghost!"

"Yeah! No human can fly!"

"L-Let's get outta here! I don't wanna get cursed!"

The children ran off, leaving only a frightened and terribly injured gypsy boy behind, trembling at the sight of the "ghost" hovering before him. Esmeralda was stunned to have witnessed Ignis suddenly pulling off such a fantastic trick like that in the blink of an eye. How was she able to hover like that?

"P-Please don't hurt me..." pleaded the gypsy boy, tearing up and cowering before her.

Ignis then pulled the white sheet off her body after lowering herself back on the ground and dispelling her wind spell. "No, no! It's okay! See? I'm friendly!"

"H-huh? You're not a...ghost?"

"Nope! That was all just a trick just to get rid of those mean kids!" assured Ignis, tossing away the white sheet before offering her hand. "Are you okay?"

Hesitantly, the child raised his arm and slowly took his hand into hers, curling his tiny fingers onto her hand once he realized that she had no intentions of beating him up. "T-Thank you, Mademoiselle...but why did you help me?"

"It's only natural to want to help out someone in need, and from my point of view, you definitely needed some help! So, why did those kids attack you?"

"I...I am a gypsy...and nobody loves gypsies..."

Ignis groaned. "Again with the gypsy crap! I still don't get why people hate gypsies! Well, don't worry. I don't hate gypsies, so you're okay in my books!"

Esmeralda softened her smile when she heard Ignis say that, as well as watch her wipe any dirt and dust off the gypsy boy's clothes. Just another act of kindness she witnessed the strange girl do, as well as her adding another point of approval in Esmeralda's list.

Ignis took the gypsy's palms into her hand and noticed several bruises and cuts on his hands and arms, most likely from the beatings he's gotten from kids. Who knows how long or how many times he's been receiving beatings from discrimination? Just the sight of his injured state sickened her to the core. No, she wasn't sickened at the gypsy boy, but at the things that had been done to him.

"What's your name?" she asked him gently.

"R-Ruben, Mademoiselle..."

"Hehehe! Hey, that kinda sounds like the gemstone, ruby!" commented Ignis, grinning. "Rubies are my favorite gemstone, and just so happen to be my birthstone!"

"Ruby...Ruben..." Ruben nodded, understanding. "Yes, I can understand that. My older sister's name...it is not Ruby, but Rose."

"Roses are my favorite kind of flower!" said Ignis. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Ignis! Nice to meet you, Ruben!"

"Yes, thank you for saving me earlier, Mademoiselle Ignis. But...how did you fly?"

Glancing around to see if anybody was watching, Ignis confirmed that there was nobody else in sight besides her and Ruben, unknown of the fact that Esmeralda was watching from a hiding spot not too far from them. Ignis turned to Ruben and pressed a finger to her lips. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret, okay? It's really important!"

Ruben nodded and felt a strange warmth coursing through his body. He saw his body glowing green and saw Ignis clasping her hands over his. The pain, his cuts and bruises, all of them were starting to fade away in a heartbeat. He stared at the red-haired girl in front of her, watching her heal his wounds until there was nothing left, and he was seen as a normal gypsy boy with no injuries and only ragged clothes. The most of his injuries that remained were only deep scars that couldn't be healed, but he was already more than grateful that she healed a large majority of his wounds.

Esmeralda was just as astonished as Ruben as she witnessed magic - _actual magic_ \- being performed before her very eyes. No mater how skillful a performer you are, nobody can actually fake healing wounds. She watched as the green glow surrounding Ruben vanished as soon as all of his injuries were gone, turning to Ignis and wondering just who she was. Did all outsiders have the ability to cast magic?

"That was amazing! Thank you, Mademoiselle!" gasped Ruben excitedly.

"Now, you gotta keep this a secret, okay?" said Ignis. "I'm not actually supposed to do this, but...Well, I just can't stand seeing cute little kids like you so hurt! Now, do you promise?" _'Yeah, if Master Eraqus ever finds out, I'll be more than grounded! I'm already in a huge heap of trouble, and I don't want to add more to my pile.'_

"Yes! Of course!" agreed Ruben. "Oh! I have to go meet up with my sister, Rose! She told me to meet her near the flower shop! We're going to go buy flowers together for my father!"

"That's so sweet!" said Ignis. "Is it okay if I come along, too? I don't want you to suddenly get ambushed and possibly hurt by another group of bullies along the way."

"Oh...that would be very much appreciated, Mademoiselle Ignis!"

Ignis took Ruben's hand and walked hand-in-hand with him as they headed down the road. Already, gossip filled the streets as some eyewitnesses spotted a young, beautiful red-haired girl holding hands and happily talking with a gypsy boy. Several were still discriminators towards the gypsies, but even they had to notice that such a sight was innocent and that no harm could come from a girl and a boy holding hands together, even if the boy was a gypsy.

The people all around began to hush and quiet down when a looming figure accompanied by a knight in gold armor appeared, strolling down the streets as with a majestic air of both respect and fear. The looming figure was clad in black robes and looked like a priest with a stern expression.

Esmeralda gasped when she recognized the black-robed priest, clenching her fists at her side. That was unmistakably Judge Frollo, the most respectable, yet feared man in all of Notre Dame, or at the very least, to all gypsies residing in Notre Dame. He especially hated gypsies with a burning passion, and she's heard stories of how he's imprisoned, tortured, and had gypsies executed! As much as she wished to, she couldn't go over and just run away and take both Ignis and Ruben away. The least she could do is watch and see what happens before making any rescue attempt.

The sight of Ignis holding hands and happily chatting with Ruben caught the black-robed priest's attention as he walked up to them. "You there!" he bellowed, drawing in a small crowd from the sidelines as the people watched what was going to happen. "Girl with the red hair!"

Ignis paused for a moment and glanced up, seeing a black-robed priest approaching her. She felt trembling and a tighter grip on her hand, causing her to glance down to see Ruben trembling in fear and clinging close to her. "Ruben? What's wrong?"

"Girl! I demand your attention!" demanded the black-robed priest. "Who are you? I've never seen you before in my city! State your name!"

"Huh? Uh...Ignis. My name is Ignis, sir," said Ignis, blinking in confusion. "Can I help you with something...?"

"Are you aware that you are harboring a filthy gypsy? That is against the law."

"Harboring? Against the law?" Ignis was more confused as she glanced down at Ruben and came to the realization that the mysterious black-robed priest was referring to Ruben. "What are you talking about? Why...I mean, I'm just escorting this young boy to his sister, nothing more than that."

"Young lady, are you perhaps a traveler?"

"Yeah, you can say that. I mean, I am pretty new around here and I just came a few days ago. I only came here to visit."

"I see. If that is the case, then naturally, you would have no way of knowing the laws within this city," the black-robed priest said. "I shall forgive this transgression this once, therefore, step away from the gypsy filth and be on your way."

"You keep calling this little boy, 'filth,' but he has a name, you know," defended Ignis. "And why do I want your forgiveness, anyways? In fact, why do I have to listen to you?"

The black-robed priest scowled and shouted, "You dare to-?!" He relaxed and calmed himself, mentally reminding himself that this stranger was still new around the parts of Notre Dame. "Very well. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Judge Claude Frollo, Minister of Justice. My word is law, and the law obeys God's wishes, and as such, I order you to step away from the gypsy boy and hand him over so he can be arrested."

"What the fu-?! Arrested?! What for?!"

Even the golden armored knight that was accompanying Frollo was shocked by his order. "Sir! I think that's a bit excessive! The boy has done nothing wrong!"

"Silence, Captain Phoebus," commanded Frollo. "If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked. Now, take the gypsy filth to one of the prison cells near here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that!" said Ignis, placing Reuben behind her in order to protect him.

"Stand aside, girl. The filth in this city must be exterminated. I am already willing to forgive you because you have had no knowledge of the filth in this city, but if you continue to stand in my way, I will not hesitate to throw down the full weight of the law down upon you."

"The law requires you to arrest innocents?" questioned Ignis. "I may not have been in this city for long, but even I can tell how messed up that sort of system is!"

"I am not punishing the innocent," assured Frollo calmly. "The gypsies here are the filth that continue to stench this city of God. They are wild animals seeking to cause havoc upon this peaceful city and must be chained down to the law, even if it involves force."

"...Back where I come from, I've been taught to help the weak and innocent and not to harm them, no matter what," started Ignis, prepared to summon her Keyblade at any time should the situation worsen.

"With that mindset, we are in agreement," Frollo said. "I, too, wish to protect the weak and innocent, as it is my sworn duty to do so. And that can only be done by exterminating the gypsies, all for God's will."

Ignis was shocked. "Wh-?! No! What is wrong with you?! Don't you dare try and twist-"

Suddenly, a ball-like object rolled right near their feet and spewed out large amounts of smoke, filling the area. Citizens screamed as they rushed indoors for cover, and the knight named Phoebus draped his blue cloak over Frollo to protect him. Recognizing a smoke bomb when she saw one, Ignis took the opportunity to grab Ruben and make a run for it.

She took a sharp turn towards an alleyway and started running through random alleyways to hasten her getaway. _'Judge Claude Frollo...Judge Claude Frollo...where have I heard that name before?'_ thought Ignis, panting as she took yet another sharp turn. _'Uh...Oh! He's the guy who kept tormenting the gypsies and is practically the big boss of this city! But, if he's real...does that mean that that story song that Clopin sang is real?'_

"Mademoiselle! Look! The flower shop! And my sister! She is there!" pointed out Ruben.

Ignis saw a shop selling flowers not only on the inside, but outside as well. A beautiful girl possibly a year or two older than her wearing a pink robe was standing around, waiting when she spotted Ignis and Ruben. Panic and fear filled her face as she rushed over.

Ignis set down Ruben, watching him run over to his sister and hug her. Their embrace was only short, though, as the girl named Rose stopped to bow at Ignis. "I-I am very sorry if my little brother caused any trouble to you, Mademoiselle! Please, do not report us to Judge Frollo!"

"Huh? Why would I do that? I'm not reporting anything," assured Ignis. "That guy was a jerk, anyways."

Ruben nodded. "Yes, sister! Mademoiselle Ignis helped me! She defended me against Judge Frollo! She's so amazing!"

Rose's eyes widened. "What?! You met Judge Frollo! Oh, I told you not to cause any trouble! I told you to stay away from men like him, especially him!"

"Hey, lady, to be fair, he came up to us," Ignis defended, leaning against a post. "We were walking together, trying to find the flower shop, when he called out and walked up to us. It's not either of our faults that he confronted us."

"I...I see. My apologies. My fears and worries have overtaken me yet again," apologized Rose. "I am Rose, Ruben's older sister. Thank you for protecting and escorting him all the way here."

"I'm Ignis! Nice to meet you!" said Ignis. "And I gotta say, I love your name! Your name deviates from the flower, rose, right? That's my favorite kind of flower!"

"O-Oh, I see...Then, as payment for taking my brother back to me, I shall pay you a bundle of roses," offered Rose.

Ignis shook her head. "No need! I mean, I'm grateful for the offer, but that's really no trouble."

"Besides, we have to buy flowers for Papa's grave, remember?" reminded Ruben. "Mother is waiting for us there!"

"Grave?" wondered Ignis.

Rose sighed. "Yes. We are buying flowers so we can put them in our Papa's gravestone. Today is his fifth-year anniversary since he left us."

"Oh...I'm sorry for your loss."

"No, it is fine. It's refreshing to see more kind souls in this city. Ruben, I have already bought the flowers, so let us meet Mother at Papa's gravestone, alright?"

"Yes, sister!"

"Wait," called out Ignis. "I know it's not really any of my business, but can I tag along? I mean, just earlier, me and Ruben did encounter Judge Frollo, and I'm afraid of what'll happen if you guys see him again on your way to the graveyard. Especially since Judge Frollo's already seen Ruben. Let me come with you, and if he does come, I'll buy enough time for you and your brother to run away."

"Y-You would do that...?" gasped Rose, surprised. "I...I would like to take you up on your offer. Thank you."

From that point on, Ignis escorted Rose and Ruben all the way to the graveyard. Well, at the very least, she acted as their bodyguard while they gave her directions as to where the graveyard was at. Once they arrived, it didn't take long for them to spot an older woman who was just as equally beautiful as Rose kneeling down and praying in front of a gravestone.

"Mother," called out Rose softly, prompting their mother to stop her praying and look up at her two children. "We're here."

Their mother smiled kindly. "Ah...you've arrived, Rose and Ruben. And, who is this young girl besides you?"

"I'm Ignis, ma'am," said Ignis. "Don't mind me. I'm just an escort. I heard that you're visiting your husband's grave for his anniversary today?"

As Ruben helped Rose arrange the flowers at their father's gravestone, their mother stood up and faced Ignis. "Yes. It's been 5 years since my husband died. He...was a soldier fighting in a war, when he perished long ago."

"I see," said Ignis. "Uh...Are...are you having trouble with living? Like, money problems?"

The mother shook her head. "No. Yes, there are tough times, but we managed through. After my husband died, we received wages from when my husband died heroically in battle. Not only that, but we have savings, so we'll be okay."

"..." Ignis took out some of her money and handed it over to the mother. At first, the mother was about to protest, but Ignis shook her head. "No, no. It's okay. I want to do this. I know it's not much, but I still hope it'll at least help your family out a bit. I don't know what it's like, taking care of a family, but I at least know that it must be hard for a single mother to take care of two children. So, please, just take it."

"...Okay," said the mother, taking the money that Ignis offered before giving her a smile. "You're a truly kind soul, Ignis. May God bless you."

Ignis wasn't quite a believer of God. In fact, God wasn't really her top priority in life, since she only had to have faith in her skills to grow stronger to become a Keyblade Master. God had no part in that. Still, she didn't discriminate against God or anything, she just has a bit of a lack of faith in him. But right now, she was kneeling in front of the husband's gravestone, praying to God for the husband to rest in peace.

No, it wasn't just her, but Ruben, Rose, and their mother who joined her in praying to God.

* * *

 _Later..._

Ignis had quite the long day after visiting the graveyard. She helped several gypsies in various ways, like singing at their posts to attract people and get them to throw gold at the gypsies, healing some injured gypsies, and even talking with them to pass the time. But it wasn't just gypsies she encountered, but other people who might need of assistance, like helping an old man put up a sign, teaching and playing with some children, and much more. With each good deed, she had unknowingly caused her reputation as the "red-haired female knight" to grow in a matter of hours.

Just as she was heading back to the inn where she was staying at, she spotted a few male gypsies having poor luck trying to win customers to try and get them gold. They tried playing songs with their instruments, but none of the songs seemed particularly interesting. The hat that was supposed to be stuffed with gold only had a few gold coins inside, and they seemed depressed, tired, and hungry.

Deciding to sing one more song to not only help them out and attract customers, but also to cheer them up, Ignis bounced towards them and threw in some money inside their hat. "Hi, there! Say, is it okay if I sing a song and you guys just follow the beat? Like, act out the instruments!"

One of the gypsies looked up, curious. "You will sing? Well, we have nothing better to do."

"And we do need to buy some food," another gypsy spoke.

"What kind of song do you plan on singing?" asked another gypsy.

"One of my favorites! It's quite exquisite!" said Ignis. "I'm sure you'll get to the beat soon enough!"

"If that's the case, can I join in?" asked a beautiful gypsy woman, stepping forward. "My name is Esmeralda, and I've been hearing a bit about you. I want to see your singing talents. I can't join in the singing, but I am talented at dancing."

"Hmm? Sure!" Ignis said. "I'm awful at dancing, so with your dancing, these guys' instruments in the background, and my singing, we should be able to be good for one song!"

"Sounds good to me. Why don't you start us off, and we'll pick it up from there?" suggested Esmeralda.

"Okay!" Ignis took a few deep breaths, relaxed, and began singing.

 **Arabian Nights (2019 version)**

 **Composed by: Alan Menken**

 **Sung by: Genie (Will Smith)**

 _"Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place,_

 _Where the caravan camels roam._

 _Where you wander among_

 _Every culture and tongue_

 _It's chaotic, but hey, it's home._

 _When the wind's from the east,_

 _And the sun's from the west,_

 _And the sand in the glass is right!_

 _Come on down, stop on by!_

 _Hop a carpet and fly_

 _To another Arabian night!"_

Quickly getting the rhythm and beat of the song, the male gypsies began playing their instruments in the background, picking up what might come next. Esmeralda caught on a sort of Arabic-style song that Ignis was singing and smiled before dancing to the tune of the song. All their combined efforts started forming a bit of a crowd that would soon grow the more the song continued.

 _"As you wind through the streets at the fabled bazaars,_

 _With the cardamom - cluttered stalls,_

 _You can smell every spice_

 _While you haggle the price_

 _Of the silks and the satin shawls._

 _Oh, the music that plays_

 _As you move through a maze_

 _In the haze of your pure delight!_

 _You are caught in a dance,_

 _You are lost in the trance,_

 _Of another Arabian night!"_

The song started growing more intense as Esmeralda's slow dances took a sharp twist into faster and stronger dances. She followed the beat of the instruments, and Ignis sang more intensely and loudly, bringing in more customers to the exotic song being played, being performed by the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda.

 _"Arabian nights!_

 _Like Arabian days!_

 _More often than not_

 _Are hotter than hot!_

 _In a lot of good ways!_

 _Arabian nights!_

 _Like Arabian dreams!_

 _This mystical land_

 _Of magic and sand_

 _Is more than it seems!"_

More people gathered around the Arabic song being played, mesmerized not just by the song, but by Ignis' singing voice in rhythm to the song as well as Esmeralda's attractive dances. The next lines increased more tension and a faster tone in which all of the performers grew in sync to.

 _"There's a road that may lead you_

 _To good or to greed through_

 _The power your wishing commands!_

 _Let the darkness unfold_

 _Or find fortunes untold!_

 _Well, your destiny lies in your hands!"_

The song paused and stopped for a moment, being replaced by a softer, almost silent instrumental part. The intensity of the dances stopped and Esmeralda began to perform a slow dance. Even though she was dancing slowly, it still brought a gentle grace that people were still mesmerizing. In the meantime, Ignis was humming the silent part of the song to herself before snapping her fingers, signaling the others to continue. The startup of the sharp and intense part of the song came up slowly before reaching a peak point.

 _"Arabian nights!_

 _Like Arabian days!_

 _They seem to excite!_

 _Take off and take flight!_

 _To shock and amaze!_

 _Arabian nights!_

 _'Neath Arabian moons!_

 _A fool off his guard_

 _Could fall and fall hard_

 _Out there on the dunes!"_

At the end of the song, Ignis bowed her head, causing Esmeralda and the other instrumentalists to do the same. Loud applause came from the audience as they cheered and threw gold coins as thanks for a magnificent performance before dispersing and leaving.

"Mademoiselle." Ignis turned and saw the gypsy men wearing smiles on their faces as they collected the gold coins off the ground. "Thank you so much."

Ignis grinned cheekily. "Aww, it was nothing! I just wanted to help out! Thank you for helping me with my song! Oh, and thank you too, Esmeralda!"

Esmeralda nodded. "Of course. You're quite the talented singer. You're just as good as Clopin."

"You know Clopin? And, no way! He's like, a way more amazing singer than I am! I can't reach that high note he performed during that one song!"

"I'm sure he'll be more than pleased to hear you praise him like that. Is it okay if I talk to you in a more private area?" asked Esmeralda. "It won't take too long."

"Sure!"

* * *

 _That night..._

"What? You've been chosen to perform at the Festival of Fools?" asked Annabella, who was holding a squirming Dawn in her arms.

"Yup!" said Ignis, chewing on some food before swallowing. "Esmeralda asked me to perform with her on stage in the Festival of Fools! Apparently, she had another partner, but she sprained her ankle and hurt her throat, so she's out. I'm no good at dancing, but Esmeralda said that both she and Clopin will help me out with that. And, I get to sing one song of my choice!"

"Are you certain you're up to the task?" asked Pablo. "The Festival of Fools is only in a few days, and you'll have to work hard, as in, EXTREMELY HARD, in those few days."

Ignis nodded. "I know. So, for the next few days, until the Festival of Fools, from sunrise to mid-afternoon, I'll be training hard with Clopin and Esmeralda! So, that means I'll have to get up real early! Our meeting spot is some abandoned buildings near the graveyard, so I'll have to be up and early tomorrow and the next few days to come! I know that if I do this, then you guys-"

"Don't worry about us, Ignis. You've already done more than plenty enough," assured Annabella. "Dr. Lavender has been visiting us during the time you've gone, so if we need anything, we'll ask her. In addition, my condition should improve by the time the festival comes around. We really do have to hurry back home, though."

"I understand. I'll try and help with your recovery," said Ignis. "Is there anything you need? Feel any pains?"

"No. I'm just tired...Would you like to hold Dawn, Ignis?"

"Definitely!"

"AFTER you finish eating and washing your hands," told Pablo strictly.

"Awww!"

From the shadows, a masked boy clad in darkness watched while in hiding, having no intention of doing anything. Ever since he discovered that Ignis had arrived in this world, he had no hesitation in jumping in the same world as her. He's been watching and following after her, tracking down her every movement. He thought that after he had the Unversed leave this world alone, that Ignis would leave this world as well.

But she didn't.

Instead, she stayed and just started helping the people of this world. Any fighting she did was normally to defend the people or to train by herself. He was amused to see that Ignis was breaking some otherworldly rules over and over by healing injured folks, secretly using magic to intimidate offenders, and even breaking her Master's rule of using darkness magic. She had changed from a girl who believed in the power of light to a rebel.

But just how much longer did she plan on staying? Perhaps she planned on staying until that Festival of Fools was over? After all, it would take place in a few days. He could tell that she's gotten much more stronger since the last they've met, and her manipulation over darkness magic had vastly improved. He was excited to fight her once again. Maybe next time, she'll put up more of a fight than her other so-called friends!

"Ugh! She puked on me!"

"Oh, no! Honey, please get a towel! Bad Dawn! You can't puke on others!"

"Don't worry, it's fine! She's a baby! Babies do a lot of...disgusting things."

 _'...What an idiot,'_ Vanitas thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

* * *

 **Yay! Another chapter has been updated! Whoo!**

 **So, guys, I've been wondering about something. Just why is Judge Frollo so against the gypsies? I mean, I don't think it's been fully cleared up. I get that the guy is totally racist towards them and that he's a major hypocrite. I also heard that he hated them because he thinks they uses witchcraft, and back then, witchcraft really wasn't that highly valued. I also know that in KH Dream Drop Distance, he hates how he can't restrict the gypsies freedom, but am I missing something else?**

 **Also, I decided to make Phoebus arrive in Notre Dame much earlier than when he did in the movie. I just wanted to just for the fun of it, plus he'll see more of the corruption within Notre Dame a lot more earlier.**

 **As for that whole Arabian Nights song, I always thought there was some sort of connection between the gypsies and the Arabs. I mean, they do kinda look a bit similar, but I know they're different. I also figured that some gypsies might know Arabic music and such, which is why I put that Arabian Nights song. Personally, I love the 2019 version of the movie better than the old, first version!**

 **Ignis' performance on stage won't take place next chapter, because there's still some things I want to do with the next chapter, but you'll still see more of Notre Dame's corruption a bit next chapter. Another reason why I had Ignis go to Notre Dame was to notice corruption and have her a bit conflicted over the forces of darkness and light, thus the corruption in this world will be perfect for her path of balance.**

 **That's all for me! Read and review!**


	38. La Cité des Cloches (3)

**Here's the next chapter, everyone! I told you guys that things would start getting a bit more darker beginning from this world. Okay, even if I made very small mention of it before, I'm telling you guys right now. This chapter, well, not at the beginning, but sometime later, it does get a bit dark. You'll understand. It's like RWBY, where it starts off humorous and fun, and then later, it grows more and more darker with each volume.**

 **Yeah, so when I say that this chapter will get a bit dark, yeah, you guys are kinda gonna hate me for what I'm gonna do. If you don't know what I mean, well, just read and find out. Warning, this may have triggers, so I'm just giving you guys a heads-up.**

 **Oh, and thanks for telling me more reasons on why Frollo hates the gypsies. They clarified and gave me some information that I didn't even think of! Thanks, everyone!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own Disney songs, like "Out There," or any songs belonging to RWBY composed by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams.**

* * *

Ignis was sitting on a building ledge, swinging her legs back and forth playfully as she checked out the Unversed Cleanser to scan for any Unversed in the world she was in. Once again, just like in the past few days, there were no indications of anymore Unversed in this world. The Unversed Cleanser was already upgraded by Merlin the last time she saw him, which had been in Radiant Garden and it had been a while since she had last been there. Since it hasn't been that long and since she was certain she hasn't damaged it, she was certain that the Unversed Cleanser wasn't malfunctioning.

In fact, besides that one time when the Unversed invaded during Annabella's pregnancy, Ignis hasn't even seen one Unversed. Sure, she was having fun exploring the city, making friends, and helping others, but she also upheld her duty as a Keyblade apprentice, which meant looking out for any dangers and evil forces. During the few days since she's been here, besides the racism and discrimination she's seen, no Unversed has appeared.

 _'If no other Unversed arrives by the time the Festival of Fools is here, then I'll be certain that there are no more Unversed in this world,'_ Ignis thought, putting away her Unversed Cleanser. _'Luckily, the Festival of Fools is tomorrow, so I just need to wait just a little bit longer!'_

In the meantime, all she's been doing besides being on the lookout for any Unversed was stopping corrupt soldiers from harassing the gypsies or anyone innocent, helping the gypsies through some form of charity work, and now, she's been practicing nonstop with Esmeralda and Clopin, training to help them with the grand performances during the Festival of Fools that would take place tomorrow. She may be a good singer as she has sung nonstop through the years, but guidance from two professionals, no matter how grueling the training was, definitely helped her improve immensely.

"Hey, you! It's dangerous up there! Get down from there!"

"Hmm?" Ignis glanced down from her position and saw that it was that golden armored knight that was accompanying Frollo before. An annoyed look formed on her face as she refused to do as he said. She simply crossed her arms and looked away.

The golden armored knight, also known as Captain Phoebus, sighed when he realized that Ignis was definitely not coming down. It wasn't hard to recognize her as the girl who was helping out that poor gypsy boy a few days ago, as it was rare to come across any girl with hair as red and long as hers. Additionally, he could understand why she refused to come down: Because of him. Because he was seen with Frollo as his bodyguard, it was only natural for her to presume that she was on Frollo's side, at least, in terms of his hatred of the gypsies, but Phoebus held no such thing for the gypsies. In fact, there was one certain beautiful gypsy girl that he quite fancied.

"I promise, I'm not here to arrest you or anything! I simply want to see you off that roof! It's dangerous up there! You could fall off!" called out Phoebus.

"..."

"I'm not leaving until you get off that roof! I'll even help you off that roof if you so desire!"

Somehow, Ignis knew that Phoebus might be telling the truth that he really won't leave her along unless she does as he asks. She decided to face him and called back, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes! I can!"

"You know, I can just get up and like, run and jump across the other rooftops, right? They're really not that far to jump!"

"I wouldn't recommend you do that!" said Phoebus. "But if that happens to be the case, I'll simply follow you!"

"I'm a pretty fast runner!"

"I've had to run a lot faster in the war I was in! Rest assured! I give you my word that I have no intentions of harming you whatsoever! We can play the waiting game all day, but I'm not leaving you alone until you get down from there!"

Thinking that Phoebus might actually do that, Ignis had little to no choice but to comply. _'If he does try and attack, I can always defend myself and then run away,'_ Ignis thought, standing up. _'Hmm...I wonder if I should set his cape on fire? Maybe I should cast a Stun spell on him and draw all over his face? Yeah! That sounds a lot more funnier!'_

Phoebus watched as Ignis slid down the wall before jumping off it to grab ahold of one of the nearby streetlights to slid down on the ground, impressed. "You're quite good, little lady, though I wished that you came down using a safer method, like a ladder."

"Eh, I still did what you asked, only in my way," said Ignis. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Phoebus cleared his throat. "Right, well, I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Phoebus, and that means 'Sun God.' Might I ask for your name?"

"...Ignis. It's Ignis."

"Ignis, huh? Fascinating and fitting name. Did you know that your name means 'Fire' in Latin?"

Ignis nodded. "I've been hearing that a lot lately. I guess I know why I've been named that, not that I'm complaining. So, if that's all, I think I'll be going-"

"Wait, wait, wait," said Phoebus, stopping her. "I wanted to clear up any misunderstanding that happened the first time we saw each other. I understand that Judge Frollo hates the gypsies in this city, but I disagree with him. I haven't really seen any gypsies do anything wrong except try and live out their lives just like the rest of the citizens here in this city, and yet a lot of people here, including several soldiers, have mistreated them as though they've done something wrong."

"Technically, not all soldiers here are bad. Conrad was pretty nice," commented Ignis.

Phoebus looked surprised, but relaxed into a smile when he heard her comment. "Conrad, huh? Yes, he and his friends didn't seem to hate the gypsies. In fact, he was quite an eager rookie. He needs a bit more training, but as his captain, it's my duty to see that through."

"You're the captain of the knights around here?" asked Ignis before frowning. "If you're the captain of the knights, and you disagreed with all of the discrimination surrounding the gypsies, then, why don't you do something about it?"

"To be fair, I am the new Captain of the Guards," defended Phoebus. "Judge Frollo said he dismissed the last Captain and had me promoted to become the new Captain to replace the old one. I just arrived here at Notre Dame a few days ago, so I'm still trying to adjust things here."

Ignis' face softened to a look of understanding. "I see...Sorry, I didn't know about that. Now it makes a bit more sense."

Phoebus shook his head. "No, you have nothing to apologize for. You're right, though. I should take advantage of my position and try to straighten out my soldiers."

"...If you want, I can tell you what I've seen some of the soldiers do around here. And I do mean, like the really bad ones."

"That...would be highly appreciative, yes."

Ignis nodded and proceeded to tell Phoebus what she's seen some of the corrupted soldiers do to the gypsies going about their daily lives during her time in Notre Dame. How they try and take the gold that the gypsies have tirelessly worked hard to obtain, how they harass gypsies and accuse them of any crime with any little movement they make, and how sometimes, they even try to arrest the gypsies for no reason.

Phoebus' expression continuously changed from being upset, to horrified, and then to anger. "Thank you for reporting this to me, Ignis. Rest assured, the perpetrators will NOT get away with this any longer. I will be having a very strict conversation, and should they get caught doing such things ever again, well, let's just say that I'll prove much scarier than Judge Frollo."

Ignis seemed satisfied with Phoebus' attitude. "Good! I was getting sick and tired of watching innocent gypsies being trampled everyday! Who knows how long this has been going on?"

Phoebus sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know, but I will be seeing some changes in my men, even if it has to resort to heavy punishments. I don't know, but I have a really strange feeling that things are going to change here."

Ignis tilted her head in confusion. "Well, yeah! Because you seem like a nice guy, and you're going to bring change, soon! Obviously, things are going to change here!"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, I have a bad feeling that things are only going to get worse. My gut tells me that."

Ignis walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder as an effort to cheer him up. "Cheer up, Phoebus! I'm sure you'll be fine! I've never been a leader before, but even I can tell that leadership is a lot of hard work! Master Eraqus certainly had a tough time raising me and my other friends, especially me!"

"Master?" Phoebus raised an eyebrow at her words. "You were a slave?"

"What? No, no, no, no! He's my Key-Uh...I mean, he's my sword master!" said Ignis, quick not to expose anything otherworldly. "He taught me and my friends how to wield the sword! Kinda! But...I've always been the troublemaker of the team! Hehehe! I caused so much trouble!~"

"Oh, looks like I'll have to watch out for a certain red-headed troublemaker in this city, then," joked Phoebus. "And a sword? Hmm...I've never seen a girl fight with swordsmanship before. It's usually the men who does it, but...if there's ever an opportunity, I'd like to see your sword skills."

Ignis grinned. "Yeah! Wait, are you asking for a spar?"

"I wish, but unfortunately, I'm still in my Captain duties."

"If we do spar, and if I win, then I get bragging rights!" declared Ignis.

Phoebus chuckled. "Fine by me. But, if I win, then the same applies to me, alright?"

"Deal!" Both shook hands on that promise and went their separate ways, and though the atmosphere was still peaceful in the city of Notre Dame, they couldn't but feel a chilly wind, as though Phoebus' prediction was correct and that something bad will come soon.

* * *

 _Later..._

Ignis was happily humming to herself, skipping along the sidewalk as she once again explored the city of Notre Dame, fascinated by the sights it provided and wanting to explore the entirety of the large city for herself now that she had some time to herself. She was done with her final practice, so she had all the time to explore today until the finale performance at the Festival of Fools tomorrow.

She spotted a crowd gathered around in the town square, where preparations for the Festival of Fools were still ongoing. However, the crowd seemed to be talking amongst themselves, creating a bit of a commotion. Gently pushing a few of the folks in her way while muttering quick apologies and excuses, Ignis made her way to see the front and was horrified at the sight before her.

An older soldier was grasping the back hair of a young gypsy girl as she thrashed around, struggling to break free and crying out in pain. Another soldier was gleefully kicking at an already fallen boy, who was curled up and trying to protect himself. However, another soldier, much more younger and his face covered in freckles, was trying to defend the children, even shielding himself in front of a young girl holding a baby, from a much more larger, intimidating soldier who seemed to have years of fighting experience judging from his intimidating presence alone.

"P-Please, stop!" pleaded the freckle-faced soldier. "I understand that these children are under debt, but you don't have to exert such violent force onto them!"

"Those who cannot pay their debts in time must be retaliated with force," sneered one of the soldiers. "Or, are you saying we should let them go simply because they're children? Don't be so naïve!"

"Yeah!" agreed another soldier. "It's only because their dead parents owed debts that they're in this situation! Don't blame us for doing our jobs! Lieutenant, what should we do?"

The large, experienced soldier deemed as the Lieutenant, rubbed his chin before smirking vulgarly. "Hmm...They're gypsies, so I don't sympathize them one bit. But that girl holding the baby...Mmm...She's young, but she seems close to adult age...You! Girl! If you want to avoid paying your debts as well as the debts with these other children, then I suggest you strip. Down. Ever. Single. Last. Clothing."

Immediately realizing the Lieutenant's heinous intentions, Ignis's eyes widened. _'What the fuck is wrong with him?!'_ she thought; a fury close to bloodthirst swelling within her as she clenched her fists and a disgusted, dark look formed on her face.

The freckle-faced soldier seemed to have reached the same conclusion, as he brandished his sword and stood more firm and protectively in front of the terrified young girl, now clinging onto the baby for comfort. "N-No! I won't let you! This is going too far!"

The Lieutenant grew impatient, snarling before backslapping the freckle-faced soldier, roughly throwing him across the ground with a red mark on his face. Just that one blow wasn't enough to render the young soldier unconscious, but the massive strength of that blow was still enough to make him unable to move for a while not only from the injury, but out of fear as well.

Ignis, like many of the other bystanders, gasped at such a terrible sight. Ignis was so close. So, very, very, _very_ close to losing her temper and interfering. It was already bad enough for the Commander to declare his vile intentions, but in addition to hitting his subordinate for trying to protect innocents, even if they did owe debts? _Unforgivable._

The Lieutenant grinned as he stepped towards the young girl, trembling in fear and holding onto the baby even more tightly than before. His eyes hidden behind his knight's helm shined with vile light, his movements slow yet filled with lecherous intentions, and the way he licked his lips as though awaiting to devour something delicious that was right in front of him. He pulled his large broadsword out from its scabbard, repeatedly striking the blunt side on his palm to show how intimidating he was and could be even moreso if the young girl didn't comply to his demands.

Suddenly, the Lieutenant's surroundings were dyed in a flash of light, and a rapid, explosive-like sound rumbled out, followed by the screams of the Lieutenant's subordinates, save for the already fallen freckled-faced soldier. He looked around and saw a red-haired girl, Ignis, slashing away at the soldiers, hitting them with a strange weapon resembling both a key and a blade, and knocking them out with swift slashes before she diverted her attention at the Lieutenant.

Because he was the only other soldier remaining, it was clear who her next target was. Overconfident that he was more experienced and that he would easily take her down with one blow, the Lieutenant heft up his weapon, swinging his heavy broadsword over his head downwards just as Ignis rushed at him. However, the girl deflected the blow with a heavy underhand done with her Phoenix Fairy, making the Lieutenant reel back. But, that was the opening that Ignis needed.

Taking advantage of the opening, Ignis lunged forward, raising and then slashing Phoenix Fairy right at his knight's helm. The Lieutenant's head reared backward from the slash and he stammered back once more. He recovered fast enough to defend against Ignis' follow-up strike, before engaging in a swift series of parries and slashes. This continued until Ignis found a small weakness within his defensive maneuver and counterattacked, slashing one strike from underneath and sending him off his feet with a loud crash.

A confident smile formed on her face as Ignis stood over the Lieutenant, clearly being seen as the victor, while the Lieutenant laid on the ground, groaning from the crash he suffered. Ignis, having stopped a conflict between the soldiers and the gypsies, lowered her Keyblade and scanned the area. The kids seemed okay, scared, but mostly okay as the collapsed bodies of the soldiers she knocked out scattered around.

"Whew..." Dismissing her Keyblade secretly, Ignis turned around and saw the crowd, as well as the young gypsies she saved, standing still, lost for words. It was understandable, given that they all just witnessed a young girl like her taking out trained soldiers in a fell swoop, even humiliating the Commander by engaging in a public fight and then defeating him with so many witnesses around. She thought that she had frightened them when she gave into her fury and lashed out earlier by taking down the soldiers. This...wasn't exactly how she planned things to go down.

One of the children that was being threatened ran up to Ignis with a huge smile on his face. "T-Thank you, Miss!"

The other child, the little girl, brushed aside her messy hair that was crippled up from one of the soldiers earlier, and rushed up to Ignis. "Y-Yes! Thank you!"

The slightly older, yet young girl holding onto the baby, nodded, expressing her thanks to Ignis. "Y-Yes, tha-LOOK OUT!"

"Hmm?"

Ignis felt a rush of murderous intent and turned to see the Lieutenant having risen up; a look of hatred and vengeance all over his face as he raised his broadsword to swing it towards her face. Hastily, Ignis pushed the children away and dashed away to dodge the swing. Although she avoided the worst of the slash, Ignis couldn't completely dodge the slash nor raise her Keyblade in time.

Ignis yelled in pain as pain burst out from her cheek, where a large gash wound appeared. Fingers trembling, Ignis gently raised her hand to lightly touch her cheek, winching in pain at even the gentlest of touches. She felt a warm liquid and glanced down to see it was indeed blood. Warm blood formed on her wound instantly and dripped down her cheek, even onto the ground as droplets of blood. A splatter of blood was around the corner from the Lieutenant's earlier slash.

Seeing as she was distracted, the recovered Lieutenant grinned and engulfed her face with his large gauntlet, muffling out Ignis' surprised cry. Because he had far more superior strength, he easily lifted her light body up before throwing her down, slamming her headfirst into the floor.

Releasing another cry, Ignis felt pain coursing through her body as well as warmth flowing down the side of her head. Opening up one eye, she could see a small puddle of blood forming near her, and judging from the headache she was suffering, she figured that she must have suffered a head wound, unsurprisingly, considering that she was slammed to the ground a few moments ago. Her ears were still ringing, but she could did hear screams and sounds of panic, probably from either the crowd or the children she was trying to save; probably both.

Grunting, she tried to get up and saw the sight of the freckle-faced soldier in front of her, wielding his weapon and acting in defiance towards the Lieutenant. Because she was still trying to regain her senses, she couldn't completely make out of what was happening, but she figured that the freckle-faced soldier was trying to defend her, despite being a lower rank and having to obey his Lieutenant.

"STOP!"

An elderly white-robed priest marched outside after exiting through the open doors of the large cathedral, an expression of indignation worn on his face as he hurriedly tried to stop the violence even further. Ignis, though her hearing was slowly starting to return, could still vaguely hear the murmurs of the crowd as they dispersed to give the white-robed priest space, saying things like, "It's the Archdeacon!" "The Archdeacon has come!"

"The...Archdeacon? Who's that?" murmured Ignis in confusion.

Having overheard Ignis' murmurs, the young girl holding the baby knelt down besides her and answered. "The Archdeacon is the clergyman of the Notre Dame Cathedral. He is highly respected and is most kind!"

The Archdeacon stepped up to the Lieutenant, and although the giant himself didn't sheath his weapon, his other soldiers looked nervous and had the sense to put away their weapons. "Archdeacon," spoke the Lieutenant with overwhelming confidence that he hasn't done anything wrong. "I assure you, we had this situation under control. We're just teaching these... _sinners_ a le-"

"I saw the whole thing!" yelled the Archdeacon. "I only regret that I could not have come here much sooner to stop this...because someone else did and got injured as a result." He turned his face towards Ignis; his angered gaze softening into a sorrowful one as it indicated he knew what Ignis did.

"Make way! Make way!"

The crowd dispersed even further at the sound of a loud, commanding voice. Ignis and the others turned and saw Phoebus making his way to the scene while riding on a white horse named Achilles. When he first saw what assumed to be quite a serious scene before him, his expression turned firm and serious.

"Achilles, heel." Achilles the horse came to a halt, prompting his owner to jump off Achilles before making his way to the scene. "What is going on? What's this scene before me?"

"You are the new Captain of the knights, correct?" questioned the Archdeacon, receiving a nod from the golden-armored soldier. "Praise God that you arrived! I will tell you everything that has transpired here! I was up on one of the upper levels of the cathedral when..."

As the Archdeacon explained everything in full detail, Phoebus' expression reverted based on his emotions as he started to get a grasp of the situation. Surprise, shock, and, understandable, anger. Upon being given the full detailed explanation, Phoebus examined the scene before him, from the frightened, defenseless children, to the freckle-faced soldier, to the other corrupted soldiers including the Lieutenant, and even Ignis, who still sported the gash and head wound on her body.

"Archdeacon, I formally request that you allow me to take care of this mess," requested Phoebus, glaring darkly at the soldiers responsible for this entire situation. "Rest assured... _they will not be getting away with this."_

The soldiers that proved discriminate towards the gypsies and the children they were tormenting, felt shivers down their spines. Their former Captain had always dismissed their actions and allowed them to get away with what they wanted, until he messed up, causing Judge Frollo to replace their former Captain with Captain Phoebus. Unlike their former Captain, however, Phoebus was more light-hearted, but always serious in his line of work and never tolerated any laziness, racism, or unfair treatment towards gypsies, orphans, or pretty much anyone within the city of Notre Dame, earning him both respect and hated within his group.

Phoebus eyed each one of his soldiers, then turned to the Lieutenant, who was not only a rank lower than him, but still had his weapon out. "Lieutenant! I order you to sheath your weapon at once and stand down! Because you were in charge of your own unit, you are even more responsible and even more punishable for your recent, unforgivable acts!"

The Lieutenant growled and clenched his teeth, revealing them to be rotten yellow before spitting out his true emotions in front of his commanding officer. "Unforgivable acts?!" He pointed to the group of children and gypsies that he and his men were harassing earlier. "They're nothing but filthy gypsies and orphans who have nothing to offer to this society! We were only enforcing the law of debt that-"

"ONLY?!" yelled Ignis, standing up and ignoring the oozing pain from her wounds. "You don't call what you tried to do 'enforcing!' What you and what your guys tried to do...was not something any proper soldier should do!"

More than agreeing with her, the freckle-faced knight took a deep breath to build up the courage that he used to try and defend the innocents before, glaring at his Lieutenant. "Yes, she's right, and I should know since I was here from the beginning. You tried to scare the children! You grabbed and tried to yank the hair off an innocent child! And worst of all, you even tried to commit sexual assault onto a minor! It was bad enough that it was sexual assault, but on a minor as well?! That's...that not how a soldier should act at all!"

Phoebus stepped forward, raising his authoritarian presence higher to intimidate his men to show he was all business. "You are all...very...VERY fortunate that I will not pass judgement on these holy steps of Notre Dame. Instead, we will all march back to the training grounds where, not only will I give you all proper punishments, but, in front of the other men, I will strip you of your positions!"

Protests echoed from the soldiers, especially from the Lieutenant. "You can't do that! Judge Frollo will-!"

"If Judge Frollo has any issues, he can put them up with me!" demanded Phoebus. "These...these disgusting and inhumane acts are unforgivable and not something that can simply be swiped away so easily!"

"I couldn't agree more," agreed the Archdeacon furiously. "Captain Phoebus, whatever punishment you grant to these _sinners-"_ He glared not at the children, Ignis, nor the freckle-faced soldier, but the true culprits at hand when he spoke of this. "And, if Judge Frollo refuses such punishments, you may call upon me, and I will make sure to convince Frollo and assure judgement will strike down on them."

"I am grateful for your assistance," accepted Phoebus before climbing back up on Achilles. He glanced at the children and Ignis, before turning to the Archdeacon. "Archdeacon, I was wondering, about the children and-"

The Archdeacon smiled and nodded. "Of course. The healers and I will personally take care of the victims that were involved in this situation."

"Once again, I thank you." Phoebus glanced around and took a few minutes to round up his men, clearing up a new pathway to return to the training grounds to punish his men properly, all except for a freckle-faced soldier, who would be recognized for his courageous act for doing a proper soldier's duty. In the meantime, Ignis and the children were escorted inside the cathedral, where the Archdeacon quickly issued orders for medical treatment, food, and water for them all.

Ignis had no need for the water and food, instead urging the healers to give her share to the children who needed it more. In fact, she insisted that they receive all of the attention before her, assuring them that she would be fine despite being the most injured out of all of them. Ignis couldn't exactly cast her Cure spells on herself without anybody noticing her using magic, so she allowed the healers to disinfect her wounds and bandage them up.

After Ignis was given medical treatment first, the other healers focused on the children, and it was during that time that the Archdeacon appeared. "How are you, Mademoiselle?" the Archdeacon spoke kindly to Ignis, sitting down in front of her.

"I'm fine, thanks," thanked Ignis, gently touching her bandaged cheek only to winch in pain.

"Ah, I would advise against touch your own wounds. They might open up." The Archdeacon glanced over to the children and smiled softly. "I'm relieved that the children are alright. Thank you for protecting them. I normally detest violence, but this situation, I'm willing to make an exception."

Ignis' eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yeah, right. The cathedral is practically a sacred place. You're not supposed to do things like, run around or even commit violence near or inside here. Sorry about that."

The Archdeacon shook his head. "All is forgiven. God will forgive you for your sins, even if you had good intentions behind your actions. But, you must remember, violence can't solve everything."

"It solved the problem a few minutes ago. Kinda."

"I will admit, you interfering in the act of violence did indeed save the children, but in the end, it was Captain Phoebus who resolved the issue rather peacefully, wasn't it?"

"Well...I guess," agreed Ignis. "It wasn't like I wanted to fight those soldiers, though. I just assumed that they were going past a line nobody should cross and intervened. I had to interfere, because nobody else was."

The Archdeacon sighed. "I understand, but try not to involve yourself in violence. You can't solve everything in this world, after all."

"If only it were that simple," Ignis stated before realizing something about the cathedral she was in. "Hey...this cathedral...it acts like a bell tower, right?"

"Why, yes. The most upper levels are where the bells are located, and where our local bell ringer, Quasimodo, resides," explained the Archdeacon.

Quasimodo's name perked Ignis' interest. "Quasimodo? As in, the orphan boy that Frollo adopted?"

"How do you know that, child?"

"There's this performer named Clopin who sang out Quasimodo's origins, about how some gypsies came to Notre Dame one night, his mother ran off and was killed by Frollo, and because he sinned on the steps of Notre Dame, Frollo had to take care of Quasimodo as repentance," summarized Ignis. "I actually thought that was all some sort of fictional song play, but, the more I explored Notre Dame and even encountered Frollo myself, the more I start to wonder whether it's real or not."

The Archdeacon seemed surprised at Ignis' knowledge of the events that transpired many years ago, as well as learning that an outsider had learned of Quasimodo's origins. "I...I had no idea that others knew of Quasimodo, but what this Clopin person said was indeed true. That is what happened."

"If that's the case, then why don't you have Frollo arrested for what he's done?" questioned Ignis. "He killed an innocent woman, gypsy or not, and left poor Quasimodo an orphan! And, you say you forgive him by having him take care of Quasimodo? He even gave the baby a really horrible name that means...well, I forgot what it was, but it was really bad! If someone gives a baby a name with a bad meaning, that's the first sign that things will go downhill real fast! I even met Arthur, a kind boy whose original name was Wart! What kind of horrible parent names their child, 'Wart?'"

"I...understand what you're trying to say," spoke the Archdeacon. "And, as much as it pains me to see the horrible things Frollo's done, as well as his treatment towards the poor boy, there's only so much I can do between my duties as Archdeacon and so little time to interfere with Frollo's mistreatments towards the gypsies. I believed...that by having Frollo raise the child, the child would help him repent for his sins and change to be a greater man."

As frustrated as Ignis was, she could understand a bit of what the Archdeacon was going through. Even though it was clear that he cared for Quasimodo, he couldn't always check up on him 24/7, since he had other duties as an Archdeacon would have. It was similar to the things her Master Eraqus had to go through throughout the years. Eraqus probably didn't have a lot of time to himself, as he had to take care of 3 kids all on his own-actually, 4 kids, since Ventus joined their group of friends a few years ago.

Ignis wanted to vent her frustrations out on the Archdeacon, but caught herself in time. None of this was even the Archdeacon's fault, and he only did try to change Frollo by giving him a chance to repent. As frustrating and unfair as this entire situation was, Ignis...also believed in second chances, because it was another one of the good things she was taught by Master Eraqus.

Even if she did believe in second chances, she hardly believed that Frollo was making good use on his second chance at all.

"If it helps, I have been seeing Quasimodo as much as I could over the years, though it is very little," admitted the Archdeacon. "It's quite fortunate that, despite Frollo's harsh treatment towards him, he grew up to be a quiet and kind boy."

"...I heard that he's a bell ringer," said Ignis. "So, how is he? Is he doing alright?"

"The last time we spoke, he appeared to be doing alright," assured the Archdeacon, looking at her. "He enjoys being a bell ringer and...would you like to meet him?"

Ignis gasped happily and stood up. "Of course! I'd love to meet him! Where is he?"

The Archdeacon pointed to a spiral stairway that led upwards to the higher levels of the cathedral, to the bell tower of the Notre Dame cathedral. "Head up those stairs, and you'll find the bell tower. I...hope you don't ridicule Quasimodo for his appearance. I have allowed people in the past to try and visit Quasimodo, but it turned out to be a terrible mistake, as they only did so to bully and call him a monster. So, I have forbidden passage to all except a select few. You seem trustworthy, so-"

"I get it," agreed Ignis, frowning at the new information she heard. "Those people...I can't believe they would do that just because of his appearance. It's almost like, way worse than the racism going around this city. I mean, I know people are teased and bullied for their own appearances, but...Well, rest assured that I won't be like that."

The Archdeacon nodded. "That's more than I can ask for."

With the Archdeacon's newly granted permission, Ignis made her way up the stairs, eager to meet the famed Quasimodo that she heard from Clopin's song tale. Since Frollo was already portrayed as an antagonist in both Clopin's tale and in real life, and judging from his tale and the Archdeacon's own perspective, Ignis wanted so badly to meet Quasimodo and see what a "quiet and kind boy" he is.

It took a while, but Ignis did find herself in the inside of the bell tower. In her perspective, it looked more like a sort of a wood or bell factory with lots of wooden railings and huge bells at the top of the ceilings that can only be run through not just the tug of the ropes around, but also with enormous strength. There were also small amounts of stairs that led to different areas around the inside of the bell tower, so there was much to explore around the bell tower.

"Quasimodo? Hello? Are you there?" called out Ignis, roaming her eyes around. She heard a startled yelp and a bit of a crash not far from her current position and was on high alert. Then again, whatever made that sound was probably Quasimodo himself and he probably wasn't expecting any visitors, so naturally, he must have been surprised.

As Ignis wandered around the bell tower in search for Quasimodo or, possibly anyone else within the bell tower, a worker, perhaps, she heard hushed voices furiously muttering amongst each other in the darkness of the room.

"Are you crazy?! I can't go out there! M-Maybe this person will get tired and leave!"

"Quasi, this is your chance for more interactions! More friends!"

"B-But what if she calls me a monster, just like everyone else?"

"You won't know until you try! Besides, you've seen her defend those kids down there!"

"Yeah! She kick butt! If she helped those kids, then you know she's a nice person!"

 _'Okay, so there's clearly more than one person in here,'_ thought Ignis, sweatdropping as she continued looking around. Her search eventually led her to a table with wooden-like objects.

But not just any objects. The objects that were entirely made out of wood were wood carvings sculptured into wooden figurines of people, buildings- in fact, the wooden dollhouse-like buildings resembled the entirety of the city of Notre Dame, so the figurines must be the people of Notre Dame.

"Oh, wow! So cool!" cooed Ignis, bouncing up and down before sprinting towards the table to see the wooden carvings. "Awww! The sheep ones are so cute! And these buildings are so impressive! Ooh! I like this one!"

"D-Do you really like them...?"

Hearing a voice behind her, Ignis whirled around and saw a young man with a hunched back and a deformed face, wearing a green tunic and seemingly in a crotched position while standing up, hesitantly making her way towards her. He hesitated once more the more closer he got to her, so he hid behind a wooden pillar.

"Are you Quasimodo?" asked Ignis, not bothered by his appearance.

"Y-Yes...um...If you're here to see the Archdeacon, I'm afraid that he's downstairs, and possibly busy," spoke Quasimodo.

"Actually, I'm here for you. I wanted to meet you," said Ignis, stepping forward, causing the red-haired man to cower even further behind the pillar.

"O-okay...I'm ready."

"Ready for...what?"

"For you to call me a monster. For you to say that I'm ugly. For you to say that...that I'm God's ugliest creation."

Shock formed on Ignis' face as she took in Quasimodo's words. She knew from the Archdeacon that people ridiculed him for his "monstrous" appearance, but she didn't know it was this bad to this extent!

"What?! No, no, no, no! I would never say such a horrible thing to you!" denied Ignis. "I mean, granted, maybe you aren't the most handsome person in the world, but I wouldn't dare call you a monster or worst, 'God's ugliest creation,' because of that!"

Quasimodo slowly stepped out from the pillar. "R-Really?"

Ignis nodded. "Of course! I'll admit, you're not the most handsome guy I've met, since there's a lot more handsome guys I know, and one I especially have a cute crush one!~ Well, I've never seen his face since he's always masked, but his voice is so deep and husky, it's gotta belong to a handsome guy, but-Yeah, I'm getting off-topic, but the point is, you're not the most handsome person, but you don't look like a monster to me."

Quasimodo was now no longer hiding behind the pillar, and a hint of hope formed on his deformed face; hope that someone was finally seeing him for who he is, and not some monster because of his appearance. "R-Really? That's the first time...anyone's ever told me."

"The first time? I heard Judge Frollo is your caretaker. He didn't tell that you're not a monster?" wondered Ignis.

"M-My Master? Oh, no...he's the first to tell me that I look like a monster, and because of my hideous appearance, nobody will ever like me. In fact, one time, when I was a little boy, there were people up there who wanted to see me, and when they saw me, they said I was a monster, so my Master is correct," admitted Quasimodo.

Ignis had to look away so that her angered expression wasn't seen as anger towards the innocent Quasimodo. _'Frollo...what the hell have you been teaching him?'_ she thought, even more disgusted with the racist priest-like man.

Deciding not to talk anymore about Frollo, Ignis chose the change the subject. "So, I heard that you're a bell ringer, and obviously, that means that you ring bells."

Quasimodo nodded. "Oh, yes. Would you like to me to introduce you to all of the bells here? O-Oh, and give you a tour of the entire bell tower?"

"Sure! No probs!"

"Alright, then follow me!" Quasimodo seemed excited that for once, a kind visitor that didn't view him as a monster, came to see just him, and that in his excitement, he was more than eager to finally have a friend, other than the gargoyles he had in his bell tower.

He showed her various parts throughout the entirety of the bell tower, introducing her to the large bells in which he named each and every one of them. The bells, the other areas within the bell tower, and finally, he took her outside so that she could see the large, widespread view of the entire city of Notre Dame. Ignis was amazed to see such an astonishing sight, as even the buildings she climbed on top of didn't allow her to witness such a widespread view of this. Seeing the view from the bell tower made her feel like she was seeing a map of the entire city right before her very eyes.

"Wow...so incredible!" exclaimed Ignis. "Thanks for giving me the grand tour, Quasi! Oh! Can I call you, Quasi?"

Quasimodo nodded. "Of course. It's...what the gargoyles call me, after all...Um...I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"No, no! I should be the one apologizing! God, I...I was having so much fun, that I knew your name, and yet, you didn't know mine! My name's Ignis! Nice to meet you!"

"Ignis...that's an unusual-sounding name...N-Not that it's bad or anything!" exclaimed Quasimodo, not wanting to upset his guest. "I-I'm sorry!"

"No, no! You're good! I'll admit, Ignis does sound like an unusual name," agreed Ignis. "But, I'm an unusual girl, so I guess it fits me! It also helps that the true meaning behind my name means fire!"

Quasimodo looked surprised. "Oh, like the color of your hair! It reminds me of fire, too!"

"Your hair color's the same as mine, you know," Ignis pointed out, reaching out and gently tugging on a bit of his hair. "Well, not exactly. Your hair's a bit more lighter than mine. Like, a reddish-orangish color? Yeah! That's it!"

Quasimodo nodded and looked down sadly. "And...unlike your name, my name doesn't mean 'fire.' It means, 'half-formed.'"

 _'Damnit, Frollo! Why'd you have to give him an awful name in the first place?!'_ Ignis thought, finding more and more reason to hunt down and wreck the living hell out of Frollo.

"Oh, but there's another meaning behind my name as well!" addressed Quasimodo. "The Archdeacon once told me that my name has a second meaning: 'Sunday.' And Sunday is always the day where people take a day off and go to pray to God, so, despite my name being 'half-formed,' the second meaning behind it gives me hope. Hope that one day, God will be able to love a monster like me."

"Quasi..." Ignis gently clasped her hands over his and assured him, "I'll admit, I'm not really a religious person, but I do know a few things about God, and I know for certain that he loves you very much."

"H-How do you know that? You said that you weren't a religious person."

Ignis nodded. "You're right. I'm not. But God...you know he loves anybody who does good things, or at least, does things with good intentions behind them, right? I'm certain that he'll love a good person like you."

Quasimodo paused before converting his expression into a confused one. "You said that God would love anybody who does good things, or things with good intentions. I understand the first bit, but what do you mean things with good intentions?"

"Right, I'm gonna have to explain that, huh?" Ignis then continued, "Quasi, when I said that, I mean, there are people out there who will do bad things. There are two types of bad people out there. One type is the type of people who loves doing bad things and don't care about the consequences as long as they get what they want. The second are people who will do bad things, but the reasons behind them are normally good. I...am the second type of people. Just earlier, I did a bad thing, in order to save some children."

Quasimodo nodded. "I saw, from above. You fought against some bad soldiers to protect those children. You were...very brave and strong."

Ignis smiled at the compliment. "Awww, thanks, Quasi! It always does cheer me up whenever someone compliments me for my actions! But anyways, what I did was protecting those children. But, in order to do so, I had to resort to violence. Violence...is always bad, no matter what. But sometimes, it's necessary for good intentions. Sometimes, those with good intentions have to hurt people in order for those good intentions to be realized. Quasi, I don't like hurting people, but it can't be helped, if I'm protecting those people."

 _'Wow, I can't believe how wise I sounded just now! I sounded so wise, I impressed even myself!'_ thought Ignis. _'I guess Master Eraqus' lessons and my experiences ever since leaving home have taught me much.'_

"I don't like hurting others, either," agreed Quasimodo. "Thank you...for telling me all that. It's a lot to take in, but I'll think about it. Ignis...have you ever done anything really, really bad, even if it was for good intentions, like protecting someone?"

Ignis pondered for a moment, and a memory flashed back to her; a rather unpleasant memory that still haunts her to this day.

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"Ignis, I..." Looking up, Arthur opened his mouth for an apology when he saw Mim creep up behind Ignis, as though ready to either use her magic, or to strangle the girl from behind. "LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!"_

 _It all happened too fast. Out of the instinct to survive, Ignis gripped her Keyblade, twisted her body around, and stabbed Mim in the heart._

 _Keyblades may appear blunt and have little to no sword edges, but they definitely function as swords and are even as sharp as one. Thus, it was little to no problem for Ignis to stab Mim right through the heart, though it was out of self-defense and never intentional._

 _"W-What?!" Even Ignis was shocked along with Mim, who never anticipated she would be stabbed. Shakily pulling her now bloody Keyblade out of the old witch's body, Ignis watched as Mim staggered forward with a stunned expression, reaching all the way to the nearest well before her body fell over towards the bottom of the well._

 _Falling to her knees once more, Ignis dropped her Keyblade in fear and shock. Granted, she was taught by Eraqus that it was alright to eliminate darkness, and while it was an accident and self-defense, Mim was filled completely with negativity and darkness. Still, that didn't stop the shaky feeling of her killing an actual person for the first time._

* * *

Ignis looked away, shaking with an unpleasant expression on her face. "...Yes. I have. I really, really, didn't want to, but I had to do something awful, even if it was to prote-No, accidental, and out of self-defense."

"I'm sorry," apologized Quasimodo. "I must have conjured up some bad memories, didn't I? I-If that's the case, then let's talk about something else! L-Like, what are your favorite hobbies?"

Ignis appreciated Quasimodo's efforts of trying to cheer her up and decided to entertain him a bit by answering his question. "Hmm...Oh! I like exploring! Ooh! And I love singing and dancing, but, well, I was a terrible dancer, but my new friend, Esmeralda, is teaching me how to dance more freely and properly instead of just ballroom dancing. Who knew there was so many different types of dancing? But, I love singing much more than dancing!"

"I...I'm like you," admitted Quasimodo. "I'm not really fond of dancing, but I enjoy singing. I love the bells, and woodcarving, but I also love singing as well. If...it's okay, would you sing me a song?"

"I'd love to sing you a song!~" chirped Ignis. "But...why spoil my wonderful singing when I can just sing tomorrow! You see, the Festival of Fools is tomorrow, and I'm one of the performers chosen to sing on stage! You can hear my song and see my performance once you get there!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't."

"Why not?"

"I-I've got so many chores to do, and I-I'm not allowed to leave the bell tower. My Master says so, and besides, if I go to the Festival tomorrow, people will only view me as a monster, and I don't want to ruin everyone's time there when the festival is only once a year."

Ignis frowned. "If I were you, I'd totally disobey Frollo and go and enjoy the festival! Come on, you said so, yourself! It's a once-in-a-year opportunity!"

"But...I get to view the entire festival from above, and it's so close by, so it's not that bad," admitted Quasimodo.

"Quasi, even I know there's a difference between seeing something from afar, and experiencing it for yourself. I'd die of boredom if I ever had myself be confined to this bell tower, no matter how amazing the view is from above!" said Ignis, glancing out to see the view of the city once more. "Besides, if you're so worried about anybody looking at your appearance, then just wear a disguise! Wear a costume! The Festival of Fools does allow costumes, right?"

Quasimodo nodded. "O-Of course!"

"Then, problem solved!"

"But, what about my Master? I-I know part of his duties is to attend the Festival, but what if he sees me?"

"Like I said, wear a costume! Seriously, there's gonna be like, loads of people there! He won't even notice!" assured Ignis. "And, once the festival is done and over with, you can easily sneak back to the cathedral without him noticing! Simple plan!"

"I...I'll have to think about it," said Quasimodo, still uncertain, yet Ignis' plan sounded so simple and thorough, that he had to at least consider it.

"Great! Say, you said that you loved singing just as much as I do, right?" asked Ignis. "So, why not sing for me? And in exchange, I'll give it my all in my performance tomorrow!"

"Sing? I-I don't mind, but...I don't know what to sing," admitted Quasimodo.

"When you sing, you have to put your heart into it," Ignis advised. "So, sing anything! Anything with your heart! Anything you want to sing! It doesn't matter if the lyrics are bad, or you don't remember! You can even hum the song if you want to! And I don't even care if you're an awful singer! The important thing, is that you have to try your best!"

"My best...Okay." Quasimodo nodded and gazed out into the city before closing his eyes and opening his mouth to begin singing softly and beautifully.

 **Out There (Quasimodo version)**

 **Composed by: Alan Menken**

 **Sung by: Quasimodo (Tom Hulce)**

 _"Safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone,_

 _Gazing all the people down below me._

 _All my life, I watch them as I hide up here alone,_

 _Hungry for the histories they show me._

 _All my life, I memorize their faces,_

 _Knowing them as they will never know me._

 _All my life, I wonder how it feels to pass a day!_

 _Not above them!_

 _But part of them!_

 _And out there, living in the sun,_

 _Give me one day out there, all I ask is one!_

 _To hold forever!_

 _Out there, where they all live unaware!_

 _What I'd give!_

 _What I'd dare!_

 _Just to live one day out there!_

 _Out there among the millers and the weavers and their wives,_

 _Through the roofs and gables where I can see them!_

 _Every day they shout and scold and go about their lives,_

 _Heedless of the gift it is to be them!_

 _If I was in their skin,_

 _I'd treasure every instant!_

 _Out there, strolling by the Seine!_

 _Taste a morning out there, like ordinary men_

 _Who freely walk about there!_

 _Just one day and then, I swear_

 _I'll be content!_

 _With my share!_

 _Won't repent!_

 _Won't despair!_

 _Old and bent,_

 _I won't care!_

 _I'LL HAVE SPENT ONE DAY OUT THERE!"_

When Quasimodo finished singing, he breathed in and out to catch his breath, feeling a whole lot better and confident than ever before. He felt as though he could fly, like he could lift up the entire cathedral with his bare hands...Like...

Like he now had the courage to go to the Festival of Fools.

Hearing clapping, Quasimodo turned and saw Ignis happily applauding him for his small performance, with joy and excitement all over her face as she even jumped up and down and cheered for him. Quasimodo blushed and looked away. "A-Aww...it really wasn't that impressive."

"Are you kidding? You had the voice of an ANGEL!" sighed Ignis, still awestruck by Quasimodo's singing. "God, is everyone in this city such AMAZING SINGERS?! If so, this just makes me even more excited for the Festival tomorrow!"

"I do feel a lot better about myself," admitted Quasimodo. "But, I'm still uncertain whether I'll go or not."

"You have to go!" said Ignis. "I'm about to perform a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity performance! You can't miss it!"

"Yes, but..."

Ignis sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "I guess I have no choice. Okay, Quasi! I'll give you a preview of my performance! I'm gonna sing one song for you!"

Quasimodo shook his head. "Oh, no, no, no! You really don't have to! I-I mean, it'll be an honor, but then I'll learn what song you'll be singing tommo-"

"Believe me, the song I'm about to sing isn't the song I'm singing tomorrow," assured Ignis. "It's a song for you, and your situation. Hopefully, this song might cheer you up. It's one of my favorites. Actually, all the songs I know are my favorites, so, yeah."

"A-Are you sure? You said that you wanted to wait until singing tomorrow-"

"Like I said, this song is not the one I'm playing tomorrow. Besides, I want to do this. So, just stand back and listen to my song! Alright?"

Quasimodo ultimately decided to accept her offer and nodded, deciding it wouldn't hurt to hear a bit of her singing, especially since she was offering. Ignis nodded and closed her eyes, softening her tone as she began to sing.

 **This Life is Mine**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _Mirror,_

 _Can you hear me?_

 _Do I reach you?_

 _Are you even listening?_

 _Can I get through?_

 _There's a part of me that's desperate for changes._

 _Tired of being treated like a pawn._

 _But there's a part of me that stares back_

 _From inside the mirror._

 _Part of me that's scared I might be wrong._

 _That I can't be strong._

 _I've been afraid_

 _Never standing on my own!_

 _I let you be the keeper of my pride!_

 _Believe you when you told me_

 _I was nothing on my own!_

 _Listen when I say,_

 _I swear it here today!_

 _I will not surrender_

 _This life is mine!_

 _Amazing how you conquered me,_

 _Chained me in servility_

 _And made me see!_

 _The world the way you told me to!_

 _But I was young, and didn't have a_

 _Way to know the truth!_

 _Born to live your legacy,_

 _Existing just to fill your needs,_

 _A casualty of this so-called 'family'_

 _That you have turned into a travesty!_

 _But I don't intend to suffer any longer!_

 _Here's where your dominion falls apart!_

 _I'm shattering the mirror_

 _That kept me split in pieces!_

 _That stood between my mind and my heart!_

 _This is where I'll start!_

 _I'm not your pet!_

 _Not another thing you own!_

 _I was not born guilty of your crimes!_

 _Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore!_

 _I won't be possessed,_

 _Burdened by your royal test!_

 _I will not surrender!_

 _This Life is Mine!_

 _Shame that it took so long_

 _To rescue me!_

 _From the guilt you used_

 _To tie me to your family tree!_

 _I guess your training failed,_

 _You're not in charge! I'm free!_

 _Your patriarchal prison won't hold me!_

 _Now this conversation's finally over!_

 _Mirror Mirror, now we're done!_

 _I've pulled myself together now!_

 _My mind and heart are one!_

 _Finally one!_

 _I'm not your pet!_

 _Not another thing you own!_

 _I was not born guilty of your crimes!_

 _Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore!_

 _I won't be possessed,_

 _Burdened by your royal test!_

 _I will not surrender!_

 _This Life is MINE!"_

"That...was incredible, Ignis!"

Ignis opened her eyes and saw Quasimodo applauding for her, just as she had applauded for him earlier. His eyes shined with admiration as he was smiling and jaw-dropped at the same time from hearing her sing beautifully.

Ignis giggled and shook her head. "Nah, your singing was really good, Quasi!"

"What are you saying? I've never even had singing lessons before, and you told me that you were preparing for the Festival, so of course you must be better at singing than me!" complimented Quasimodo.

"Yeah, but you had the voice of an angel when you sang! Your tones were much softer than mine!"

"Well, yours was loud and clear! My singing could be compared to a mouse."

"Are you kidding me? Your last lines could echo across the city!"

The two accidentally entered into a small argument over whose singing voice was better, only, instead of expressing that their own singing was better, they were arguing that the other's singing was much better than their own and even voiced the good things within their singing. In the end, they decided to agree on the fact that both their singing were good and ended it just like that.

After conversing with Quasimodo for a little bit longer, Ignis knew that she had to leave soon and bid farewell to her new friend before exiting the bell tower. Quasimodo watched her retreating form leave the cathedral grounds and then stared off into the view of the city as the sun started to go down to start the beginning of the sunset. Never before had he been anticipating for the arrival of the Festival of Fools to come so much sooner than ever before.

* * *

 _Later..._

Ignis yawned as she walked slowly down the empty, dark streets of Notre Dame. Everyone else was probably already inside their own homes, asleep, having dinner, or pretty much anything else indoors in their homes. As for Ignis, she was heading back to the inn that she was staying in, intent on having one last dinner with Annabella and her family, as Dr. Lavender saw it fit for her and her family to return back to their home around the next day.

After Ignis left the cathedral, she chose to train at her usual spot near the graveyard, honing her sword and magic skills until she was completely exhausted and out of magic. Not only did she learn new spells, but she felt real close to summoning her first actual Familiar with her Summoning Magic, something she's attempted over and over again, slowly increasing to a succession rate. Of course, magic wasn't the only thing she focused on, but her own swordsmanship training as well.

Tomorrow, as soon as the Festival was over, she was definitely going to go find the Moogle Shop in this world. All other places she's checked out throughout the few days that she's been here ended up in failure, but now, she had a pretty good idea as to where the troublesome, yet cute Moogle shopkeeper might be. She had run out of Potions and Ethers a while back and needed to restock, after all.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fist came out of nowhere and mercilessly pummeled itself deep into Ignis' cheek, notably into her recently wounded and bandaged gash, which increased the pain twice as worst. The force of the fist threw Ignis down to the ground, sliding across it as she groaned and clutched her cheek. She felt a sticky liquid upon touching her cheek and realized that the fist had re-opened her gash wound and spread the blood out quickly.

Before Ignis could recover herself, she felt someone roughly grab a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back before that someone slammed her head down, making stars appear in her vision as she grew dazed from the rough treatment she was receiving. That person was still grabbing onto her hair as her sight started to recover, and the light from the streetlights made her recognize her assaulters.

The small group of assaulters happened to be the soldiers she fought earlier near the cathedral, including the Lieutenant, who was gleefully grinning at her with insanity shown in his eyes as he approached her from the front. The person holding her back by the hair was yet another one of the corrupt soldiers she fought, and he was taking in immense pleasure of causing her pain by simply grasping at her hair.

"You _bitch_ ," growled the Lieutenant, kneeling down and taking her chin by his hand. "Do you know what you've done today? You've just made enemies with possibly the worst kind of people in this city! You humiliated us in front of a large crowd! You took us away from having fun punishing those filthy children! And now, thanks to you and your interference, you had the Captain strip us of our positions, and in front of the other soldiers, no less! If it weren't for you, we would have already made our way to a good night at a tavern! What do you have to say about that, girlie?!"

Instead of backing down, Ignis glared back at the Lieutenant, staring him dead straight in the face. "What happened earlier today, was all _your_ fault, not mine. Your actions caused you to end up like this, not me. This was all your fault, and you-"

Ignis' defiance earned her another blow to the face, making her cry out in pain as her face was thrown to the side; blood from her gash wound splatting to the ground in an arc as she was left breathless from the blow.

"You know," spoke the Lieutenant, licking his lips as he gazed her up and down. "Me and my men were originally going to beat you up and leave you a bloody mess, but...looking at you now, your body may be petite and not well-bosomed, but it'll do to entertain us. Men, hold her down."

Ignis grunted when she was suddenly thrown onto her back against the stone ground; her wrists pinned above her head by one soldier, her eyes covered by one soldier, the grip on her hair ever more tighter than before, and she felt several hands wandering around her body, pushing aside her long shirt to reach her shorts and hands trying to remove her armor.

Finally realizing the intent behind these men's actions, Ignis squeezed her eyes shut and squirmed harder and opened her mouth to scream as icy terror overtook her heart, only to feel leather-like fingers, possibly one of the soldiers with their leather-like gloves, forcing themselves down her mouth in order to prevent her from calling out for help. Her entire body was quaking from the pain and shock of the situation as she squirmed more ferociously to break free. Exhausted and unable to cast any magic, Ignis started hyperventilating and shaking at the shock of what fate was going to be forced onto her.

Then, she felt the wandering hands and the restraints on her body vanish in an instant as well as a sudden rush of wind. Screams from the men cried out around the same time, and she felt herself being released and freed in an instant. Her eyes still squeezed shut, Ignis cautiously sat up and opened her eyes, only to see nothing. No sight of the men that assaulted her anywhere. She was all alone.

Then, from the shadows of a nearby alleyway, a familiar masked boy popped out, holding a Hi-Potion in his hand.

"Here, catch," said Vanitas, tossing the Hi-Potion towards her. He watched as Ignis shakily chugged down the entire Hi-Potion until there was not even a single drop left. He saw the wounds on Ignis' body vanish in an instant thanks to the magical contents of the high healing potion he gave her.

"T-Thanks..." thanked Ignis, standing up and walking towards her; hand pressed into her Munny bag to repay him for what he's done.

"Wait."

Vanitas stopped her, gripping her wrist to stop her from what she was trying to do, though he did noted her flinch when he did grab her. He loosened his grip on her, but he still didn't let go of her. He couldn't just go up and ask in a tender voice if she was alright. That was too sappy and something only lovesick lovers ask of each other, and he was NOT the sappy type. Ventus took that role much better than him, after all.

"...Why didn't you heal your wounds earlier?"

"W-What?" Ignis looked up at Vanitas, having calmed down a bit since he arrived and now confused on what he meant. "What are you talking-"

"I'm talking about your head and cheek wound, you idiot. I know you were injured way long before those perverts showed up, so why didn't you just heal yourself then?"

Trying to ease up the tension, Ignis smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, I got these wounds several hours ago, and a healer was treating me, and there was no way I could expose magic in front of her, so I let her treat me. In all fairness, I kinda...forgot to heal myself once I was out of the healer's eyesight."

"..."

"..."

"...You're a goddamn idiot, you know that?"

"I...I...Wait, what happened to those guys from earlier? Where did they go?" asked Ignis, looking around for the soldiers, though with a hint of fear behind her brown eyes.

"...I knocked them out. Don't worry, I teleported them to a police station. You've seen me with teleportation portals before," spoke Vanitas.

A confused look formed on Ignis' face. "Uh...Notre Dame doesn't have a police station."

"...Then, I'll take care of it. Don't worry, those guys are safe, but they'll get what's coming to them."

Ignis nodded, smiling at him, but felt something warm and liquid-like pouring down her cheeks. It couldn't be the gash wound since it was already healed and closed up, so-

Oh, she was crying.

Vanitas felt something tugging at his heartstrings when he saw Ignis crying and shoved her away, looking away and crossing his arms. "Hey, don't go crying on me like some stupid crybaby! It was your fault that that happened! You should have been more prepared!"

Ignis sniffled and tried to cease her crying upon hearing the harsh statement coming from Vanitas, but because of what happened earlier was no issue that can simply be swept away, more tears continued falling down her cheeks. She hugged her own shaking body and stared down at the ground, as though it was the ground's fault that what happened was its fault.

Turning his head to see how she was doing, Vanitas mentally sighed as he was about to do something completely out of character for him. One part of him didn't want to, but the other part told him to do so. He blamed his somewhat compassion and pitiful side towards Ventus as he turned around and walked up towards her.

"Just this once."

"Huh?" Ignis glanced up at the masked boy.

"Damnit, idiot, get the hint! I'm letting you hug and cling and cry onto me just this once! Go on and be the stupid damsel who's thanking her hero! Cry out, 'Thank you! Thank you!' in a high-pitched voice or something!"

Ignis pouted angrily as she stomped her foot. "Hey! Don't mock me, asshole!"

Vanitas smirked behind his mask. "Ha, see? There's the firecracker I know and hate!"

"Ah, and here's the butt-caped, skirt boy that I know and hate."

"Damnit, princess, I told you not to call me that!"

"P-Princess now?! A new nickname?!"

"Why not that one? Why? Don't like it?"

"Damnit, Vanitas! Calling me princess makes me feel like some damsel in distress! I am NOT a damsel in distress! I'm a badass who can fight!"

"That's not what I saw a couple moments ago."

"Gah! I could have taken those guys!"

"Yeah, you sure showed me."

"I swear to God, Vanitas, I will kill you in your sleep!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try!"

All fears that Ignis had started to feel subsided as soon as she engaged in a childish, comedic argument with Vanitas. If it was Vanitas' secret plan to make her forget about her horrible experience earlier, then it worked successfully as Ignis no longer thought about the attempted sexual assault on her and instead focused on trying to get Vanitas to stop being so smug with her.

After somehow convincing Vanitas to walk at least halfway near the inn with her, Ignis perked up to him and asked, "Hey, Vanitas! Tomorrow is the Festival of Fools! I was wondering if you'd like to go to the festival tomorrow? I'm gonna be performing there!"

"How'd you even get a position there, anyways?" asked Vanitas.

"Well, one of the original performers got into a-"

"Stop. I just remembered that I don't care."

"Hey! Rude!" pouted Ignis. "Seriously though, will you be coming or not?"

"...You'll know your answer tomorrow," replied Vanitas, opening up a Corridor of Darkness. "And here's my stop."

"Hey, that's not a yes or no-!" Ignis paused after Vanitas entered the Corridor of Darkness and disappeared along with the portal. "Damnit, I hate vague answers!"

Where Vanitas transported himself to was back in the exact alleyway where he met up with Ignis earlier. Before, he told her that he had defeated and sent the soldiers to some random police station, but only half of that was the truth. Yes, he did defeat the soldiers, but he never sent them anywhere.

No, he held them hostage deep within the darkness of the alleyway, restrained by his oh so loyal Unversed.

Taking off his helmet, Vanitas basked in the cool winds during the nighttime and glared at the frightened soldiers that were still held down by his Unversed. Their limbs restrained and their mouths covered, the soldiers could see nothing but cold, merciless, and deadly predator-like golden eyes amongst the darkness, feeling shivers within their very souls.

"Darkness...is something that should be both feared and respected," started Vanitas. "You know, one of the good-no, best things about nighttime is that darkness is practically invisible. Nobody around to bat an eye, nothing suspicious if one acts quickly and quietly in the shadows, and best of all...no witnesses."

The soldiers immediately realized what Vanitas' intentions towards them meant and struggled, trying to break free. The Unversed' strength far surpassed theirs, so it wasn't hard to simply restrain them all over again and keep them down at all times. When the Unversed removed their own limbs away from the soldiers' mouths, the soldiers were ready to protest, beg for mercy, or even bribe the mysterious figure within the shadows, only for a quick wave of magic to silence them, shocking them as to what witchcraft could have silenced them.

"You all did something horrible. Something unforgettable. Something... _unforgivable,"_ continued Vanitas. "Now, I could care less of what you were trying to do to those children and your other victims, but just now and before, you harmed something of mine. You hurt her. You damaged her. You nearly ruined her _innocence._ But worst of all..."

Vanitas stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself as a menacing presence in physical form as the moonlight shined down on him. He walked up to the Lieutenant and gripped his face with one hand, strength increasing as he started gripping both tightly and strongly, just like his men did to Ignis. Taking sweet pleasure in seeing the Lieutenant's mouth scream silently thanks to the Silence spell he casted, Vanitas then growled loudly for all to hear.

"You tried to take...what was _**mine."**_

Vanitas slowly, and painfully, released his grasp on the Lieutenant's face before turning around and walking back into the shadows. But, before he could vanish completely from view and merge back into the darkness, he turned his head and narrowed his eyes coldly at the men. His expression was so malicious and traumatizing, the men who saw it felt immense amounts of fear on their bodies.

"I do wonder how long it'll take for my Unversed to chew the last of each and every one of your bones."

It was a good thing Silence spells existed. In situations like these, it was best to block out any attention and...unnecessary noises.

* * *

 **Finally! I'm finished! Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. You guys probably hate me for what I tried to do with Ignis and those other kids, but, I did warn you all at the beginning of what might happen; that things would start getting darker! You guys should have heeded my warning!~**

 **If you thought that the dark themes were going to end right there and then, you'd be dead wrong. It'll start getting more and more darker with this arc, and this is only just the beginning. Well, I suppose you could count the start of the racism towards gypsies as the beginning, so whatever fits your opinion, I guess.**

 **So, song discussion time! I just love the song, "Out There," as it's one of my favorite songs from the movie! I just couldn't help but put it out there like that in this chapter! Also the reason I put in, "This Life is Mine," is because it's supposed to reference Quasimodo and his current situation with Frollo and future foreshadowing of how he'll seize his own future! In a way, he's similar to Weiss from RWBY and how she cuts a path to her future!**

 **In case you guys are curious as to what song Ignis will be performing at the festival next chapter, I'll give you guys one hint. Well, the lyrics are going to be rearranged, but the song will not only feature both light and darkness, but also the importance of balance as well, so stay tune!**

 **Read and review!**


	39. La Cité des Cloches (4)

**Kinda was expecting a lot of harsh criticism from last chapter, but surprisingly, I didn't! You guys commented on how dark last chapter was in a more...neutral light, and I'm glad to hear that! Well, I already told you that that was just the start of the dark themes that'll happen in this world, so you guys are definitely in for a surprise when the more darker themes come in!~ *rubs hands together and giggles maniacally* Anyways, let's start!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own any of the Disney songs like "Topsy Turvy," and "Hellfire," and Mage of Hope doesn't own Fire Emblem songs, like "Lost in Thoughts All Alone," owned by Nintento. The version being played this chapter is Amalee's version of the song and the link to the song is here: watch?v=lsz5ijRQvUY**

* * *

"Jeez, how many times has he sung that song? I counted like, twice!" commented Ignis as Esmeralda was combing her hair, adding the finishing touches to Ignis' dancer appearance.

"You weren't complaining during rehearsal practice. In fact, you were in awe every time Clopin sang. It really didn't take you long to become yet another one of his fans," said Esmeralda, amused. "You know, he isn't married, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I can see where this conversation is heading towards and I gotta say, nope! Nada! Not gonna happen!"

Esmeralda chuckled. "I was only joking."

"Yeah, even if you weren't, my answer would still be no!" denied Ignis. "Besides, I already have a huge crush on someone else!~ He's almost, kinda exactly my type of guy! Tall, dark, and handsome! Well, he's a bit of a dick, and he's not too much taller than me, and I don't even know what his face looks like, but his voice is so husky and deep, you gotta think it belongs to a hunk!"

"Seems to me that you really do like this boy, though from the way you described him, he does seem to have...a bit of a bad reputation?" Esmeralda smirked. "Or are you just into bad boys?"

"I guess so? I dunno, but I so wanna get to know him more!~ Hehehe!~" giggled Ignis with a slight blush on her face. "But he is...incredibly stubborn. Maybe more stubborn than me, and he's rude, and he's so cocky that I just wanna kick him right between the-"

"Ignis! You're up in one minute! Hurry up!" called out one of the female gypsies that entered the dressing tent they were in. "The instrumentalists are all ready from the sidelines, so the stage is yours!"

"Okay! I'll be there shortly!" called back Ignis.

"There!" finished Esmeralda. "You look both cute and beautiful at the same time!"

Ignis giggled, twirling around once. "Thanks! Oh, and thanks for letting me borrow this dress of yours! I'll give it back once the festival's over, alright?"

Esmeralda nodded. "No worries! The only reason I gave you that dress was because I've outgrown it and it suits you perfectly! Try not to get any festival food on it, alright? I still may have a use for that dress!"

"You've got it!" agreed Ignis before exiting the tent to make her debut out on stage, even if this was only a one-time performance.

Already, the people of Notre Dame gathered around a large stage meant for several performances that were to take place today at the Festival of Fools. The people applauded and even threw gold coins at the last performer who play miraculously on his violin before exiting stage left. The next performer, however, left the audience awestruck and mesmerized by her beauty and matured appearance, despite being awfully young.

Ignis, or as the people known her as the "Red Knight," "Fire Fairy," "Fierce Protector," and so on, was recognized her long, flowing red hair whom people have still debated whether it was the color of fire or blood. However, today, it looked much more silkier and resonated more with the sun than the colors of fire or blood. She wore a dark velvet-colored ensemble dress that reached down to her knees with a few brightly pink colors to synchronize with the velvet color of her dancer dress. The only exposed parts of her body were her shoulders and legs, leaving her barefoot. Velvet-colored fingerless gloves that shot up to her forearms was what she wore, and a light pink with hints of velvet veil was weaved over her head and one matching over her nose and mouth to add to the mystique and beauty of her appearance. The light, bright pink colors emphasized her cute appearance and childish personality while the dark velvet colors was meant for maturity; a balance of light and dark. In addition, the ribbon that Vanitas had given her was tied around her ankle for good luck. It was almost as though Ignis herself was born to wear this once-in-a-lifetime dress for this occasion.

Every step Ignis took, although unintentionally, was elegant and graceful, as Ignis made her way up to the stage. Even though her steps had a mature pinch to it, her movements were so excitable and hasty, almost child-like, but even the nobles of Notre Dame didn't mind, as Ignis' steps were like that of a fairy. Ignis' eyes was more evidence of her excitement and joy for her debut performance; eyes sparkling like the rays of the fun, yet determination with fire within. Nobody could see her expression behind her veil, but she was grinning. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and prepared her performance for all of Notre Dame to witness as she began with a soft, yet clear melodic tune, beginning to slowly dance to the harp, guitar, piano, and drums playing in the background.

 **Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Amalee version)**

 **Composed by: Amalee**

 **Original song composed by the Nintendo company**

 **Sung by: Amalee**

 **Renka (Japanese)**

 **Rena Strober (English)**

 _"You are a spark filled with life,_

 _Reaching a dream, like thoughts igniting a new path!_

 _Yet may your path every change_

 _Blazing with hope, to the path, yours to climb!"_

Right before the next verse began, Ignis twirled around like a ballerina; her barefoot touching the solid, wooden stage and illuminating it for a moment. People wondered where that light came from and thought that the sun rays merely blinded them for that one instant. In truth, Ignis secretly casted a Barfire spell on the stage to not only provide it fire resistance, but also for the next part of her performance.

Her fingers delicately opened as she raised her palm out to the audience, casting a flare from the Fire spell for all to see. The audience awed at her little parlor trick, wondering what she would do next. Quickly combining her Fire spell with light magic, Ignis not only created a combination of light and fire magic, but the flame's color changed almost completely white, with the pigments of red nearly vanishing but still there at the tips of the flame.

As the next verse arrived, the orchestra softened their music, and Ignis began to sway slowly, but gracefully like an angelic swan. As she danced elegantly, the fire/light flame swirled from her hands and flowed from her hands to the stage, flurrying in harmless waves of light flames and heat as the fire/light flame synchronized with her dance, portraying flames of light. If it was in the nighttime, the flame of light's effects would have been more significant as though they were swirling fireflies.

 _"Thou seek the light with a outstretched hand!_

 _A divine blade lies before you,_

 _So command a righteous justice_

 _To restore the world, cut 'way the seams!"_

As the next verse of the song had the music still softened, yet increased slightly in volume, Ignis's slow pace increased in speed slightly. At the same time, however, her dance matched the rhythm of the song, followed up by her light flames further in sync with her dance, dazzling the audience at her elegant play with the light flames following her every path harmlessly

 _"Join in our prayer - in our song - of order and love!_

 _Come the sun, illuminate the sky!_

 _Pray that we may quell the dark!_

 _Light seeks anew,_

 _Lost in Thoughts, All Alone!"_

The tempo started slowing down even more so than before and the song's melodies became nothing but little chimes that trickled down to nothing as Ignis's movements also slowed gently, and her flame of light started decreasing in size and fading away, right into nothing as the song paused for a few seconds.

The song then resumed with tender and clear notes heard from the harp as Ignis stepped forward with each note gently with her head held high and her eyes closed. A soft breeze fluttered her silky, long, red hair back as the piano and bell instruments joined in with the harp, increasing the tempo with the soft tune still intact. Ignis' eyes opened, and she stared down at the audience, no longer with the playful eyes, but, for this part of the song, with eyes filled with wisdom and maturity as she opened her mouth to sing; her tone much gentler than before.

 _"You are a spark filled with life,_

 _Reaching a dream, like thoughts igniting a new path._

 _Yet may your path ever change,_

 _Blazing with hope, to the path, yours to climb."_

Ignis outstretched her arm and opened her palm, though instead of delicately like before, her fingers clawed open quite aggressively, and a red flame burst out from her palm in a hasty manner, startling some of the spectators with her slightly barbaric action. She was quite to cast and combine a Dark magic spell with her fire spell, forming a flame of darkness within her palm.

The music changed from a slow pace to a normal tempo, though as the end of the next verse came, the music started growing both aggressive and faster, as though quickly building up to something grand. As Ignis started to sing the next verse, her words and voice gradually grew strong as she began a slow dance with rough movements that still hint a bit of elegance behind them. The flame of darkness swirled around her, trying to keep up with her dance so it can know what to do under her commands.

 _"Thou seek the dark with a writhed blade,_

 _Now chaos lies before you,_

 _So obtain the fate you sow,_

 _On this path, be weary, friend and foe!"_

As the music increased into a faster and rough tempo, the volume grew louder and stronger as well as the next verse was coming up. The drums were the instruments that brought the most attention to the instrumental part of the song, blaring to life the most alongside the other instruments that followed up the drums' rhythm.

In place of the rhythm, Ignis began to sway and twist aggressively and swiftly, engaging in a dance worthy in a battlefield. Unlike the graceful, swan-like dance she performed earlier, this dance was more like a beast, a beast in a beautiful dancer's appearance. Her hands clawed and slashed at the air in elegant, hasty movements, her arms twisted and lashed out, and her feet twirling and rushing around the stage as she continued her beastly dance.

Her flame of darkness ceased flowing around her body and began to spread through the stage, acting as waves of fiery black whips to her passionate movements, swirling and slashing around in the air. The sight of such powerful, black flames acting in such a manner was like a combination of black mist and flames that surrounded the stage with darkness, yet still having the crowd witness Ignis' deadly and enticing dance. The crowd was completely enthralled and frightened by her powerful performance and continued to watch as Ignis started to sing the next verse; her voice coursing powerfully and loudly across the stage.

 _"Join in the tale - in the blight - of violence and lies!_

 _Come the sun, to tarnish in the sky!_

 _Vow that we shall tear the light!_

 _Dark sins and ruse!_

 _Lost in Thoughts All Alone!"_

Once the dark section of the song ended, the tempo quickly reverted to a normal tempo with the violin section replacing the drums as the main emphasis on the next part of the song. Ignis' dance was no longer beastly, though her next dance had lessened its fast pace and relaxed in a more neutral pace as she continued dancing both in a elegant and rough manner to match the rhythm.

The flames of darkness vanished in an instant as Ignis quickly casted new spells for the upcoming section of the song. Two flames sprouted from one each of Ignis' palms, though one merged with darkness and the other merged with light, and the two flames swirled and flowed around Ignis' body, serenading with her as she danced and sang the next section.

 _"May thy chosen path lead way and grace you with virtue!_

 _But surely a balance await_

 _So be it bliss or pain you gain!_

 _Beyond the route-way's end, you'll gain resillience and weakness!_

 _The trials - the thorn in your side - becomes the greatest strength in you!"_

The instrumental part of the song had Ignis freedancing for a while. She closed her eyes and followed her heart based on the melody and rhythm of the song , not caring if her dance was elegant, aggressive, fast-paced, slow-paced, or so on by the audience. In fact, it was because she followed her heart and did whatever she wanted during her freedancing that enticed the audience even more, like she was a free spirit that caring which direction the wind took her, or in this case, the flames as the swirling flames of light and darkness still flowed with every one of her movements.

It was only until her ears heard the abrupt pause in the song, which signaled the next part of the song, that Ignis ceased her freedancing and stood in a pose, frozen in her current position. She opened her eyes and relaxed her body before dancing properly once more in a elegant manner but with hints of a fast-paced dance ahead as she sang once more.

 _"Descend onto the abyss thou see,_

 _Where the hearts of many wander_

 _Bravely, they fight and lead_

 _Forging hope inside their one, pure dream!"_

The next part of the song caused the audience to feel purified as Ignis sang and danced even more gracefully, all while merging her flames of light and darkness together into a single flame of both light and darkness; a silver flame.

 _"After the war stills its flames,_

 _May all be blessed, so the fate and fallen can find rest!_

 _Your will, the fire kindles, so all will know,_

 _Your hands brought the morrow!"_

The final part of the song made Ignis dance vividly as she spread her arms out, causing the silver flame of light and darkness to spread out into a single harmless wave that brought nothing but warmth across the audience and dissipated. The next section of lyrics had Ignis sing as clearly as possible as she now danced to her heart's content, almost free of her responsibility of her performance.

 _"You are a spark filled with life,_

 _Reaching a dream, like thoughts igniting a new path!_

 _Yet may your path ever change!_

 _Blazing with hope, to the path, yours to climb!_

 _You are a purified flame..."_

After the song came to an end, Ignis was left frozen in her pose after her dance, staring up at the sun and breathing heavily to herself as sweat drippled down her fair skin. She knew it would be rather unprofessionally of her if she were to collapse out of exhaustion right there and then, so she kept still in her pose, acting like a statue.

Thunderous applause snapped her out of her statue-like state as she turned and faced the audience, who applauding and even whistled for her magnificent performance that she worked vigorously on for days. Gold coins and flowers were tossed at her feet and onto the stage for a perfect performance, and she just knew from their reaction that she definitely did a fantastic job.

Ignis bowed and crotched down as she did so, crossing her legs and gaining even more applause from this action. She waited a few seconds before standing up straight and then heading back to the dressing room tent she and Esmeralda shared.

Once she arrived, she couldn't help but collapse in a pile of pillows lying in the corner of the tent. Before she had time to rest, she was instantly greeted by Esmeralda, who was fully dressed up in a red dress and prepared to go on stage soon.

"I've never seen such a fantastic performance before! You've really improved in a short stack of time!" admitted Esmeralda. "I could hear your voice all the way inside!"

Djali, Esmeralda's pet goat, let out a happy noise and agreed, nudging Ignis on the arm excitedly. Ignis giggled and ruffled Djali. "Thanks! My heart's still pounding from my performance! I think that was the single best performance I've ever had to do in my life! Well, this is my first time on stage, but still, it was a lot of fun!"

"Well, my performance is coming up next," commented Esmeralda. "You coming to see?"

Ignis nodded. "Yeah...you go on ahead...I just need a minute to rest and catch my breath. I've...I've never sang or danced that intensely before, so I need a moment."

Esmeralda nodded. "I understand. I was like that during my debut out on stage, so I know what that's like. Anyways, don't take too long, otherwise you'll miss my performance!"

After Esmeralda exited the tent, Ignis leaned back against the pillows and relaxed, taking deep breaths to catch her breath while bearing a smile on her face. She did it. She absolutely did it. She gave the best performance of her life and gave it her all back there! She should be-No, she IS proud! If she wasn't training to be a Keyblade Master, then surely, she would have taken a career to be a songstress!

She listened in to the cheers of the crowds as they enjoyed the Festival of Fools, with the clear singing of Clopin ringing across the air while instruments accompanied his singing. He was continuing off with his Topsy Turvy song, even dragging along both the citizens of Notre Dame and gypsies to sing with him in this once-in-a-year unification festival.

 _"Come on, come all! See the finest girl to ever dance! Make an entrance to an entrance! Dance la Esmeralda! Dance!"_

 _'Oh! That's Esmeralda's cue for her performance!'_ thought Ignis, springing to action by getting up quickly and rushing out of the tent to join the crowd. She arrived just in time to hear a loud sound and saw a cloud of pink smoke on the stage that was quickly replaced by Esmeralda taking the stage, attracting attention almost instantly not only due to her well-known reputation, but also her beautiful and attractive appearance as well.

The music began to pick up and moved to the rhythm of Esmeralda's mesmerizing dance, enticing the audience, mostly men, by swaying her body seductively while dancing. Ignis had danced similarly earlier, but the main difference was that Esmeralda had more experience dancing and her dances, coupled with her far more attractive appearance, was much more heated, romantic, and passionate with a hint of lust behind her every action. Like the men, even Ignis couldn't help but be enthralled by her dance.

Frollo, who was seated in a high chair, and, as one of his many duties as the Minister of Justice, had to attend the Festival of Fools, and thus had a front-row seat to Esmeralda's dance. Because of his hatred for the gypsies, it wasn't surprisingly to spew out disgust at Esmeralda's enticing dance due to her being a gypsy.

"Look at that disgusting display," spat Frollo lowly.

Phoebus, who was Frollo's bodyguard, couldn't help but be amongst one of the men attracted to Esmeralda, lifting up his helm to catch a better look at the beauty dancing. "Yes, sir!" he agreed, not paying too much attention to his words.

Whipping out a starry scarf from out of nowhere, Esmeralda playfully hopped towards Frollo and sat on his lap. Taken aback, Frollo could do nothing but watch as Esmeralda wrapped her scarf around his neck, pulling him closer while slightly lap dancing until she pecked him on the nose. She abandoned her scarf and left it hanging on his neck as she pulled away and twirled back onto the stage, swaying her hips as though playfully taunting him.

She then continued her seductive dance, increasing the excitement within the crowd by adding in twirls, flips, and more acrobatics that left the audience impressed and cheering for more. She even sent a few winks to some of the lucky people in front, making them hoot for more. She then reached out and grabbed a nearby soldier's spear, impaling it onto the center of the stage before hopping to the top of the staff and spinning around it as she slid down to the ground. Posed in a seductive manner, Esmeralda threw her hand up in the air and winked at the crowd as the last notes added to the finishing touches to her dance, signaling the end of her performance.

The crowd roared and cheered the loudest of all after witnessing Esmeralda's performance, tossing many gold coins onto the stage. Even Phoebus himself threw a gold coin in secretly as he was also impressed by her dance. Ignis found herself gasping and clapping alongside the audience for watching such a magnificent performance. She, herself, despite having pulled off a wonderful performance earlier, thought her own performance paled in comparison to Esmeralda's.

Clopin reappeared on the stage, announcing, "And now, ladies and gentlemen! The piece de resistance! _Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for! Here it is, you know exactly what's in store! Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore! Now's the time we crown the King of Fools!_ You all remember last year's king!"

At Clopin's declaration, many folks turned to their attention towards "last year's king," which happened to be a drunken jester being carried in a makeshift throne by some of the audience, burping as he waved to the audience.

 _"So make a face that's horrible and frightening!"_ Clopin sang, trying to make a frightening expression while still on his playful behavior. _"Make a face as gruesome as a gargoyle's wing! For the face that's ugliest will be the King of Fools! Why?"_

 _"TOPSY TURVY!"_ the audience roared happily as many amongst them tried to imitate scary and ugly expressions or even tried to wear the ugliest masks they could find to become the next King of Fools.

 _"Ugly folks, forget your shyness!~"_ sang Clopin as Esmeralda gently reached out her hand and helped Quasimodo onto the stage, thus helping him remove his cloak. Ignis herself was surprised, yet glad that Quasimodo was out on the stage, which meant that he saw her performance earlier as well and finally mustered the courage to come out into the Festival of Fools.

 _"TOPSY TURVY!"_ the crowd cried out once more, some lining up to show their most ugliest and scariest faces.

 _"You could soon be called, 'Your Highness!'"_ Clopin called out, briefly wrapping his arm around Quasimodo's shoulders before releasing him into Esmeralda's care as she helped lined him up next to the row of masked and costumed contestants trying out to be the King of Fools before going down the row to reach the first contestant.

 _"Put your foulest features on display! Be the king of Topsy Turvy Day!"_

One by one, Esmeralda and Clopin began removing the masks off the costumed men in line, and, as though they were the judges of this contest, the audience started evaluating each one as each contestant tried their best to pull off the ugliest expression they could. Each resulted in boos and disapprovals from the audience before Djali headbutted them in their rears, sending them flying off the stage and landing in a puddle of mud. This process continued until Esmeralda reached the last contestant, Quasimodo, and grabbed his face, trying to tug it off a few times before gasping and pulling back in surprise.

It didn't take long for the audience to realize the truth as well, in shock at what they saw to be the most hideous being they've ever seen.

"That's no mask!"

"It's his face!"

"He's hideous!"

"It's the bellringer from Notre Dame!"

Panicking, Quasimodo glanced around and saw many faces within the crowd that they were staring back at him with horror and disgust planted on their faces. Even Frollo now realized that Quasimodo was now in the festival and had deliberately disobeyed his orders not to attend the festival. Embarrassed and regretting that he had come to the Festival of Fools, Quasimodo hid his face in order to avoid being looked at and to hide his shame.

Ignis was confused as to what was the problem until she remembered her conversation with Quasimodo yesterday. Apparently, he was viewed as a monster because of his deformed face, even being told so by his own caretaker, Frollo. And now, more proof of him being frightened of others judging him for his appearance was being displayed right here before her very eyes, and she felt _livid._

Before she could march up and defend him, Clopin leapt in front of Quasimodo with his hands raised. He called out, "Ladies and gentlemen, don't panic! We asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here he is! Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame!"

After Clopin placed a hat that appeared to be the mixture of a jester's hat and a crown on top of Quasimodo's head, Quasimodo slowly pulled away his hands and eased away from his shame. He was surprised when the crowd cheered and many came to lift him up in the air while confetti exploded in the air to celebrate the new King of Fools.

 _"Ev-er-y-bo-dy!"_ sang Clopin, taking the lead as the crowd made way for a pathway for a small parade as Quasimodo, the new King of Fools, was made the new attraction.

 _"Once a year, we throw a party here in town!"_ the audience chorused along as Clopin took a staff from one of the performers.

 _"Hail to the king!"_

 _"Once a year, we turn all Paris upside down!"_

 _"Ha ha! Oh, what a king!"_ laughed Clopin as some spectators threw the old King of Fools off the makeshift throne and replaced him with the new King of Fools, Quasimodo, now lifting and carrying him through his makeshift throne.

 _"Once a year, the ugliest will wear a crown!"_

 _"Girls, give a kiss!"_ Clopin playfully commanded to two nearby pretty girls watching from a tower. Happily, the two girls leaned down and delivered smooches to both of Quasimodo's cheeks as he passed by, blushing as the crowd carried him towards a different stage centered around the crowd.

While Frollo was tapping his fingers on his crossed arms and glaring at Quasimodo, unable to do anything without causing a scene, Ignis was all the more happy for Quasimodo. Sure, things may have started off a bit rough for him, but now the situation's changed, and everyone was now viewing him in a more pleasant light, especially since he's kinda being treated like royalty, even if for a day!

 _"Once a year on Topsy Turvy Day!"_

 _"We've never had a king like this!"_ Clopin continued singing as he draped a velvet, fur-lined cape over Quasimodo's shoulders as the King couldn't help but sniffle and allow a tear of happiness to pour down his face. _"And it's the day we do the things that we deplore! On the other three hundred and sixty-four!"_

 _"Once a year, we love to drop in! Where the beer is never stopping! For the chance to pop some popinjay!"_

Clopin handed Quasimodo a scepter and lightly pushed him forward for more attention as more confetti exploded more at the sides while the music reached its climax. _"And pick a king who'll put the top in Top...sy...Tur...vy…!"_

 _"TOPSY TURVY, MAD AND CRAZY, UPSY-DAISY, TOPSY TURVY DAY!~"_

Quasimodo threw his arms up in the air with a triumphant smile on his face as the crowd cheered, confetti flying around him like a celebratory storm. Ignis grinned happily as she applauded with several other people while others cheered for Quasimodo being this year's King of Fools. They even chanted his name while throwing flowers at him.

A guard and his partner were amongst the crowd, grinning as they were about to do something they considered to be "fun." "You think he's ugly now?" The plump guard asked as his partner tossed up a tomato. "Watch this!"

Quasimodo was enjoying the time of his life, finally being accepted as one within the society of Notre Dame...when something yucky splattered onto his face. The crowd gasped and their cheers came to an abrupt halt as silence now filled the entire festival.

Ignis was amongst the first to gasp when she saw something red splattering onto Quasimodo's face and initially thought that it was blood at first, until her fear changed to relief once she realized that it was actually tomato juices and not blood. However, her relief quickly turned to anger as she narrowed her eyes and looked around, trying to find the perpetrator that dared to throw a tomato at her friend.

"Now that's ugly!"

"Hail to the king!"

"Long live the king!"

The first offender was the trigger for Quasimodo's humiliation. Soon after, more guards began laughing at the pathetic sight of Quasimodo and proceeded to throw more tomatoes and other fruits at him, splattering and hurting him even more. Quasimodo, in the midst of a panic attack, tried to run away, only to end up slipping on a splattered pile of fruits and falling on his face, causing not only more guards to crackle with laughter, but the rest of the audience as well.

Ignis could do nothing but watch in horror at the sight before her. Sure, she's seen discrimination, as well as terrible people within the city during the few days that she's been here, but NEVER, in all of her life, as she ever witnessed such... _evil_ before her very eyes. To her, right at this very moment, even the Unversed were the lesser evil compared to this sort of evil.

For the first time, she was having the sense that, despite having seen evil things people have done, she was witnessing humanity's evil side.

To worsen the situation, she watched as lassos of rope snagged and flung all over Quasimodo's body as the laughter increased in volume and more fruits were thrown at Quasimodo. One of the lassos even tried to choke him, much to Ignis' increasing horror, before Quasimodo finally had enough. He roared in anger, and with his surprisingly tremendous strength, ripped the ropes off his body as he tried to stand up.

That defiance lasted only for a few seconds before more people threw more and more ropes onto him and then, some people ran up and hogtied him to a wheel, spinning him around in place as people continued to laugh and throw more tomatoes and other fruits at him.

Ignis may not be that good at sensing darkness like Terra and Aqua, but even she can tell that there is an astonishing amount of darkness within the festival, with so few light available. Because of the sudden change of events that occurred not too long after Quasimodo was appointed King of Fools, Ignis was too shocked and horrified to do anything or think straight. It was especially more heartbreaking when she heard Quasimodo's cries for help towards his master, Frollo.

Phoebus turned to Frollo, determined to put an end to all of this abrupt chaos. "Sir, permission to end this cruelty," spoke Phoebus,

"Permission denied," spoke Frollo swiftly and without hesitation, not showing a sign of remorse whatsoever on his face. "There's a lesson to be learned here."

The emotions within Ignis began swirling and constantly changing over and over as she took in the situation, trying to make a choice. Sympathy, confusion, horror, anger, disgust, fear, all sorts of emotions were filling up inside of Ignis, but one look at Quasimodo's teary-filled expression and upon hearing his cries for help depleting with passing time with no aid made Ignis come to a decision.

And, with her being, well, herself, there was never really an choice. She knew what she wanted to do, worldly order be damned.

Just before the crowd could even think of humiliating the "King of Fools" even further, a small bolt of lightning came crashing down and struck one of the open spaces within the crowd, hitting the stone pavement and leaving nothing but a burnt mark. Silence quickly fell over the crowd as their attention was no longer on Quasimodo, but on the mark where the lightning bolt had struck.

Almost as though it was...a godly intervention.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone turned to the source of the voice and many found themselves recoiling a little at the sight of an angry, young girl. They recognized her as the beautiful songstress with hair as red as blood/fire, but now, her normally beautiful expression was twisted with anger and fierce determination, along with eyes blazing like fire.

One of the guards was brave, or perhaps foolish, enough to step up. "Hey, little lady, there's no need for you to interfere. If you're angry, then turn all that anger towards the ugly hunchbac-"

The guard was extremely lucky that Ignis was not an evil person. If she was, she wouldn't have spared his life. No, she just sent a simple, first-tier Thunder spell and purposely missed him by just a small inch of his face, striking in the same manner as she did just a moment ago, at the ground right next to him. That immediately shut him and other whisperers amongst the crowd up.

Ignis lowered her arm from which she had used to cast her spells and glared at him along with others in her line of sight. "You, along with everyone else-" She glanced around the crowd before turning back to the guard. "Are going to get out of my way. You are going to clear a path for me to get to Quasimodo. You are GOING to let me free him. AND YOU ARE GOING TO LET US LEAVE!"

"That's enough!" shouted Frollo, snapping out of the shock of the situation and clutching the armchairs of his throne-like seat. "Who are you, girl, to demand my citizens and my soldiers whatever you pleased? That _thing_ -" He pointed and addressed to Quasimodo. "Is getting the punishment he so rightly deserves!"

"Punishment for what? For being the King of Fools? For trying to obtain happiness?" questioned Ignis. "Is it always a tradition to throw things and hurt the King of Fools every year?" When nobody answered, she glanced around and picked a random person in the crowd. "Hey, you! Lady in the purple dress!"

The lady in the purple dress, presumably a noble, looked offended by her harsh tone. "How dare you?! I am Noblewoman-"

"Lady, I don't know who you are, and I don't care, so just answer my question," demanded Ignis. "Every year, does the chosen King of Fools always get treated like this?"

"W-Well, it is true that the King of Fools does get joked around a little bit, and there is a bit of a jester-"

"Lady, I do not care about the smaller details. Yes or no question. This harsh treatment Quasimodo was having just now, is that the treatment the King usually has?"

The lady in the purple dress wanted to retort that the beast known as Quasimodo doesn't deserve a name, but she knew better than to anger her, so she instead answered truthfully. "No...Not to this extent."

"Thank you. Was that so hard to answer?" questioned Ignis roughly before turning towards the direction where Quasimodo was. "Now, everyone, get out of my way and clear a path. Nobody is to disrupt me or him, and if anybody tries throwing another tomato at him, I'm going to break that person's legs!"

One of the guards stepped up to her, planning to intervene. "Now, Miss! Listen, you have no right-"

"NOW!" hollered Ignis, activating her Firestorm Command Style out of spite and anger towards those who still wish to harm and humiliate her friend. She never intended on using her Command Style to harm anyone, only for dramatic effect to show how powerful and dangerous she is those who wished to pick a fight with her. The sight of the young girl being lit on fire, yet not showing any signs of harm, along with her brown eyes even more alit with fire behind them, frightened the crowd before they separated, quick to agree on allowing her to pass. Even the guards themselves were terrified of Ignis and backed away, as in, FAR away.

"Witchcraft!" murmured Frollo, shocked at the sight before him. "Guards! Take her away!"

But the guards were still too afraid to approach Ignis, not wanting to further fuel the fires within her nor get burnt in the process. Even Phoebus himself was terrified, though slightly, as he understood and respect Ignis for standing up for Quasimodo when others wouldn't. In fact, he chose to say nothing about the matter as he didn't want to receive an order from Judge Frollo to do harm or worse. And it appears that his help wouldn't be required at all.

The open path that Ignis had forcibly provided gave Esmeralda the opening she needed. She sprinted past Ignis, much to her surprise, and rushed up the wooden stairs up to the stage where Quasimodo was at. Her pace slowed as she gently approached the terrified and tearful Quasimodo. Her angelic-like approach reminded Quasimodo of that like a saintly angel, as Esmeralda removed the purple robe-like scarf wrapped around her waist to help clean up Quasimodo, not caring about the attention she was receiving from the crowd.

"Don't be frightened." Esmeralda's soft tone was almost akin to that of a whisper as she walked closer to comfort the pitiful cre-no, the kind and soft man before her. "I'm sorry...this wasn't supposed to happen." She stroked Quasimodo's cheek, not only to clean off part of the mess on his face, but also to further comfort him, to assure that everything was going to be alright.

Ignis, upon seeing the heartwarming moment, lowered her Firestorm Command Style until the flames dissipated by themselves and her temper gone, replaced with a feeling of awe and respect for Esmeralda. If Esmeralda could resolve this situation peacefully, unlike what Ignis herself tried to do earlier, then perhaps there wouldn't be a need for violence.

However, the hushed silence was broken by Frollo's aggressive, abrupt command. "You! Gypsy girl!" He yelled, pointing a finger at her. "Get down from there at once!"

"Yes, your Honor," called back Esmeralda, wrapping the scarf back around her waist. "Just as soon as I free this poor creature!"

"I _forbid_ it!" demanded Frollo, snarling at the thought of Quasimodo even getting off scot-free without anymore punishment for disobedience.

Frollo's harsh words and the fact that he technically still had command over his soldiers had Ignis rush up to the stage to protect Esmeralda and Quasimodo in case something happened. The people were startled and even scattered further for more space once they saw Ignis running towards the stage, afraid that she would turn her anger and "witchcraft" towards them. This gave Esmeralda the chance to remove a dagger from a hidden part in her clothes to slash apart the ropes holding down Quasimodo as Ignis reached the stage and knelt down near Quasimodo, checking to make sure he was alright.

"Are you okay?" Ignis asked him gently, trying to check for any wounds.

"How DARE you defy me?" questioned Frollo, his wrinkled expression filled with anger as he stood up from his seat.

"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people!" confronted Esmeralda, not afraid to speak her mind as she faced the Judge. "You speak of _justice_ , yet you are cruel to those who need your help!"

"SILENCE!"

 _"JUSTICE!"_ Esmeralda raised her blade up in the air in defiance; the knife's blade glinting from the sun's rays as though it acted like a torch.

Gasps and murmurs spread across the crowd as they watched Esmeralda and Ignis help Quasimodo up to his feet. Ignis had Quasimodo lean towards her as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders, not caring about the juices from the fruits previously thrown at him splattering onto some parts of her clothes.

"Mock my words, you will pay for this insolence!" threatened Frollo, still pointing his boney finger as his expression deepened in anger at such defiance being spat right at his face.

"Then it appears that we've crowned the wrong fool," spoke Esmeralda, mockingly bowing at him before grabbing the makeshift crown off of Quasimodo's head. "The only fool I see...is YOU!"

With a determined, yet insulting smirk on her face, Esmeralda tossed the crown deserving to belong to the King of Fools right near Frollo's feet, prompting laughter from the crowd.

Face enraged and twisting more of a monster, Frollo was not only insulted, but publicly humiliated by a gypsy girl. "Captain Phoebus, arrest her and anyone who gets in the way!" commanded Frollo. Phoebus snapped his fingers, signaling him and his men to trot forward with their horses as they began to surround the stage, blocking out any signs of escape.

Ignis took a stance, ready to summon her Keyblade in case she would be forced to fight her way out in order to protect Esmeralda and Quasimodo. "Esmeralda, I'll distract them, so you grab Quasimodo and run!"

Esmeralda, who was counting the number of guards beginning to surround them, finally finished and turned to Ignis with a smirk. "Actually, I'll distract them, and you take the big guy." Before Ignis could say anything, Esmeralda pulled out a blue handkerchief from her dress, wearing a pouty, teary-expression and sobbing loudly before blowing onto it. Instantly, the spot she was standing on exploded in a haze of red smoke, and once the smoke cleared, she was gone, causing the crowd to gasp and wonder where she went.

Frollo's eyes popped wide. " _Witchcraft!"_

"Oh, boys! Over here!~" Everyone turned to the source of the voice that broke the gasped silence and saw Esmeralda on the gallows, grinning as she laid her head on a basket full of masks, blinking repeatedly at her pursuers.

"Right...now's a good chance to make a break for it," murmured Ignis before grabbing Quasimodo by his arm. "Come on, Quasi! Let's go!" Quasimodo was a little hesitant, given the humiliation he received earlier, but he also remembered that Ignis was one of the two people that stood up for him when nobody, not even his master, did. He nodded and allowed her to drag him along as they hastily climbed down the stairs off the stage.

Frollo was so fixated on capturing Esmeralda, that he almost forgot about Quasimodo and Ignis, until he spotted them trying to escape from the corner of his eye. "Stop them! Captain Phoebus, capture those two trying to escape!"

Phoebus glanced at Ignis and Quasimodo, who realized that they've been spotted and hurriedly picked up their pace as the crowd noticed them as well and dispersed, thus giving them more space. "But sir, what about the gypsy girl?"

"Forget about her! Leave her to your men! You must not let them escape, even if you have to do the task yourself!"

"Yes, sir," spoke Phoebus before whipping the reins on Achilles, causing his horse to move faster to intercept them. Ignis and Quasimodo were so close to escaping the crowd when they came across Phoebus and Achilles, who stood in their way. "If you come with me, I promise no harm will come to either of you."

Ignis held an arm in front of Quasimodo to protect them before glaring at Phoebus. "Yeah, right! Like I'd return Quasi to a guy who didn't even use his 'righteous' power to stop the abuse earlier!"

"I...The Minister of Justice knows what he's doing!" defended Phoebus, though he did mutter behind his breath, "Even if his methods are questionable."

"Phoebus, you're a nice guy, but even so, I can't let you stand in my way," said Ignis, lifting up her arm as she gathered magic. "So get out of my way, or else."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Then, I'm afraid you've left me no choice. Aero!" Ignis shot out a wind spell from her palms, hitting Phoebus on the chest and literally knocking the air out of him as he fell to his back, groaning in pain. The audience gasped at what they witnessed as magic and Achilles shrieked, rushing to his master's side and licking his face, trying to wake him.

"Let's hurry!" Ignis told Quasimodo, gripping his hand tightly before they both made a run towards the alleyways, where hopefully, nobody would find them there. They didn't know exactly where they were heading, but they entered and exited several alleyways in order to avoid Phoebus and throw him off their trail. After a while, they found themselves near the back of the cathedral, and judging from the utter silence, that must mean that not only was the Festival of Fools over, but that the people have already left.

"I...I don't think anyone's following us," stuttered Quasimodo, releasing his grip on Ignis' hand. "I think we're safe."

Ignis nodded in agreement and turned around, trying to find anymore wounds on Quasimodo's body, so she didn't get to do a full body scan last time. She then casted a healing spell to heal the wounds he suffered during his humiliation, relieving him of any pain.

"You can use witchcraft?" wondered Quasimodo. "M-Master said that those who use witchcraft are evil and impure..."

"Yeah, at this rate, I'm going to assume that your 'Master' lied about a lot of things to you," murmured Ignis. "Look, Quasi, if I was really 'evil and impure,' why did I just heal you just now? And technically, witchcraft is also called magic, so, you know..."

"I...Well, you're different! You are kind and nice to me," spoke Quasimodo before shyly looking away. "J-Just like that other girl was..."

"Esmeralda? Well, she's nice, and-Oh!" A sly grin formed on her face as she nudged Quasimodo with her elbow. "I see!~ So, you have a big crush on her, huh? Not that I blame ya! She is super pretty!"

Quasimodo frantically shook his head. "N-No! I-It's not like that at all! Y-Yes, she is pretty, and beautiful, and-!"

"Ah! See, just you complimenting her good looks is a sign that you do like her! In more ways than one!" giggled Ignis, patting him on the back. "Don't worry, I gotcha! I've only known Esmeralda for a few days, and I know for a fact that she doesn't have a lover!"

Quasimodo looked up at her with hope in his eyes. "R-Really?"

"Yup, so you might have a chance with her, just like I have a chance with a certain someone! But for now, let's get you back to safety. You live in the cathedral, or more specifically, the bell tower, right? Then, get to it!" said Ignis. "No other guards here!"

Quasimodo nodded. "Yes, alright. Thank you!" Unexpectedly, he started climbing up one of the pillars, reaching higher and higher until he reached the bell tower in which he resided from, disappearing from sight.

 _'I really hope that he'll be okay,'_ thought Ignis, whirling around and walking away to leave. _'Originally, I did plan on leaving today, but it's getting late, so maybe I'll just pop by one last visit tomorrow morning and then leave! Yeah!'_

"So, who's the lucky guy?"

"Bwaaaah!" Ignis yelled, startled as she now noticed Vanitas was right behind her. "Where did you come from?!"

"Corridor of Darkness, dumbass," pointed out Vanitas.

"Oh..."

"But anyways, you didn't answer my question. Just now, I heard you tell that freak that you might have a chance with a certain someone. Who is it?"

Ignis frowned. "Don't call him that! He just went through a lot today!"

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care."

"Hey!"

"I don't even know the freak, so why should I care?"

"Even so, you shouldn't call him a freak!" defended Ignis. "Ugh, never mind! Let's change the subject! Did you see me perform today at the Festival of Fools? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? Di-"

"Stop. You're annoying," stated Vanitas, pressing a palm to her face to get her to shut up. "...And yeah, I caught a glimpse or two."

Ignis grinned widely. "Really?! How was it?! Did I do good in your eyes? Wasn't I such a fantastic dancer/songstress?"

"You were...fine."

"Fine as in, 'good fine,' or 'bad fine?' Come on, man! You gotta give me details! That's so vague!"

"It wasn't...a bad performance, but..." A grin formed on Vanitas' face as he leaned in closer to her face. "You could have danced more seductively and shown more skin, like that other dancer after you."

Ignis' face flustered a deep red at the thought of dancing seductively and even exposing more skin. Her ensemble outfit wasn't really revealing, only showing a little bit of skin, but revealing more skin out on public was embarrassing for her, even if she wanted to try and seduce Vanitas-

"Nononononono! Shut up brain! Shut up! Don't think inappropriate things!" whined Ignis, shaking her head.

Vanitas couldn't help his snickers as he kept getting closer and closer, forcing Ignis to back away and try to cover her embarrassed face with her hands. "Oh?~ And just what kind of 'inappropriate' things were you thinking of?"

"N-Nothing!"

"It doesn't seem like nothing to me!~" sang Vanitas, grabbing ahold of her wrists and squeezing them tightly as he pinned them against the wall right between her head. Ignis initially panicked, not realizing that Vanitas had backed her up against a wall until it was too late. "Look at me."

"No way!"

"Look, idiot, I'm not letting you go until you look at me, so you might as well do what I say."

"..." Ignis slowly opened her eyes to gaze back at Vanitas; her cheeks still stained red as she was aware that of the piercing strength of his gaze despite him wearing a mask. She started breathing in and out, heaving her chest as she gazed at him with an embarrassed expression.

Vanitas licked his lips as he smirked, taking in her full appearance now that he had her cornered and up close. He's never admit it, but Ignis was both cute and beautiful. An angelic fairy, full of light, naivety, and innocence. The memories of her dancing and singing up on stage earlier was burned into his thoughts. He remembered every detail; her movements, her forms, the way her glistening skin had been exposed with every step, her voice as beautiful as a swan's, her swan-like neck now exposed before his very eyes, and her beauty as bright as the sun.

Now that he had her completely cornered and at his mercy, he wanted to _destroy_ her. Gazing into her glassy eyes, he wanted nothing more than to fill those eyes with lust for him and only for him. He wanted to devour those sweet, supple lips of hers like last time as he tore and violated her. He wanted to see how soft her skin was, how easily his fangs could mark it, how he could bite down on her swan-like neck and leave a permanent scar for all the worlds to see that he owned you.

He couldn't deny that he found her utterly attractive, even more so than Aqua or the female dancer from earlier. Whether it was because of Ventus' feelings for her, it didn't matter to him, because he wanted to make her _his_. Her costume had almost completely covered everything but her body was still on display for him, her red hair flowed freely down her back, and surprisingly, the ribbon that he gave her was attached to her leg, proving that she didn't forget his gift.

Vanitas' instincts were threatening to leap out, and it wasn't just her appearance arousing him, but also her pure, innocent and embarrassed look on her face. She was embarrassed and pouting at him in a cute manner, and her eyes shined signs of trust towards him. Him! He wanted to devour and take her right there and then, but even so, he also wanted to be gentle with her. He thought it beautiful to break her, to dominate her, to punish her for going up on stage with so many lingering gazes from so many _men_ when such a sight should belong to him and him only. Seeing Ignis completely at his mercy like this was absolutely enticing, and with each passing second, his burning want for him grew.

However...

He remembered something. She was the _enemy. His_ enemy. This could never be allowed. Now, Vanitas didn't gave a damn about worldly order or any other rules, but he knew that if he did this, he'd effectively ruin her life. Why should she spend her first time with a...a _shadow_ like him? She deserves so much more better. Terra? Yeah right, it was clear that both him and Aqua had eyes for each other. Ventus? While he had to admit that Ventus would probably be a better choice than him, he would never allow him to be with her, especially since he did hurt her that one time.

Besides, sooner or later, none of this would have mattered anyways. She, along with her friends, were going to die by both his and Xehanort's hands one way or another. It's probably best that she remains pure and innocent right to the very end, even if he did "steal" some of her innocence by kissing her while she was asleep that one time. Not that she needed to know that.

Damnit, why was he suddenly growing soft on her? Since when did his feelings for her made him this frickin' soft?!

Each passing second made Ignis turn more red until she felt light-headed, the blood rushing to her brain as she stared at Vanitas. Now, she was even more curious as to what he looked like behind the mask, and she was developing more of a urge to just overpower him and rip off his mask, but she held herself back, knowing that she shouldn't force herself onto Vanitas.

Instead, as he leaned in closer, she panicked and struggled, trying to break free. During her struggle, she had accidentally swung her leg upwards.

Right. Between. His. Legs.

"FUCK-!" Vanitas immediately let go of her wrists and fell to the ground, clutching his "special place." Ignis didn't run away, but instead sweatdropped and stood there awkwardly, putting up her hands to show she didn't mean any harm.

"Uh...I'm sorry?"

"Fuck, that didn't _feel_ like you were sorry! Goddamnit!" cursed Vanitas, getting back to his feet. "What is wrong with you?! Gah!"

"I-I only did that because you were still pinning me to the wall, asshole! Don't blame me!" argued Ignis.

"I swear to God, if you pull off something like that again, I-!"

The two of them, having forgotten about the moment before, began arguing comically with each other, no caring if anybody heard them. If one could see them from afar, they would see two youngsters bickering with one another to the point where they would end up in a bit of a tussle. For instance, Vanitas pulling on a bit of her hair as Ignis herself was biting down on his arm, as though trying to rip it off.

By the time they cooled down, the two of them were exhausted and a bit of a mess. Ignis' hair was tangled all around, but luckily, her clothes were ripped or dirtied, whereas Vanitas had a bit of his skirt ripped off a little and was a little dazed. Overall, the two seemed to be alright and were in the process of catching their breath.

"You know, if some people came across us, they'd get the wrong idea," said Vanitas, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall.

Ignis, who stood up on her own, blushed red as she realized his implication. "S-Shut up, idiot! Don't say it like that!"

Vanitas shrugged. "It's true, though! Two young people, a guy and a girl, clothes messed up, and-"

"Lalalalala! Can't hear you! Lalalala!"

Vanitas chuckled. "Fine, fine. I'll drop the subject. Instead, how about we talk about something else? Like, your Master, for example?"

Ignis blinked and then lowered her hands from her ears, curious as to know what Vanitas wanted to learn about Master Eraqus. "Master Eraqus? What about him?"

"Well, you know that Judge guy? Can't really remember his name, but he was really bony, pale, wore black robes?"

"Judge Frollo? What about that prick?"

"Well, that Judge guy and your Master are really similar. Different, yet oh-so similar," spoke Vanitas, casually placing his arms behind his head. "Now, I know what you're thinking. 'No, my Master is so kind! He's nothing like that prick!' But how can you be so sure?"

"How can I be- Because Master Eraqus wouldn't go around arresting gypsies for no reason! He wouldn't be discriminate towards them for harmless things, like dancing or performing with freedom!"

"You're only looking at the good things the gypsies have done. You're only defending them because they've been nice to you. Because you've witnessed them being discriminated and you took pity on them and healed and took care of them," pointed out Vanitas, standing up. "Even now, you're trying to avoid the fact that despite the gypsies being discriminated, they still did **bad things.** Stealing, seduction, trickery, all sorts of stuff to get through life. I should know; I'm a bad guy."

"But-! They only did bad things because nobody would give them a chance!" argued Ignis. "Because of the false rumors spread about them, how they're thieves, how they're rapists, and how they'll ruin lives if you interact with even one of them! If it weren't for them, I don't think they'd resort to doing bad things!"

"And what if those rumors were true? Or at the very least, some of them?" questioned Vanitas. "Tell me, you must have at least seen a few gypsies doing bad things, right? And don't try and lie just to defend them, or you'll be looking like the bad guy here."

Ignis thought back on the past few days she's been here, how she's made so many friends, and how she's witnessed some of her friends doing...bad things. "I...I did see a few of my friends...stealing. And pickpocketing. And threatening others."

"See? Just because the gypsies are pitiful doesn't mean they're not bad. It's like the old ma-It's like something I learned from a...philosophy book one time. Everyone has a good side and a bad side, no matter how much they deny it. Just like everyone has both light and darkness within them. And your Master is no exception, no matter how obsessed he is with the _light_."

"And what does my Master have anything to do with this? You still haven't properly explained his connection to Judge Frollo to me," pointed out Ignis, glaring at him.

Vanitas walked towards and began to circle around Ignis. "Alright, then. Let's say that I...learned this from your friends, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, I learned that your Master is a Keyblade Master."

"...Well, duh. Of course he is. Who do you think taught us, if not a Keyblade Master?"

"Well, most Keyblade Masters are people who fight for the light, and your Master is one of them, but he's...too obsessed with the light,' explained Vanitas, curling up his fingers. "He thinks that the light is everything. That light is always good, that light will fix everything. And...that **darkness** is an evil power that should forever be vanquished from existence. Am I getting everything right so far?"

"I...!" Ignis paused and took a moment to contemplate Vanitas' words. What he said just now...she _couldn't deny it._ Despite Eraqus being a kind, fatherly figure to her and her friends, she couldn't...deny his obsession with the light. Sure, he doesn't show it a lot, but there is no mistake that he values the power of light a lot. At first, she thought it was similar to the feeling she got when she loved using fire magic the most, but now, she was starting to think it was something entirely different.

Master Eraqus always did value the light, and despised the darkness the most. He taught them that darkness was always evil and that everybody has them, much to his contempt, and that it can't be helped as that is the nature of things. However, he also said that they must control the darkness within themselves and that they should never allow it to control them, as evident of his harsh and strict lessons with them.

But, Ignis was starting to think he was forcing his own beliefs onto them, even if he did indeed have good intentions with them.

"How about this?" spoke up Vanitas, seeing Ignis' undecided face. "Everything has a good and a bad side, right? Answer me that."

"...Yeah. You're right about that."

Vanitas nodded. "Good, you're following me! If that's the case, that doesn't automatically mean light is always good, and that darkness is always bad. There's more to darkness and light than meets the eye. For example, if we both agree that everything has a good and bad side, then it's logically to think that light has a bad side, and that darkness has a good side to it as well."

Ignis wanted to argue back a nd opened her mouth, but no words came out. If she denied that, then she'd be the hypocrite because she herself has been using darkness magic for combat and training. Sure, she never neglected her light magic training, but because of her interest in darkness magic, she focused more on that than her light magic. And yet, she's never felt any negative effects or even once caused harm to any innocent using darkness magic.

Their current conversation was starting to remind Ignis of the time when she explored the world of Nottingham. Robin Hood, although he committed bad crimes worthy to be on darkness' side, stole for very good intentions. Prince John, although he was the temporary ruler of Nottingham and was supposed to bring order and peace to the kingdom, instead abused his power and turned to greed, ignoring the wails and cries of his people. For someone who was supposed to be on the light side, he committed even worst crimes that would befit him to the dark side.

It was just like that time when Merlin asked her if she was willing to support the hero using the power of darkness to help others or the villain who uses the power of light for evil intentions. And she gave him a firm answer full of resolution that she would rather support the hero if it meant helping others and even if the power of darkness was required.

"...You're right. You're absolutely right," said Ignis, giving him the same fierce, determined look that she once gave to Merlin when she had given the old wizard her answer the last time they met. "Light and darkness both have good and bad sides. I...I think that...Look, you can't tell Master Eraqus about this."

Vanitas was about to argue that he had no obligation to help her, but he was interested in hearing what he had to say, so he nodded. "These lips are sealed."

"Thanks. I..I think that if someone had good intentions, it doesn't matter whether they use the power of darkness or light to accomplish their goals, so long as it protects others. Though, I'm pretty sure Master Eraqus will scold me for thinking such a...childish thing."

"You're right about that. The childish thing? Nah. But your Master will do more than scold you." He stopped in front of Ignis and leaned in close. "He'll _disown_ you."

A chilling sensation froze Ignis' heart as she took in Vanitas' words. "W-What?"

"You heard me. He. Will. Disown. You. Kick you out. No longer view you as his student. All the same."

"D-Don't be ridiculous! He wouldn't kick me out simply for learning more about darkness..." Ignis paused, looking away with uncertainty. "...Would he?"

"I'm not your Master, firecracker, but if you and I both agree that he values light above all, then once he learns that you've been secretly learning and using the darkness, then he'll feel...betrayed. Disappointed."

"B-But if I explain-!"

"Then, what? You think everything's automatically going to go back to normal? Don't be so naïve!" snapped Vanitas. "From what I've learned, that Terra friend of yours couldn't pass the Mark of Mastery simply because he couldn't control his own darkness."

"Yeah..." Realization hit Ignis as she pointed out, "But Terra wasn't kicked out! Sure, he may not have become a Keyblade Master, but-!"

"And that just goes to show how much of a failure your Master is," said Vanitas. "He loves the light, we get that. But, has he ever once taught how to control the darkness? He claims to value the power of light, and yet, have you ever once seen him use the power of darkness before?"

Ignis had to admit, Vanitas was right. In all of her years training to be a Keyblade Master, not once has she seen her Master unleash the power of darkness before, even when he gave lessons on not giving into the temptation of darkness. He was all about light, he was...obsessed with light, but in order to better understand the dangerous implications of darkness, shouldn't he also have some sort of immunity or demonstrate darkness, if only for good intentions?

"I'll take your silence as a no. Because he doesn't use the power of darkness, he _failed._ If he had the power of darkness, he would have better teach Terra how to control his darkness, which makes it all the Master's fault. Oh, sure, Terra did mess up in the exam, and your Master doesn't have to give up the power of light in favor of the darkness, but isn't it the teacher's duty to guide their students? In a way, part of the reason why Terra failed was all because of Master Eraqus' _fault."_

"I...I mean...It's true that Master Eraqus never once used the power of darkness, because he's taught us that darkness is evil," spoke Ignis.

Vanitas countered, "And yet, both of us have reached the same conclusion that everything, even light and darkness, has a good and bad side. Yeah, darkness can do a lot of shitty things, but that doesn't automatically make it evil all of the time. You've used darkness to help others, so could you call that evil?"

"...No. Because I used darkness to protect others, I never used it for selfish and evil intentions. But, what about you? I know you're reeking of darkness, but haven't you tried using the power of light?"

"Nope."

"Then-!"

"Well, even if I wanted to, I couldn't," spoke Vanitas, holding out his hand and summoning a flame of darkness. "My existence is...special. As such, I can only use the power of darkness. I wouldn't even want to use the lame power of light, anyways."

"Why?"

"Why? Because you all keep spouting on about using the power of light and using the power of friendship to accomplish your goals, and it's so annoying and cliché! If it was going to be like that, then I'm glad to use only the power of darkness!"

"But...friendship...always prevails?" wondered Ignis.

"Welcome to reality, dumbass, no it doesn't!" snapped Vanitas. "You-You think that everything in life can be solved with the power of love and friendship? Well, guess again! The world is _cold!_ The world doesn't care about _things_ like me! And the world would much prefer darkness to never exist! Just like...your pathetic excuse for a Master."

Although Ignis was ready to retaliate and yell angrily in her Master's defense, she paused and considered Vanitas's words. He sounded as though he experienced the harshness of reality. Could it be that he's been under a lot of pain and suffering even before they met?

"Vanitas...what happened to you?"

Realizing that he may have exposed a bit too much of himself, Vanitas turned away. A minute of silence filled the air between them before he spoke up again. "...You wanted to know why I think that Judge guy and your Master were similar, don't you?"

Ignis reached out a hand to comfort him. "Vani-"

"Don't! You dare touch me!" hissed Vanitas, knocking back her hand. "Don't you dare offer kindness to me! Kindness is a weakness! If I'm being offered kindness, that means I'm _weak!_ I refuse to just stand there and be called _weak, pathetic, useless!_ If you're just going to keep offering your hand out to me, then I'm just going to leave!"

"..." Ignis lowered her arm, clenching her fists. There was nothing she could do except try and lessen Vanitas' rage and his upset state. "...Alright. I...I guess I want to know what you know. I'll listen."

Vanitas took a moment to gather himself and calm down before crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. "Fine. I gathered some information out of curiosity towards this Frollo guy. Guy claims to be righteous and full of justice for this city, when in reality, his heinous acts are only for his own racist benefits and self-righteousness. He's viewed as a tyrant to many people in the city."

 _'Just like with Prince John, only, as much as I hate admitting it, John seems to be more of the lesser evil compared to Frollo,'_ thought Ignis.

"Yeah, I gathered that much," said Ignis. "But, if that's all, then you should know that Master Eraqus is nothing like Judge Frollo! He wouldn't be racist or harm others for no reason at all!"

"Not racist, huh? He wishes to exterminate any kind of darkness, so if there was a race full of darkness, wouldn't you say he'd love nothing more than to exterminate that race?" questioned Vanitas. "In a way, that would make your Master _racist."_

"I...If such a race exists, he wouldn't dare harm innocents!"

"Even if those innocents rely on the power of darkness?"

"..."

Vanitas chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, princess...You haven't even learned half of the things Frollo has done. He not only abuses his authority, but he arrests pretty much every single gypsy within his sight, whether they're innocent or not. Actually, most of the time, they're innocent, but he doesn't care, because he's a fuckin' racist. And do you know what he does to them after he arrests them?"

Ignis was almost too afraid to learn the answer. "No...?"

"He kills them. Orders them to be hung, stabbed, or even tortured. He deems the gypsies as heretics in his own opinion. It doesn't matter if they're innocent, a child, or even a baby. He has his soldiers kill each captured gypsy, and it's not just gypsies, but gypsy sympathizers as well. The female ones have it even worst when he allows his soldiers to do whatever they want with them..."

Ignis gasped, unable to imagine the kind of horrible treatment the arrested gypsies have been through. "A-And how long has he done this?!"

"Eh, from what I gathered, about 20 or more years."

"And nobody's stopped him before!?"

"Oh, no. There's been rebellions, but all of them ended in failure, whether it was inadequate numbers, lack in strength and training, hostage situations, and so much more."

Ignis looked away, horror written all over her face. "I...I know from Master Eraqus that not all people are good. You hear stories of really terrible people out there, but I never would have imagined...Especially a Minister of Justice, who's supposed to ensure equality and justice to-!"

"Oh, don't spout me that 'in the name of justice' crap! I hear that way too much from people in other worlds who claim to be doing just that," scoffed Vanitas.

"And what does any of this have to do with Master Eraqus? He would never torture or kill the gypsies, who...mostly have done nothing wrong!"

Vanitas shrugged. "Maybe not torture, sure. But what if the gypsies were users of darkness? An entire race, full of darkness users and not light users. Your Master would have done _anything_ to ensure that darkness doesn't exist, even if it means eliminating the gypsies, and yes, that includes innocent children, too."

Ignis wanted to say something, but with all of the information before her, she knew that deep down...Vanitas might be correct. Eraqus despised the darkness, so he would do anything to see it gone. Even if...even if that might mean eliminating innocents full of darkness, and not the bad kind, either. In fact, it probably wouldn't matter to Eraqus if there was a good side to darkness, because in his mind, he's already deemed darkness as the ultimate evil.

"That's...just speculation," said Ignis, taking a step back. "The gypsies right now, they don't even know how to use magic! They're not users of darkness! The only kind of 'magic' they have is just tricks! Performances! Anything like that!"

"You're right. Right now, the gypsies are pretty much harmless," said Vanitas, stepping towards Ignis. "But you and I both know that Eraqus would commit _genocide_ if it meant that the power of darkness would be eliminated forever."

"...Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Simple. You're not brain-dead like your friends, Aqua and Ventus. They're too fixated on the power of light, so it's too late for them. Terra, on the other hand, though he has the power of darkness with him, he's too stubborn and rough with it, so he can't handle that power very well. But you? You're _different._ You can handle both the power of light and darkness really well, even though you have more training with the power of light. I just thought to give you a little push to the path you've chosen."

Ignis looked at him. "And what's in it for you if you do 'push me to the path I've chosen?'"

"Simple. I'm curious to see what would happen if someone chooses a path full of light AND darkness. So really, this is for my own benefit and curiosity. I'm pretty much gambling on you to make the choices that'll lead you to the path you've chosen. And, there's something else you need to know."

"What?"

"Everything has a good and dark side. That means when faced with a problem, you have to question everything. As in, EVERYTHING. You have to figure out what's wrong and right for yourself. You have to question everything, assess the information before you, and then, make a _choice._ Otherwise, you'll just end up brainwashed like your friends, and maybe even arrogant like your Master.

He roughly shoved Ignis out of the way with his shoulder, but Ignis hardly noticed, as she was taking Vanitas' words into consideration. Just as Vanitas opened a Corridor of Darkness, he paused and said, "Just think about it. But, the next time we meet, I won't hesitate to _kill_ you."

"Wait, what?" Before Ignis could question more on what he said, Vanitas had already vanished beyond the Corridor of Darkness, along with his portal as soon as he entered it. Deciding to take his advice, Ignis left to go train, seeing as she had some time to spare before going back to the inn to rest.

Unknown to Ignis or even Vanitas himself, during their entire encounter, a mysterious, new Unversed snuck away in the shadows, hungry for something to munch on...

* * *

 _Later..._

Ignis was once again in the middle of trying to cast her Summoning Magic for who knows how many times that day. This time, she felt that she was growing more and more closer to completing the task of summoning her Familiar, and she's re-read the Summoning Magic book several times, so she was certain she'd get it right this time! In addition, before she began training, she finally managed to track down the Moogle Shop in this world, so she had plenty of Potions and Ethers to go around in case something happened, like her magic power running around, for example.

Ignis pants as she concentrates on what feels like the hundredth time she's attempted Summoning Magic. She attempts to concentrate on her breathing as she squeezed her eyes shut, but she ends up nearly hyperventilating. She then focused on her magic power even more, feeling a slight shift in the air as she did so. She pressed Phoenix Fairy even further down the ground.

She panted heavily, focusing more and more of her magic power into getting her Summoning to work this time. She had failed numerous times before in the past, but she felt that it _had_ to work this time. She just needed to give it more power and more concentration-! Once she completed this Summoning, it shouldn't take too much effort to re-summoning her Familiar! She must accomplish her goal, no, she _WILL_ accomplish her goal.

The magic circle beneath her Keyblade began to spin. Gritting her teeth, Ignis allowed her magic circle to blossom, glowing brightly and spinning around at top speeds until it was nothing more than a blur. Beads of sweat began forming on her body as magic consumption began to rise, and Ignis felt she was ready to burst, so with a cry, she let her magic power explode.

A bright glow consumed the area, quickly replaced by a hazy mist that appeared around the magic circle. The mist soon vanished, and Ignis slowly opened her eyes, finding herself face-to-face with her the results of her succession.

Her very own Familiar.

Ignis couldn't help but smile brightly as she took her fire-based Familiar into her hands, though she did flinch when she made physical contact with her. Right, _fire -_ based, meaning that her Familiar was completely engulfed in flames due to being a fire elemental Familiar, and that fire was really dangerous and hot to touch. A simple Barfire spell fixed that, giving her temporary resistance to fire before she picked up her fire elemental Familiar, feeling the hot embers licking at her fingers.

With a smile on her face, Ignis welcomed her Familiar by announcing the name that would formalize the contract between Master and Familiar.

"Nice to meet you... **Pyra."**

* * *

 _Later, that evening..._

In the cathedral, the Archdeacon and several priests behind him were in the midst of a song, offering up a prayer as they traversed around the inside of the cathedral, swinging some incense around as part of their offering.

 **Hellfire**

 **Composed by: Alan Menken**

 **Sung by: Claude Frollo**

 **Archdeacon**

 **Chorus**

 _"Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti_

 _Beatea Mariae semper Virgini_

 _Beato Michaeli archangel_

 _Sanctis apostolic omnibus sanctis…"_

In his quarters, Frollo gazed out from his window, staring up at the night sky as he thought back on today's earlier events, confused by his feeling stowards a gypsy girl whom he's never once interacted before until today.

 _"Beata Maria,_

 _You know I am a righteous man,_

 _Of my virtue I am justly proud._

 _(Et tibi Pater)_

 _Beata Maria,_

 _You know I'm so much purer than_

 _The common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd!_

 _(Quia peccavi nimis)"  
_

Frollo made his way from the windows and towards his fireplace, shouting in the blazing embers of his fireplace.

 _"Then, tell me, Maria!_

 _Why I see her dancing there!_

 _Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul!_

 _(Cogitatione)"_

Clutching his own shoulders, Frollo struggled in an internal conflict between his duties and lust for Esmeralda. He watched as the flames danced, creating a vision of Esmeralda swaying elegantly, trying to seduce Frollo and whispering temptations through her dance alone.

 _"I feel her, I see her!_

 _The sun caught in her raven hair_

 _Is blazing in me out of all control!_

 _(Verbo er opera)"_

Frollo's eyes widened in fear as he stepped back, refusing to give into his temptations as he struggled to regain control of himself. Yet even his temptations caused him to take out the one thing he received from Esmeralda from his robes; her beloved scarf. With a surge of strength, he found himself unable to destroy the one possession he owned of her.

 _"Like fire!_

 _Hellfire!_

 _This fire in my skin!_

 _This burning_

 _Desire_

 _Is turning me to sin!"_

Upon falling to his knees in defeat and contemplation, Frollo found himself surrounded by many faceless, red hooded people, chanting one phrase in unison. Trying to defend himself, Frollo ran around, trying to pin his lustful temptations towards Esmeralda, thinking she was the cause of his sinful thoughts.

 _"It's not my fault!_

 _(Mea culpa)_

 _I'm not to blame!_

 _(Mea culpa)_

 _It is the gypsy girl,_

 _The witch who set this flame!_

 _(Mea maxima culpa)_

 _It's not my fault!_

 _(Mea culpa)_

 _If in God's plan_

 _(Mea culpa)_

 _He made the devil so much stronger than a man!_

 _(Mea maxima culpa)"_

His arm stretched out, as though grasping for a pure light, all while the red robes swirled around her, glowing in heat and enveloping Frollo, pulling her forth into the fiery cauldron of hell until that grasp was broken apart by what Frollo's presumed to be the protection of Maria.

 _"Protect me, Maria!_

 _Don't let that siren cast her spell!_

 _Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone!"_

With a triumphant, newfound resolve, Frollo thrusted his arm forward, tightly gripping the scarf as though offering it in exchange for his strong request to vanquish Esmeralda once and for all. He could picture the dancing embers engulfing Esmeralda as she let out one last beautiful, shrill shriek as hell's fires consumed her.

But even if he so desired Esmeralda's death for casting a spell of lust all over him, he knew that she couldn't die just yet. Not until he overcame the power of lust himself by overpowering and possessing her alone. As though comforting him, Frollo reached out to embrace the wispy fumes of smoke that formed the beautiful figure of Esmeralda, only for the smoke to disappear once he embraced the figure, indicating that it was an illusion. An illusion that he could never have.

 _"Destroy Esmeralda!_

 _And let her taste the fires of Hell!_

 _Or let her be mine and mine alone!"_

A rough knock on his door, and Frollo whirled around, gasping as he tried to regain his composure. The door opened, and the vague shadow of a guard stood in the moonlight, ready to report his findings.

"Minister Frollo. The gypsy has escaped."

"What?!" hissed Frollo, seething while trying to keep his composure, not willing to show any weakness.

"She's nowhere in the cathedral. She's gone."

"But, how?! I..." Frowning, Frollo snapped and ordered the guard, "Never mind! Get out, you idiot!" The guard obeyed her orders and closed the door, leaving Frollo by himself as he walked back towards the fireplace. "I'll find her! I'll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris!"

 _"Hellfire!_

 _Dark fire!_

 _Now gypsy, it's your turn!_

 _Choose me or_

 _Your pyre!_

 _Be mine or you will burn!"_

Enraged, Frollo threw down the purple scarf, watching it ignite in flames and turn it into ashes in seconds.

 _"(Kyrie Eleison)_

 _God have mercy on her!_

 _(Kyrie Eleison)_

 _God have mercy on me!_

 _(Kyrie Eleison)_

 _But she will be mine_

 _Or she will BURN!"_

* * *

 **WARNING! WARNING! PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES AS THEY CONTAIN VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE NEXT CHAPTER! ACTUALLY, THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS!**

 **This was an especially long chapter, and I found myself enjoying it thus far! Hehehe!~ I've been waiting a very long time to write this chapter, so I'm especially giddy that I've finally got the chance to do so, especially in the Lost in Thoughts All Alone part! I was so mesmerized by the song, Amalee's version of it anyways, that I just couldn't stop thinking about it as I wanted to incorporate it into this chapter!**

 **So, for all of you curious fans, I changed several of the lyrics to match Ignis' path to finding true balance between light and darkness. In the Shin Tegami games, I noticed that there is also themes about light and darkness, how the light side consists of angels, and how the dark side is full of demons. In that aspect, the light side is all about Order, and the dark side is all about Chaos.**

 **As many of us recognized, Light is mostly seen as good, and rarely do we ever get to see the bad sides of light. If anything, the bad sides of light are corruption, like people serving in the name of the law abusing their power for their own benefits. It's like those religious churches in video games, you can't trust them since they serve their own selfish agendas. Light is all about Order, Judgement, Law, and Justice, hence the lyrics in the first part of the Lost in Thoughts All Alone when it described the path of light.**

 **Dark is often seen as evil, but very rarely do we ever get to see the good sides of darkness. The good side of darkness seem mainly focused on vigilantes or anti-heroes, where they kill villains for the sake of others, just like Red Hood from Batman, and Batman himself is known to be a famous vigilante himself. Even so, Darkness is all about Chaos, Trickery, Corruption, and so forth, which leads to the second part of the song where it describes the path of darkness.**

 **And then, it all comes down to the middle part of the song, which describes the key to balance. Someone who uses both the powers of light and darkness, just as Ignis is trying to accomplish. A neutral gray, if you might call it. A Path of Revelations, as well. The path of Gray means that one cannot choose the side of light or darkness, they must remain neutral at all times. In such cases, being on this path would make one a peacemaker, or close to a vigilante.**

 **Because Lost in Thoughts All Alone was essentially a water-based song, since it had all sort of aquatic words, I did my best to change the aquatic words to match Ignis' element of fire. Hope you guys enjoyed that!**

 **Anyways, Vanitas is starting to realize his feelings for Ignis, but unlike Frollo, he actually managed to surpass his own temptations and even attempted to do so by changing the subject. He was too enticed by her performance and appearance, so he became attracted to her.**

 **Speaking of appearance, Ignis' descriptive appearance was based on Azura's Nohr dancer dress, except in much lighter and red colors than the dark and somewhat blue colors. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I guess you can compared the descriptive appearance in this chapter along with a simple Google imagine of Azura's Nohr dress, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Seriously, her dress and her song version in the Nohr route is so cool! Cooler than the Hoshido route!**

 **Regarding Vanitas describing Frollo and Eraqus' similarities and clear differences, you also have to remember something. Instead of talking things out, in the original game, Eraqus was even willing to kill Ventus, an innocent boy, in order not to let darkness prevail. If he was going to do that to his apprentice, no, one of his "sons," then it shouldn't be too far-off that he would go so far as to commit genocide on a group of people that uses darkness, even if there are innocents involved. What makes it interesting if that Eraqus is so full of light, he's been "corrupted" and "obsessed" with the light, so he can't bear the thought of darkness still existing.**

 **I tried not to make Vanitas too OOC this chapter, all while still having him still having feelings for Ignis, but because of his current situation, he can't ever make a move on her. It's sort of a forbidden love kind of thing going on that even the two of them are unaware of.**

 **Also, yes! Ignis finally managed to summon her Familiar, Pyra! And before you ask, no, I can't tell you guys what kind of animal Familiar Ignis has, but I can assure you that it's not some bird or phoenix Familiar of any kind. All will be revealed in a few chapters.**

 **I so badly wanted to incorporate the song, "Hellfire" into this chapter to mark the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next events to come next. I just can't help it, because I love this song, as it's powerful and one of Disney's most darkest songs, yet. You see, I think Frollo is one of the most scariest and darkest characters in Disney because he's so realistic and this kind of thing can happen in real life, minus the talking gargoyles and stuff like that.**

 **So, anyways, the main reason I wanted you guys to read the author's notes is because now, and before the next chapter begins, I will warn you all that the darkest parts of this world are going to happen in the next chapter. I mean it, for real! It's going to be major shit flying around, like really dark themes all over in the next few chapters! It'll be a big major change...that it'll cause major character development for Ignis as well! So, I'm giving you all a warning about the next chapters being extremely dark.**

 **That said, read and review!**


	40. La Cité des Cloches (5): First Day

**Hey, guys! So, I came to warn you all again that starting this chapter on and the next few chapters, this story will be dark, and I'm talking like, major dark themes going around. Gore, suffering, torture, violence, blood, terror, all kinds of unimaginable dark themes you normally wouldn't see in a Kingdom Hearts game. If you feel uncomfortable reading the parts in the story, you can scroll down to the author's notes and I can try and give a description of what happened to explain things better in a quick manner. With that said, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Call Your Heroes (Medley)" from Amalee, who incorporated that song from the anime, Attack on Titan. Some lyrics were changed to better suit the song in this story. Link to her song is here: watch?v=A5A1uAd2J9c**

* * *

Ignis had been so excited, and yet so physically and magically exhausted from finally being able to summon her Familiar using Summoning Magic that once she came back to her "inn room" in the stables, she promptly collapsed on a bed of hay and began to fall asleep, too tired to change out of her ensemble and back into her knightly clothes. She figured that once she woke up the next morning, she would change back into them and return the ensemble back to Esmeralda, or any other gypsy that had connections to her.

A whiff of something...odd trailed up her nostrils. It was a potent, skunky-like smell that only seemed to be growing stronger as time passed. No, not just that...the smell wasn't just growing stronger, it was increasing in quantity as well,

This smell...was awfully familiar... _Smoke?_

A loud, high-pitched scream was what finally woke her up. No, it wasn't just one scream, but three...no, ten...no, twenty, even more so than that! Hair disheveled and ensemble clothes slightly messy, Ignis got up quickly and was greeted at the sight of a building on fire. Scratch that, _multiple_ buildings on fire.

"What the fuc-?!" murmured Ignis, rubbing her eyes and continuously blinking to make sure she still wasn't sleeping. She even pinched herself a few times for reassurance, and the pain told her that she was indeed facing reality. There were indeed buildings being set on fire.

With the screams not too far from where she was at, along with the blazing buildings across the street, Ignis decided to check the situation, hastily gathering her belongings and not bothering to change out of her ensemble, knowing that she didn't really have time to do so.

When she arrived in the scene where she caught sight of the buildings on fire, she still heard screams come from somewhere nearby, and yet, she couldn't pinpoint where those screams were coming from. The only people around were just random bystanders, citizens of Notre Dame, who were standing nearby, muttering amongst each other and pointing to the burning buildings, while some were terrified or breaking down, crying. The screams certainly didn't come from them unless...!

"Hey, what's going on?" questioned Ignis, marching up to some of the bystanders. When they turned to look at her, they were stunned by her beauty, and, seeing that they were distracted, Ignis snapped them out of it by snapping her fingers in front of their faces. "HEY! I'm talking to you guys! What's happening?!"

One of them flinched and said, "Y-Yes! Well, those buildings are on fire-!"

"Yeah, I can see that!"

"But there are still people inside!"

"What?!" exclaimed Ignis, whirling her head towards the burning buildings. "And you guys didn't think to do something, like call the fire department or something?!" Upon seeing the confused looks on the bystanders, Ignis figured that if the world of Notre Dame didn't have a police station, then they most likely didn't have a fire department either. "Ugh, never mind! Everyone, stand back!"

Summoning Phoenix Fairy in her hand, Ignis found it easier to concentrate on her magic with her Keyblade in hand as she gathered up magic power to cast her spell. "Waterga!"

Thanks to some special training from one of the other worlds she visited, her elemental magic has grown stronger and more concentrated than ever before. Thus, any trouble she had with water magic, she can now control it better, though she still prefers her fire elemental magic over her water magic. Geysers of water burst forth from a barrier of water that formed around Ignis, aiming for the fires.

Her third-tier water magic was strong, but because she hasn't had much practice with it, her water magic wasn't enough to extinguish all of the fires. The spell had, at least, extinguished the fires blocking the doors of the buildings.

"You can come out, now!" called out Ignis. After waiting for a few minutes, Ignis began to grow worried because nobody was coming out. Upon stepping forward and taking a closer look, Ignis saw a flare of warmth and the closer she got, the more hotter she felt, indicating that despite no fires being seen on the outside, there were still flames on the inside.

"What's going on?"

Suddenly, Conrad, who was leading a small group of soldiers his age or younger, arrived at the scene, panting as they had hurried without stop. He took a glance at the buildings, which appeared to be charred black, but knightly training had taught him and the rookies behind him that one shouldn't immediately assume that a fire is out unless one verifies it for themselves.

"Conrad!" said Ignis, running up to him. "I just arrived here a few minutes ago, and I saw these buildings were on fire! I think there are still some people-!"

Screams interrupted Ignis midsentence as everyone turned their attention to the charred buildings. The fires within the buildings only seem to be arising once more, indicating that Ignis didn't clear all of the flames inside of the building.

"Crap!" cried out Ignis before turning to Conrad. "Do you guys have any water? We have to put out those fires and save the people inside!"

"R-Right!" agreed Conrad. "Half of you get some water to put out the fires! The other half, we'll have to use our weapons to break down any debris in our way and rescue the people-!"

The fires grew more to the point where they reached the entrances of the buildings once again. Hurriedly, Ignis raised her Keyblade and aimed it at the entrances, spraying geysers of water with her Waterga spell, clearing the pathway and amazing all who witnessed her magic.

"You can use witchcraft, Ignis?" asked Conrad.

"Now's really not the time to be asking that sort of thing, right?" reminded Ignis. "We need to- *cough* *cough* Damnit! This stupid smoke-! Aeroga!" With the increasing amount of smoke beginning to fill the area, Ignis cleared it all in an instant with a wind spell, clearing any further obstacles to reaching the people still trapped inside. She turned her head to see Conrad and his men still standing around, stunned. "What are you waiting for?!"

Conrad flinched. "R-Right! Sorry! Everyone, like I said, one group splits up to get more water! Another group forms a perimeter to prevent other civilians from entering! And the others hurry and rescue as many citizens trapped inside! Ignis, I know you're not involved with the knights, so-"

"I know," agreed Ignis, pointing her Keyblade at the charred buildings and gathering her magic power. "I'll forge a path and get rid of any obstacles in the way! We'll talk later!"

"Right! Let's hurry! But first, wrap this around your nose and mouth!" Conrad advised, giving Ignis a cloth. "It'll block any smoke getting into your body!"

"Okay!"

Ignis' cooperation was a huge help with Conrad and the rookies he was leading, as her water and wind spells extinguished the flames and erased the smoke blocking their eyesight. The rookie soldiers following behind Ignis, as she was busy casting her spells, broke through and moved any debris blocking their path to provide some assistance, as well as carry any civilian trapped inside out of the charred buildings. The others did the same with the other buildings, although their process was a bit slower compared to Ignis and her group.

When the area was cleared of anymore burnt buildings, everyone involved with the evacuating of civilians and putting out the fires were all understandable exhausted and had smudges all over parts of their bodies. Ignis glanced around and saw many civilians that were rescued from the burnt buildings being offered water and some food by some of the rookie soldiers as well as them advising the civilians to rest. As she was overseeing the site of the fires, Ignis gasped and grimaced before looking away at a certain scene she didn't want to see.

Death.

Laid before her were a pile of corpses either having died from being hit and trapped under heavy debris, asphyxiation from inhaling too much smoke, or from the fires themselves. They were all lined up and covered in white sheets to signify their deaths and that the rookie soldiers would be taking care of them. Just looking at them not only made Ignis feel terrible for the innocent people who died, but also ashamed of herself for not acting faster.

Despite Ignis' assistance, not all of the civilians trapped inside the burning buildings could be saved. Even though most of the civilians were saved, the death of the other unfortunate souls was still a huge loss. Ignis still was not used to death occurring around her, especially when she was around and had the power to stop it despite her efforts having saved many other folks.

"What's wrong?"

Ignis looked up and saw Conrad walking towards her with a concerned look on her face. "I...I arrived here first before you and any other soldier came. I could have-No, I should have stopped the fires first. I had magic! I had the power! Even if I didn't know the fire safety rules like you taught me, I-"

"Ignis, it's okay!" assured Conrad, placing his hands on her shoulders. "None of this was your fault! You did the best you could! Actually, it may be hard to hear, but I'm glad you didn't just rush in! Otherwise, you wouldn't have known about the fire safety rules like we soldiers have been drilled to learn in our heads! You probably would have suffered from the debris or been asphyxiated! The fact that we managed to save lots of lives from the fire today proves that without your help, the number of lives saved would have lessened! Be proud of that fact!"

"...Even so..."

Conrad sighed and lowered his arms, looking out into the distance. "I...Earlier today, I received a command from Judge Frollo. He gave an...outrageous command, and yet, I couldn't find myself fulfilling it, so me and a bunch of rookie soldiers decided to join the patrolling in search of someone that Judge Frollo desperately wished to find."

"A command you couldn't fulfill? And you had to find someone?" wondered Ignis curiously. "What happened?"

"I don't know the full details, but I know for a fact that for some reason, Judge Frollo wants to...to find a gypsy woman named Esmeralda."

Ignis's eyes widened. "Esmeralda? I know her! She's my friend! But...could it be that he wants revenge on her for the stunt she pulled yesterday at the festival?"

"It is true that Judge Frollo hates being publicly humiliated and provoked like that," said Conrad. "But he has been treated that way several times before in the past by different gypsies! Some of which he couldn't catch up to this day! He wouldn't give such an extreme command if it was an resentful action like that! If he had been angry like that, then all of Paris would have burned down ages ago! It doesn't add up!"

"Conrad! What was the command?" questioned Ignis, almost afraid of hearing the answer.

Turning to her with just as equally confused, and yet sorrowful eyes, Conrad answered, "Interrogate any gypsy or any gypsy sympathizer who might know the whereabouts about the gypsy girl known as Esmeralda. Use whatever means necessary to find what you're looking for. Even if it means burning down their homes, robbing them, torture, k-killing the impure, and so much worst, all in the name of the Lord."

Ignis's insides turned ice cold when she heard such a... _inhumane_ command. It was as though all of the warmth inside of her had vanished and was replaced with a still coldness that froze her heart and mind when she learned what just happened. No amount of evil, not even the Unversed, could compared to the... _insane_ command she just learned.

"...What?"

"..." Conrad looked away, just as equally horrified as he was when he first received the command.

"...What? What?! WHAT?!" Ignis grabbed Conrad by the front, forcing him to face her. "What?! How could-?! How could that Frollo guy order such a...such a horrible command like that?! Are you sure you heard right?! That's the exact command he gave?!"

"Hey! Let go of our leader!" one of the rookie soldiers shouted, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Ignis. Some of the other rookie soldiers did the same, but then Conrad gave the signal for them to lower their weapons, ensuring that it was alright. They looked hesitant, but they agreed to at least lower their arms, yet not sheathing their weapons.

Conrad nodded to Ignis and swallowed dryly. "T-That's right. I was just as shocked as you when I first received the command. I thought, maybe I was having a bad morning and I was still so sleepy, so I didn't hear the command properly. So, I stay for a while, and watched and listened as Judge Frollo relayed the same command over and over to different leaders and their groups of soldiers. There was no mistake. He definitely gave that...horrendous command."

"...Why?!" demanded Ignis. "Why would he give such a command like that?! What is wrong with him?!"

"I don't really know myself," said Conrad. "You're asking the wrong person. I can tell you this, though. Judge Frollo has always hated the gypsies for a very long time. Yes, he's dealt punishment to any gypsies he's caught, but he's never given commands to this extent, especially when it will affect the entire city of Paris negatively."

"Yeah, obviously giving a command to burn down houses and even resort to killing no matter who it is definitely IS going to affect the city!" shouted Ignis, releasing Conrad and backing up, placing a hand over her forehead as she tried to think of a way to stop this insane plan to locate Esmeralda. "I mean, why does he even want Esmeralda so bad?"

Conrad shook his head. "I...I don't know. He just said it was of the upmost importance that we find her and bring her to him at once. All of this...whatever is going is, it must be important for Judge Frollo to want to find her."

"Killing? Torture? Burning down houses? NONE OF THAT is worth all this mess!" spat Ignis, disgusted and angry.

"I'm not saying what Judge Frollo is doing is a good thing. In fact, I'm not even in the interrogation group. We're just...searching. We're not doing any killing or torture or anything. We were just searching for Esmeralda and hoping that we can talk in a peaceful manner. In fact, we weren't really supposed to put out the fires. If Judge Frollo knew...we'd be executed..."

"Executed for saving innocent lives?" Ignis questioned, shocked.

"We see innocent lives," started one of the rookie soldiers. "But Judge Frollo? He just sees them as useless lives that are in the way and deserve to be trampled in the name of the Lord."

Ignis gritted her teeth, but held her tongue back in favor of something else that was of importance. If Frollo really did give out that outrageous command, then who knows what might be happening in other parts of the city? Oh, dear God...what about her own friends in the city? Granted, she had more gypsy friends than the regular citizens in the city, but they were still her friends, regardless! If any and all gypsy and gypsy sympathizers were being rounded up and interrogated, who knows what horrendous things they may be suffering under?

"Ignis," spoke up Conrad, clenching his fists at his side and trying to keep his composure. "I...me and the rest of the rookies...we can't defy Judge Frollo directly. That said, we also can't allow the city to burn or cause the civilians to get into a riot because of his orders, either. Therefore, we'll try and help out as many people as we can, but...I'm afraid you won't be able to rely on us anymore when it comes to putting out fires. And, we'll have to try and bring in the girl known as Esmeralda." Conrad raised a hand to stop Ignis from interrupting. "And when I say bring her in, yes, we will have no choice but to take her, but we will do so peacefully. You have my word on that."

"Screw your word! Even if you do capture Esmeralda, who's to say that Frollo won't kill or torture her or whatever once he gets his hands on her?!" demanded Ignis. "He's already given out the order to hurt and kill and interrogate others in search for her, after all!"

"He won't. At least, I think he won't," assured Conrad, shaking his hand and understanding her anger. "If he wanted her killed, he would have given the order. But, he wants her alive for something. He specifically said not to harm her, so no soldier is going to disobey that order, though they will take advantage of the whole 'by any means necessary' order."

Ignis then realized something. "Hold on...Why are you telling me all this? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Assuming that you tell Judge Frollo that we were the ones who told you, no. And...there's a reason why," replied Conrad. "Ignis, you have the power to save more people than me and my men. You...We've seen and heard about your skills. How you're an excellent swordsman, and just now, while normally witchcraft is seen as a terrible thing, you used witchcraft to save people. Because of our duties, we can't do anything to go against Judge Frollo."

"Duties...is that really more important than ruining innocent lives and burning their houses?" questioned Ignis, glaring at him. "I know knights are supposed to be chivalrous and all, but I heard in fairy tales that their upmost duty is to protect the innocent! Not follow the orders of a madman!"

"You don't know anything!" shouted another rookie soldier, marching up to her. "You don't know the heavy weight of our duties! Yeah, we're following the orders of a madman, but we-"

"Soldier, stand down!" ordered Conrad.

"No, this...this naïve idiot needs to learn discipline and the weight of duty!" argued the rookie soldier. "Punish me all you want later for disobedience, that's fine! At least a punishment from you or Captain Phoebus would be a hundred times better than a punishment from Frollo!"

"Soldier-!"

"No, I actually want to hear this," Ignis stopped, glaring at the rookie soldier. "What kind of duty is more important than saving innocent lives? If part of your duty was saving innocent lives, I could understand, but your 'duty' is making you hurt innocent lives!"

"Like I said, you don't know anything!" shouted the rookie solider. "If we don't know what that madman Frollo tells us to do, then it's our own families that'll suffer the consequences! Don't you know?! It won't just be us that'll be punished for disobeying orders, but our own _innocent_ families as well! That's just the kind of man Frollo is! He'll hurt anyone just to make an example of his wrath! Innocent or not!"

Ignis' face fell with horror and sympathy. "You...He really does that?"

The rookie soldier nodded. "And a whole lot worst! And nobody can oppose him because we don't have the power! He's the Minister of Justice! He has even more power than the Captain himself! You think we like doing this sort of duty if it involved hurting innocents? No! This sort of duty, we do it for our families! We do it for more innocent people! Not for some... _gypsy_ we barely even know about!"

"Soldier!" scolded Conrad. "I won't allow discrimination-"

"It's not discrimination if it's the truth! We barely know anything about this Esmeralda woman, so why should I care about her? I care more about my family than I do with that gypsy woman!" yelled the rookie soldier before turning to Ignis. "I have nothing against you, and I-we're all grateful for your help earlier, but you are undeniably _naïve_ if you think that we'll just stop our sense of duty simply for a few, innocent strangers. This is _reality,_ not the fairy tales you've read as a kid!"

Ignis opened her mouth to retort but found she didn't even have a single word to counter his argument. She couldn't deny that he is indeed correct that this is reality and not some fairy tale. The knights in Notre Dame-no, the knights in _reality_ aren't anything like the ones she read in fairy tales, though they are at some aspect. They're...there's two sides to the knights. The selfless knights like the ones she's talking to right now but are more concerned with their own families than anyone else, and the corrupt, selfish ones who'll only use their authority to get what they want and not care about anyone other than themselves.

Like...light and darkness.

"...You're right. You're absolutely right," admitted Ignis. "I know that, I know that! And yet, some part of me wishes that you guys were more like the knights in the fairy tales I've read! Chivalrous, more brave, more willing to sacrifice themselves-"

"And you don't think we've been like that?!" demanded the rookie soldier. "If you think that every soldier is going to be just like what you've read in silly, childish fairy tales, then you don't deserve to be here! You should leave this to the professionals and get out of the city while you still can! If you still can't face the facts that we're nothing like the knights in-"

"But I do know!" shouted back Ignis. "I know that not everything from fairy tales are true! I just-! I just _hoped_ for that!"

"...So what are you trying to say? What are you trying to get out of hoping that the same knights from your stupid fairy tales will do?"

Ignis stood her ground and glared back at the rookie soldier-no, at all of the other rookie soldiers with a fierce determination in her eyes unlike anyone's seen before. "I hoped that the knights would uphold their duty of protecting the innocent. Yes, knights have a duty to protect their ruler, but if their ruler is allowing all this violence and hatred and carnage to continue, then he doesn't deserve to be a ruler. If that's the case, then the knights should just abandon a cruel _tyrant_ and focus on the innocent people! Protecting them from the tyrant and any enemies! Because it's-Well, it is their duty, but it's more towards the fact that it's the _right thing to do."_

The rookie soldier said, "Yeah, right! Like any of us are in a position to disobey orders! Did you forget what I just said earlier or do you have wool in your ears?! If we disobey, not only do we get punished, but so do our own families and loved ones! How can you expect us to disobey orders like that? If we're told to strike down innocents, we'll have no choice but to do so because we don't want to let our loved ones suffer for our actions!"

"And that's why you'll have to entrust the safety of the other innocent people to me," said Ignis, determined.

"What...?"

"Like you said, you and the others aren't in any position to protect the other innocent people. You have to obey your orders and find Esmeralda. But, unlike the other soldiers, you're not willing to harm innocents. In fact, you'd like to avoid that kind of thing as possible. But with the other soldiers, they'll easily take advantage of Frollo's orders and pillage and kill and even burn down houses to get to Esmeralda. But I'm no soldier. I can easily rescue innocents and lead them to safety."

"Ignis, what are you trying to say?" wondered Conrad.

"I have the power to help. I'll do whatever I can to protect the innocent people of Notre Dame," explained Ignis. "I'll put out the fires, I'll heal anyone in need, I'll...I'll try and stop the soldiers from attacking the innocents. And...I'll find Esmeralda and warn her of what's going on."

"...What do you plan to do with her once you find her?" asked Conrad.

"Sir, you can't be serious!" another rookie soldier exclaimed. "Do you really have that much faith in her?"

"She's not even a soldier!"

"She may have helped us out with the fires earlier, but still-!"

"You can't really expect her to help us, can you?"

Conrad raised his hand to silence his men, and they instantly followed his command, though their expressions still confirmed that they were still uneased with what they were thinking he may do.

"...When I find her, I'll talk to her...and I'll help her escape the city," confirmed Ignis. "Before you say or do anything, just hear me out! There's no way Frollo will do anything to her once he gets ahold of her! I've heard what kind of horrible things he's done to gypsies he's captured! He has them tortured and murdered in different ways, like being hung! I can't let that happen!"

"And what about the other gypsies and gypsy sympathizers? Are you going to save them too?" questioned Conrad.

"Yes, I will. I'll help them escape if I can."

"Even if we may end up as your enemy?"

"My enemy?" Ignis looked confused and shocked at his stern words.

Conrad explained himself, "Ignis, you do have the power to save as many lives as possible, I can confirm that for myself. But your reputation around this city has been slowly increasing during the few days since you've been here. As such, anyone can recognize it's you thanks to your red hair. And as such, when you start going around and saving others, Judge Frollo will catch wind of it as well. He may find you a hindrance and have you arrested or worst, killed, because of your interference in tracking down Esmeralda. It's best if you gather as many gypsies and gypsy sympathizers and leave the city with them."

Ignis clenched her Keyblade in her hand and shook her head fiercely. "You know I won't just quit like that. I refuse to abandon people in need."

"...I know that. But if Judge Frollo gives the order, then...we will have no choice but to capture or...or kill you."

Ignis was taken aback, and yet she tried to hide that fact by still trying to keep her determined face. "If I have the power to save lives, then you know that I have the power to knock you all out in an instant with my magic."

"But you won't do that unless necessary," said Conrad. "But like I said, we have our orders. If such an order does come, we'll have to abide by it, whether we like it or not. The entire soldier force in Notre Dame will be your enemy, Ignis. But even so, you still want to save the innocent lives here?"

Ignis didn't even hesitate to give out her firm answer. "Yes. I don't want to be enemies either, but-!"

"And that's why," said Conrad. "I'm giving you a head start. We're in no position to help out the innocent, but YOU are, Ignis. Stop as many fires, heal the wounded, help out as many innocents as you can! I beg this of you to do what we can't! And, when the time comes, when we and...the soldiers have their...order, then just run away! Get away from Notre Dame and never come back, because if you do stay, you'll only make things worst for yourself!"

Ignis went silent for a moment, before giving her choice. "...I'll find them...I'll try and get them out while helping other innocents...I'll find and help Esmeralda escape...and I'll knock out any enemy that gets in my way."

"...If that's your final choice, so be it," Conrad sighed. "But, instead of knocking out the soldiers...you have to **kill** them."

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"Ignis, I..." Looking up, Arthur opened his mouth for an apology when he saw Mim creep up behind Ignis, as though ready to either use her magic, or to strangle the girl from behind. "LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!"_

 _It all happened too fast. Out of the instinct to survive, Ignis gripped her Keyblade, twisted her body around, and stabbed Mim in the heart._

 _Keyblades may appear blunt and have little to no sword edges, but they definitely function as swords and are even as sharp as one. Thus, it was little to no problem for Ignis to stab Mim right through the heart, though it was out of self-defense and never intentional._

 _"W-What?!" Even Ignis was shocked along with Mim, who never anticipated she would be stabbed. Shakily pulling her now bloody Keyblade out of the old witch's body, Ignis watched as Mim staggered forward with a stunned expression, reaching all the way to the nearest well before her body fell over towards the bottom of the well._

 _Falling to her knees once more, Ignis dropped her Keyblade in fear and shock. Granted, she was taught by Eraqus that it was alright to eliminate darkness, and while it was an accident and self-defense, Mim was filled completely with negativity and darkness. Still, that didn't stop the shaky feeling of her killing an actual person for the first time._

* * *

Once again, fear struck her heart and Ignis found herself protesting. "No-! I refuse! I can't let myself kill!" She looked away for a moment; the memory of her first kill still stinging into her mind. _'Not again...'_ "Couldn't I just...I dunno, immobilize them? Trap them in some cage or-"

"Ignis," spoke up Conrad. "I know I'm still a rookie and all, but what you're talking about...it's _naivety."_

"..."

"The soldiers aren't just going to sit back and let you rescue innocent people, as messed up as that sounds. Even if you trap them or knock them out, they're just going to come back up and hurt others even more, and then all your efforts will be a waste, even if you give the people enough time to heal and leave. If you don't kill them, they're just going to come back for more. And if you can't accept that, then just leave and run away with the people you can help."

"...I can't kill them."

Conrad sighed. "Then just leave the city when you can. If you can't bring yourself to kill the bad guys, then just leave. Nobody will fault you for leaving." He glanced over to his soldiers and said, "We've already wasted too much time in this area. Let's move. Detain the gypsy named Esmeralda, but whatever you do, do not harm her."

"Yes, sir!"

Conrad took one last glance at Ignis before hurrying along with his patrol with the rest of his men. He really liked Ignis. He really did, which is why he hoped that they wouldn't become enemies when the time came. He knew none of this was her fault. No, this entire mess involving the racism towards gypsies and unfair laws began long before she had even arrived, so he hoped that she was at least one of the survivors to this entire situation.

"...Why indulge her at all?" questioned one of the rookie soldiers. "She's just a naïve girl who shouldn't get mixed up in all this."

"That's true," agreed Conrad. "But remember, we were all just like her. She's not that much older than any of us, but Captain Phoebus taught me that there are people out there who are strong, yet inexperienced in a lot of things. I'm guessing that she hasn't had any experience killing when absolutely necessary. We haven't had much experience out on the field either, but we had it drilled in our heads the necessity of...killing. We can't let any innocents have the burden of being a soldier, so let's do our part and finish our assignment quickly."

The rest of the men paused to gaze at their leader's back. Even if he was just as young as they were, and even if he was lower-ranked than the other leaders within the soldiers that Judge Frollo recruited, they admired their slightly shy, yet kind for doing the right thing and hoped that he might be the respectable and kind Captain Phoebus' predecessor.

If only that were to come.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Thank you ever so much!" Two brothers that lived together in the same house were thanking Ignis for saving them from their house being caught on fire. It was nothing but a charred mess just like all the other buildings Ignis put out, but what matters is that they were alive.

Ignis nodded and pointed to a different direction. "You two should leave for safety. Get out while you still can!"

"Of course, Mademoiselle! Let's go, brother!"

After watching them leave, Ignis sighed and leaned back against a wall, taking out an Ether and gulping down the contents within to replenish her low magic power. She's been at this for a while now, extinguishing fires, saving people from within, even going to far as to heal any serious wounds, and even warning any gypsies of what's been happening in the city. All those she saved rushed to get to safety somewhere, whether it was in another place within the city or to leave the city to escape the chaos.

She was getting tired both magically and physically, but if she rested for short periods of time while consuming an Ether or two, then she should be able to help save other civilians into getting out of all of this chaos. She already stocked up on a large amount of Potions and Ethers after finding a Moogle Shop yesterday, so she should be good enough.

A scream startled Ignis as she was in the process of resting, but that scream was also the signal that her rest time was over. She finished the remains of the Ether and tossed it away as she ran towards the source of the scream. As she turned a corner of the street, she stopped right in her tracks and froze, horrified at the sight before her.

One of the two brothers she just saved had just been slain.

It was a soldier who took him down with a single slash of his sword, and he didn't even bother hiding the bloodlust grin on his face as he committed the crime. One slash was all it took to kill the brother before blood exploded from the slash on his chest and pooled around his corpse the moment it hit the ground.

Another scream came, but it didn't come from the fallen brother, but the one still alive. The soldier's grin widened and he turned his sights towards the other brother still alive. Raising up his sword coated with innocent blood, the soldier held his weapon above his head and prepared to swing it down.

As swift as the wind, Ignis rushed as fast as she could and summoned Phoenix Fairy in time to block the sword, protecting the brother and his fate of falling alongside his brother. A clash of blades and a sudden spark rang out in the area as Ignis stood her ground and gritted her teeth.

"W-What are you doing?!" she yelled at the soldier. "Why did you suddenly-?!"

The soldier only sneered, as though the answer was obvious. "The Minister of Justice has ordered any who stood in our way to be arrested or _cut down_. Those two just bumped into me, and as a result, they were in my way."

Disgust filled Ignis' body as she clutched her Keyblade, which started glowing as she emitted magic into it; eye burning with rage as they faced the soldier's now terrified ones. "So...just for that stupid reason...you chose to strike down an innocent life you were sworn to protect-?!"

With an raging cry, Ignis finished strengthening her magic and forced the soldier's sword out of the way, also cutting it in half and allowing the split pieces to fall to the ground. The soldier shrieked as he fell to on his bottom.

"P-Please! I was just following orders!" cried out the soldier, trying to crawl away backwards as Ignis slowly walked up to him. "They're just annoying _peasants!_ Why care for-"

"Finish. That. Sentence," growled Ignis, pointing her Keyblade _very_ closely to his torso area. "I fucking dare you. Finish. That. Sentence."

Ignis' tone gave the soldier the implication not to finish, so he kept his mouth shut.

The other, still-alive brother came up behind Ignis, glaring with much hatred in his eyes. "You...you killed my brother...For such a stupid reason...!" He turned to Ignis and said, "Mademoiselle, **kill him."**

All of Ignis' anger vanished and was replaced with horror. "Sir, I-I can't. I-"

"FINISH HIM!" roared the brother, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth. "KILL HIM! STAB HIM! HE KILLED MY BROTHER! HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME TOO! ALL FOR ACCIDENTALLY BUMPING INTO HIM! WE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG, AND YET HE WAS GOING TO KILL US FOR SUCH A STUPID REASON! SCUM LIKE HIM DESERVE TO DIE!"

Ignis understood his anger and that he wanted vengeance, but even she knew that that was wrong. One of the lessons she learned from Master Eraqus was never to take revenge, as nothing good would ever come from it. Shaking, Ignis shook her head. "N-No! I won't! Yeah, what that soldier did was wrong, but I'm not going to resort to killing just because-!"

"If you won't, then I'll do it!" The brother shoved Ignis back harshly and marched over, grabbing one of the halves of the broken sword, specifically the blade half, not caring about the sharp pain he felt and the blood dripping from his injury as he held the broken blade in his hand. He turned his gaze onto the soldier and headed towards him. "I'll kill you-! I'll avenge my brother and-!"

"AERO!"

Ignis fired a wind spell at the brother, throwing him against the wall and knocking him out temporarily. She glared at the frightened soldier as he shakily pointed his armored fingers at Ignis and cried out, "W-Witchcraft! Y-You're a filthy witch!"

"You know, I lost count of how many times I've had to hear that today," said Ignis, pointing her Keyblade at him. "You are going to leave. Now. And you are NEVER going to hurt another innocent again. If I see you or any other soldier hurt any innocents again so meaninglessly..."

"I got it! I understand! I'll leave! You'll never see me again!" promised the soldier, standing up and running away. Ignis allowed him to and instead tended to the brother whom she had knocked out in order to stop him from committing murder.

Soon, he woke up, seeing Ignis as his first sight upon reawakening before he remembered everything, including her knocking him out. "What..." he coughed before glaring at her, angry that she had denied him his vengeance. "did you... _do?"_

Ignis opened her mouth to answer before looking away. She heard a bit of scuffle and saw him getting up to his dead brother's side. "I...I'm so sorry for your loss..."

"If you were sorry, you would have avenged my brother's death, or better yet, allowed me to kill that... _scum,"_ hissed the brother, gripping his dead brother's cold hand. "...Just leave me alone."

Ignis knew that anything else she would have to say would have fallen on deaf ears, or worst, anger the other brother even more. This...the dead brother's fate...it was _her own fault._

If she hadn't given any lousy directions, if she had rescued them earlier so that they would have escaped the area without even encountering that soldier, none of this would have happened. Even if the soldier was the one who dealt the killing blow, she may as well have wielded the blade that killed one of the brothers herself for her incompetent actions...

She stood up straight and dismissed her Keyblade, saying one final thing to the brother. "...I'm sorry. Please, just get to safety when you can."

With that, she left with a pained expression on her face, ignoring the agonizing howls of a brother who lost his only family thanks to her.

* * *

 _Many hours later, at night..._

Just when Ignis thought that her actions were increasingly helping out others, that wasn't...entirely accurate. Yes, she healed the injured and stopped as many fires and corrupted soldiers as possible without killing them, but her actions only delayed the inevitable.

No matter how good her intentions were, the healed people had, unknown to her, been caught by the corrupted soldiers later on, being tortured and/or killed on sight. The reasons were meaningless, minor like accidentally bumping into them or getting in their way, or worst of all, _for fun._ The corrupted soldiers thought killing innocent people were good for target practice and slaughtered any in sight with their weapons, or even stood by and watched as they burned to death in buildings that Ignis hasn't reached.

It was even worse because Ignis kept sparring the soldiers.

Oh, she did stop them from committing more crimes and more so to protect the people, but did she ever put an end to their lives? No, because she was still stuck on the belief that she shouldn't kill them and her mind always flashed back to her first kill, and she mentally swore not to kill again after having to think back on killing Madam Mim over and over again.

Her actions benefitted the innocent, but at the same time, unintentionally condemned them to death by continuously sparring, knocking out, and freezing the soldiers in place. In doing so, she still kept them alive, and the corrupted soldiers were intent on following their orders, but to a very extreme extent to doing what they wanted to the "ones that got in their way."

Ignis was running down another street; the thunder of chaos sounding all through the city as fire sets ablaze Paris. Frollo's soldiers were rampaging all over the city, doing as they pleased under "Frollo's orders," to find Esmeralda by breaking down and burning homes and businesses. They had ambushed any innocents trying to run or hide from all of the chaos, and the way they killed each one differed depending on their gender and age.

For the men and young boys, they weren't hesitant in killing them straight on and did so in painful manners, like stabbing them through the chests, bashing their heads in, crushing their bones and making them die pathetically. For the women and young girls, the soldiers did...even more indecent, horrendous things beyond interrogation before slaughtering them once they've had their..."fun." The children were easy to frighten for the soldiers as they gave false promises to let them live if they told them everything they knew. Once they finished interrogating the children, however, they were all mercilessly killed, whether through arrow or sword. It was even worse for any gypsy regardless of age or gender simply because they were gypsies.

And that was the sight shown before Ignis once she reached a street district.

The men tried to fight back to protect their families, but up against fully trained soldiers with better weapons? It was already a slaughterhouse in the street district. The women were helpless as they tried to run away, only to get caught and forced into indecent situations before being killed. And the most innocent, the children...the sight of them being gunned down by arrows was even more horrendous for Ignis.

She couldn't even look away because no matter where she turned to, the sight was all the same in the district.

In the night, the fires burning the buildings and homes was the only light that lit in the darkness. As much as Ignis loved the light, just this moment, she _hated it,_ because it was showing her sights that would forever grant her and anybody else nightmares to come.

Piles of bodies littered everywhere; some without heads, some with bloody stab and arrow wounds, a large percentage charred from the fires or their mouths and eyes wide open from asphyxiation, and...the female piles were...they did indeed have stab and arrow wounds, but they were...barely clothed.

Ignis watched in horror, standing there as the mayhem continued; the crackling fires, the screams of the innocent being slaughtered and tormented, and the laughs from the gleeful and sadistic soldiers filling her eardrums. She's never been to war, but she could imagine it was a lot like this. No, the scene before her was like...like...

Hell.

The atrocities happening before her were so gruesome, she reflexively vomited from where she stood. But, from where she vomited, she gasped and covered her vomit-covered lips with her mouth when she realized just _whom_ she vomited onto.

Liam.

The little gypsy boy. The first boy she befriended upon arriving at the city of Notre Dame when she first came to this world. He was lying on the ground, slash wounds everywhere on his frail body and his head bashed up and mixed with his blood and brain intestines, mutilated beyond belief. Flames licked at his body, eating up at his upper chest and already in the process of snatching up his torso.

The sight of such gore made her vomit even more; her vomit further entangled with his blood and brain intestines. Even with the vile concoction dripping down her chin, even with the mere sight of his burning and broken frail body making her feel sick to her stomach, she collapsed to her knees and draped him in his arms; the fumes of fire eating into her nose and lungs as she felt tears whelming up in her eyes, threatening to let loose.

She glared up, if only to look away from the gruesome sight of Liam. Fury overtakes her, anger hot and boiling consuming her body as her brown eyes scanned the area, glaring with so much hatred and sorrow in her eyes that she _wished_ that the concept of "if looks could kill" would take effect now.

She hates them. She hates the soldiers who would harm the innocent. She hates the discriminators. She hates Frollo for even causing all of this mess. She hates the fact that Liam, an innocent little boy whose only crime was stealing in order to live but would never steal if he wasn't being discriminated, was dead in her arms, mutilated and irreparable. But most of all...

She hated herself.

Once again, she failed to act quickly. Because she didn't act quickly, more innocents _died._ She was a Keyblade wielder. She had magic nobody in this city had access to. She had the power to protect, and she did her best to protect as much as she could, but it wasn't ENOUGH. She still failed because right now, people were killing each other right before her very eyes. She failed to save her friend, and now-

"NO! GET OFF ME!"

Startled, Ignis glanced around and her tearful eyes widened in horror when she saw another one of her friends, Jacques, the homeless, blind gypsy, forced on his knees with his arms tied behind his back, vulnerable as he was surrounded by several soldiers.

"Jacques!" screamed Ignis, reaching an arm out to him. Realizing that she needed to rescue him, that meant she had to leave behind Liam's corpse. As quickly, yet gently as she could, she lowered Liam's burning and mutilated corpse down on the ground, ignoring the blood, vomit, and brain guts on her hands as she summoned her Keyblade and ran towards Jacques' location. "JACQUES!"

Hearing something whizzing towards hers, Ignis managed to block an arrow with the blunt of her Keyblade and saw a bunch of archers aiming their arrows at her. She casted a Barrier spell over herself to deflect the arrows before countering by encasing the archers with ice using a Blizzaga spell.

Upon hearing his name being called out, Jacques recognized Ignis' voice. "Ignis...? No, get back! Stay away! Run away fro-"

Ignis turned her attention back to Jacques just as he was calling out his warning, only for her to stop in her tracks when she saw a soldier striking his blade into Jacques' neck before pulling it free.

It didn't stop there. There was another swing. A third swing. A fourth. A fifth. More swings that continued striking at Jacques' neck until there was only a little bit of bone left protecting his spinal cord as the helpless, blind old man writhed in pain and was choking on his blood and the torturous pain that came from his neck being decapitated. The final swung came and shattered the last of the bone, slicing cleanly through his neck before Jacques' decapitated body fell over; the blood flowing through his body spilling out and joining the tiles of the ground.

Ignis dropped her Keyblade, allowing it to disperse before falling on her knees once again. She just...she just witnessed two of her friends dying. They weren't just innocents, they were her _friends,_ and she failed them, just like she failed saving the other innocent people that already perished in this city. What kind of friend was she to let them die like that?

"Please, don't do this! We've done nothing wrong!"

"I beg of you! At least spare my wife and daughter! Take me instead!"

Breath hutching, Ignis turned her gaze and saw several more soldiers covered in streaks of innocent blood surrounding a gypsy family right out in the open. They weren't just any gypsy family, they were a family Ignis was familiar with.

Pablo, Annabella, and their infant daughter who was born just a few days ago; Dawn. And they were about to be _killed._

Faster than the blink of an eye, Ignis re-summoned her Keyblade and got to her feet, rushing to the family's aid as fast as she could. No, she wouldn't-! She refused to let several more innocents die right before her eyes! They were just innocent people! Especially Dawn! Dawn, the young, innocent infant, whom she helped deliver to this world. Dawn, whom she held in her arms the very first day she was born and felt the purest of light within that small baby as she sang a lullaby to help her sleep-! Dawn, who would grow up to be a beautiful, young lady like Ignis-!

Then, Ignis was intercepted by a sword swinging her way, forcing her to block with Phoenix Fairy. Gritting her teeth, she hollered, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She pushed back the soldier and stunned him with her magic before pressing onwards, only for her path to be further blocked with more soldiers. She hurried to knock them out or freeze or stun them in place, all in order to reach the family in dire need for her help. After clearing the path of anymore soldiers, Ignis hurried as fast as her feet could carry her...until she slowly came to a stop at the hellish reality she saw before her.

Pablo was beheaded, Annabella was pierced through the neck and head, and Dawn...She stood no chance of survival.

Ignis screamed.

She was screaming, cursing everything. Cursing the soldiers, Frollo, and even herself...

The soldiers only laughed, mocking her. Not, not just her, mocking anyone, the innocent and vulnerable. Especially the so-called filthy gypsies. However, they didn't laugh for long. Anyone in the sidelines could see a red blur flying towards the soldiers that killed the gypsy family, faster than anything they've seen in their lives. The red blur held a strange key-like sword that glowed with power, the blur's eyes filled with unimaginable rage and sorrow.

The air rumbled, whether it was through the red blur's movements or her own rage, and time seemed to move slowly for her as the red blur named Ignis swung her Keyblade at the soldiers' heads.

In a flash, the soldiers that killed the innocent family a moment ago found their bodies standing before blood sprayed out from their detached heads like sprinkles, coating Ignis with their blood. Before they fell into the darkness of hell, the last sight they saw of life was a beautiful angel with long, red hair, giving them all a _murderous_ glare.

The moment Ignis witnessed Dawn and her parents being brutally murdered, any signs of mercy had left her mind as she allowed her instincts to take over. Her mind was clear, yet broke when she saw an innocent _infant_ killed before her very eyes.

She steeled herself, clinging onto the only ally she had; her Phoenix Fairy. She faced the other soldiers in the area that hadn't taken notice of her and were more fixated on playing their little game of killing the innocents. The soldiers that killed the innocents...could hardly be called innocents.

No, _**MONSTERS**_ suited them better.

 **Call Your Heroes (Medley)**

 **Composed by: Amalee**

 **Sung by: Amalee**

 _He lost his brother a while ago_

 _His death is all my fault, and it reminds me_

 _When he's with his brother, he smiles_

 _I wish I could let him live 'til my last breath..._

Ignis slashed and hacked with her Keyblade, taking down any and every soldiers that dared bring harm to the innocent and weak. She thought back on the two brothers and the start of the loss of innocents under her watchful eye, beginning with one of the two brothers.

If she had been better, if she had been faster, if she hadn't screwed things up, then those two brothers would have been alive. The other brother wouldn't have been mourning over his dead brother, and when it came down to it, she would have fought until her last breath if she could have even a sliver of hope of changing their fates. It's the same for when she would save any innocent that way.

 _Can't look back, they will not come back._

 _Can't be afraid, but time after time,_

 _It is like a nightmare, and it's pain for me_

 _Because nobody wants to die too fast._

 _Remember the day of grief, now it's strange for me._

 _I can see your face - I can hear your voice._

It was too late. It was too late to save Liam, Jacques, Dawn and her family, and a whole lot of other innocents.

Ignis was too late.

She so desperately wished that what she saw was a big huge nightmare, but it wasn't. It was _reality._ Seeing the reality of so many innocents dying was just like being stabbed in the heart over and over again.

She was grieving as she was taking down soldier after soldier. Tears ran down her eyes as she cried out battle cries and her own grief for allowing the innocents to die. No matter how focused she is in the battle, she continuously recalled the deaths of the innocents and their pleas for mercy.

They all served as reminders to how much she failed.

 _I'm crying, missing my loved ones_

 _I don't have the power on my side forever!_

 _Oh, where are my loved ones in this final hour?_

 _I'm standing alone today, calling out your names!_

More tears pooled down her cheeks that were now splattered with the blood of the monsters she was clashing against. Her mind was all in a jumble from witnessing so much death today. She...

She wanted her friends, her most cherished ones.

She wanted Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to come to her rescue, help her fight off the soldiers, save more innocents, ANYTHING! Her throat felt painfully full from the grief and sorrow of watching her other friends die as she tried to croak even a single name out. She wanted help, but right now, she was all alone.

Just her and her Keyblade, facing against nothing but corrupted scum that hurt the innocents she was trying to protect.

 _Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jäger!_

 _Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jäger!_

 _Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jäger!_

 _Sie sind das Essen - Sie sind das Essen!_

Another soldier fell to her feet as Ignis had slain yet another life, panting heavily. She took no injuries of her own, only fatigue as she focused more on the enemy before her. Now, more and more soldiers were beginning to notice her and grow more frightful of her, and the more they paid attention to her, the more the remaining innocents were able to escape on their own.

Before, the soldiers were all gloating and laughing at the deaths of the innocent, killing them like it was a game to them. They were the predators, the hunters, the wolves, preying on the prey, the innocent, the sheep.

But now? Now they've got a brand new challenge. A seemingly harmless, beautiful young girl in an ensemble, wielding a mysterious weapon in one hand, and magic in the other. And now that she's got no mercy left in her body, all that's left is a necessary justice for what they've done.

Now, they were the prey, and she was the hunter.

 _Finally, we march in victory, this is our first Gloria!_

 _Oh, my friend, let's toast to victory when we meet again!_

 _In this beautiful, cruel world, so dark and frightening!_

 _Are we never to obtain a sign? Or a reason why we're still alive?_

 _Someone once was calling out my name_

 _But now I can't make out a single word!_

 _Is this the end we cannot mend?_

 _We're slowly dying_

 _If we're here, despite the fear, we must keep fighting!_

Right now, the only option left to protect the innocent for Ignis was to keep fighting, even if that meant discarding any thoughts of even sparring them, because look where that got her.

When Ignis came into this world, the city of Notre Dame, she thought it was so _beautiful._ But the more she explored, the more of the dark underworld she discovered. She thought of them as common problems in this world. And now, the beautiful world she thought to be so joyful and peaceful was currently being burned to a crisp.

She was the only one left in this world who could help out any innocent. They were calling out for help, and despite her summons, she couldn't hear them, because of her own damn _naivety._ Even so, she knew she must keep fighting no matter how painful it was.

Especially after seeing and failing to prevent her friends' deaths.

 _We don't know what went wrong tonight!_

 _Everybody's got no place to hide!_

 _No one's left and there's no one to go on!_

 _All I know, is my life is gone!_

Ignis felt her mind was being split in half as she roared with each slash she delivered, taking down soldier after soldier. No matter how far a soldier tried to run away, she would annihilate that soldier with her magic because of how far ranged it was. The light illuminated her sight on her enemies, and she used the fires burning the homes of innocents as flames of vengeance to scorch the corrupted soldiers in her path.

She called forth fire magic and her Shaddoll darkness magic as soldiers began to form up to attack her from all sides. No matter how draining it is to use two strong magics simultaneously, it didn't matter to her, because all that mattered was allowing more innocents to escape.

No monster was going to live tonight.

 _Sing for reluctant heroes!_

 _Oh, give me your strength!_

 _Your lives are too short!_

 _Oh, where is my loved ones?_

 _I can see your face - I can hear your voice!_

For just a moment, Ignis could feel the souls of innocent fueling her every movement, giving her the strength to cut down the soldiers that cut down their innocent lives. But even then, she still wished that her friends were here, helping her.

Even when she was winning, she...She couldn't...do this alone.

 _Now, I'm standing alone today_

 _Calling my reluctant heroes!_

When the battle ended in the district, Ignis was...standing alone; the sole victor of this fight. Corpses of the soldiers were piled all over the district, joining with the corpses of the innocents. It was only after the battle had ended that Ignis came to her senses and realized what she had DONE.

Touching her bloody cheek devoid of any injuries, Ignis then stared at her hand coated with the blood of her enemies. She kept staring at it, unmoving in the middle of the chaotic fires still burning in the homes and buildings all over her.

"I...I did this...?" she muttered, realizing that she had never even...No, she had killed once before. She killed Madam Mim, out of _self-defense._ To _protect_ Arthur and herself, whom she was about to attack.

But this? This wasn't merely some self-defense or to protect herself. She had done it out of _blind rage._ For _vengeance._

Now she's done it. She could _never_ go back home.

Falling to her knees, Ignis trembled in fear, shock, anger, and all sorts of emotions swirling inside of her. She covered her head, clawing at the sides of her hair as she curled up. Her voice was too hoarse to scream from earlier, when she first screamed at Dawn's death, when she screamed while killing those soldiers, when she screamed when she casted magic. There was one thing she begged to come true as she regained herself, though. Her voice quivered as tears splattered onto the cemented tiles that were already coated with the blood of innocent and soldier alike.

"Terra...Aqua...Ven...I know you still all hate me, but...Please... _help me_..."

* * *

 **Yikes...Wow...Yeah...so that happened.**

 **I did mention at the top that I planned to do a summary if anybody wanted to skip through this and not get through all the gore and gruesome things that's happened in this chapter, but I just want to say one thing before I do. I did plan this new...arc for a long time, and I even thought more to add while I was sick this week, but...while I was writing this...I'm not ashamed to say that even I teared up a bit when the most horrendous things happened this chapter. I warned you all that this would get dark, and it did, in SO many levels. I don't plan on being some horror themed author or anything, but this was a level of horror and tragedy for certain.**

 **Summary: Ignis woke up to the smell of smoke, and to her shock, she saw several buildings of the city on fire. Being her heroic and selfless self, she hurried to the scene where she discovered that innocents were still inside the burning buildings. She casted her water spells, but just before she could do more, Conrad and his group of rookie soldiers arrived in the scene, where Ignis quickly explained what was happening. Together, the efforts of Conrad, the rookie soldiers, and Ignis helped extinguished the flames and rescue many civilians inside, but not with a couple of unfortunate losses.**

 **When everything was settled, Ignis finally had a chance to talk to Conrad and got the full story from him. Apparently, Judge Frollo had sent orders to his soldiers to search for a gypsy girl named Esmeralda, using whatever means necessary when interrogating anyone suspicious and to arrest or eliminate anyone that gets in their way. This resulted in many corrupted soldiers into doing what they wanted and taking advantage of Frollo's orders, such as burning down the buildings.**

 **Ignis is shocked and angry at this information, demanding to know what Frollo was thinking, going to this sort of extent. She even angrily questions Conrad and his men, asking if they were really going to do what Frollo says simply because it's their duty to follow his orders instead of protecting the innocent? They say that they will try not to harm Esmeralda and will try and bring her in, but Ignis is still angry that they would still follow Frollo's orders instead of protecting the innocent. This gets one of the rookies angry as he tells her that she's naïve and that if they don't follow Frollo's orders, not only would they get punished and executed, but their families would suffer for their actions as well.**

 **Conrad then tells Ignis, who knows of her intent to help save the innocent from Frollo's tyranny, that they haven't received any orders to arrest her. However, he knows that Frollo will likely see her as a threat if he learns that she's helping out the innocent, in which she does indeed have the power to do so, so he tells her to stay on guard and that if they have orders, they will have no choice but to arrest her. Conrad then urges Ignis to protect as many people as she could and then escape the city with them but Ignis refuses, saying she will protect the innocent and find and help Esmeralda escape.**

 **Conrad then says that if that happens, they may end up as enemies, and if that's the case, then any enemies that Ignis faces, she will have to kill them. Recalling her first kill being Madam Mim, Ignis refuses to even consider the thought, and Conrad tells her that if she couldn't do it, then she would have to leave for her own safety before he and his men leave first, leaving Ignis all alone.**

 **Ignis couldn't come up with a proper solution, so she continues her original plan of helping the innocent by putting out the fires, helping them escape the burnt buildings, and even healing the seriously wounded. She even saved a pair of brothers and sent them away before hearing a scream. She hurried back and saw a soldier had killed one of the two brothers and was about to kill the other when she leapt in the way and stopped the soldier, even breaking his weapon in half.**

 **The brother, enraged and sorrowful that his brother was killed for a petty reason like them accidentally bumping into the soldier, picked up the bladed half and was about to kill the soldier when Ignis knocked him out. She then allows the soldier to leave, warning him never to come back before tending to the other brother. The brother, angry that he couldn't get his revenge, goes to his brother's corpse and instead prefers to stay there. Ignis then weakly encourages him to leave the city before leaving, thinking it was her fault that the other brother was dead.**

 **Many hours later, into the night, Ignis tried her best to save as many innocent lives as possible, and even spared many soldiers after knocking them out with brute force or magic, but in the end, her actions of sparing the soldiers only made things worse. She found herself in a district, watching the buildings and homes of innocents being burned and other innocents being slaughtered by soldiers who thought it fun to kill them.**

 **She saw the dead body of her friend, Liam, her other friend, Jacques being beheaded before her very eyes, and she couldn't even prevent the deaths of a gypsy family she slowly grew found of; Pablo, Annabella, and their INFANT daughter, Dawn. The death of a baby was enough for Ignis to give into her rage and kill the soldiers in the area, not only getting rid of a necessary evil, but also allowing the remaining innocents to escape.**

 **Exhausted and crying, Ignis was the only sole victor in that fight, but she was also alone in the burning area. She cried, pleading for her friends, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, whom she thought still hated her, to please come and help her.**

 **And that's the end of the summary for all of those curious. Yeah, honestly, I do not want this story to get like, a M Rating, but there are going to be very SUGGESTIVE themes going around in this arc.**

 **To start things off, you guys have to remember that despite Ignis going through a lot, she's still a young, 17 year old. The concept of killing when necessary hasn't exactly been drilled to her mind. The one thing before was to protect herself and Arthur, so that was a self-defense kill. But now that she's killed more, even if it was to stop the soldiers from hurting anymore? Of course she's going to freak out and possibly be traumatized. I should also note that despite Ignis being a headstrong girl, she also has a bit of a frail heart.**

 **As for all the innocent killing, I did some research, and you would not BELIEVE how common this kind of thing was back in the 15th century. The soldiers actually had a legitimate excuse for all their killing, no matter how inhumane it was. Civilian kills, rapes, and hell, even killing babies and putting them in PIKES were side effects of 15th century warfare. The soldiers could justify it as being part of their orders, and nobody could punish them for it. Seriously, it's the truth.**

 **The song that was playing at the end? It was mostly towards Ignis' thoughts and feelings as she was killing the soldiers. She wanted a peaceful solution. She never wanted bloodshed or violence from the beginning, but that's how it lead to all of this. It was inevitable. She even hoped-no, BEGGED for her friends to come, to help her out. Remember, she was the one Keyblade wielder in that world, but more help from other Keyblade wielders would have made a great difference.**

 **And you know the worst part? This chapter is only the beginning of the worst to come, and it's only going to get a lot more for Ignis. Like I said, this'll play a major role in her character development, but I never said that the events would be a GOOD thing. Sometimes, when you want to change someone, you have to do so in a...drastic manner.**

 **That said, read and review!**


	41. La Cité des Cloches (6): Second Day

**Whew, thank God that this story didn't get taken down or reported or anything because of what happened last chapter! You guys are really invested into this whole dark theme thing! Well, like I said, it'll get a whole lot worst from there, so if all of you want to skip ahead to the summary that I'll type down later, go ahead!**

 **WARNING! VERY SUGGESTIVE THEMES LISTED IN THIS CHAPTER! IF YOU WISH TO SKIP, PLEASE GO DOWN TO THE END OF THIS CHAPTER AND GO TO THE AUTHOR'S NOTES FOR A SUMMARY!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own the song "Silent Solitude" that was originally composed by OxT for the anime, "Overlord," and the version used in this chapter is the English Cover version by Studio Yuraki. Link: watch?v=ngOnaG0Fk08**

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Her stomach acid rises in her throat.

Ignis throws everything up. Anything she previously ate before, her gastric juices, her saliva, everything, while she cries. After she had...killed the soldiers in that particular area, she didn't know just how much time had passed. She could hear nothing but the crackling flames licking in the air along with the ashes from the charred buildings and corpses. She didn't stay to find out what was going to happen if she stayed, so she just...ran. She ran and ran, entering and exiting streets that felt all the same to her no matter where she went.

She ran and ran until she felt her lungs were on fire and her feet felt heavy, as the ensemble she wore got thicker and more constrictive since she kept it on and haven't returned it yet. Time is torturing her, making her think that she's going to die at any moment, and then giving her back some vigor the next. In the end, her legs gave in first instead of her lungs and she tried to drag herself along the ground to make it to...somewhere, anywhere! Anywhere that didn't spot a sight of death anywhere, but she knew that could never happen. Not while the city is still burning.

After throwing up everything, there's nothing left in her stomach, but her mind continues to recall all the deaths of the innocents she's witnessed and even her own part in slaughtering those soldiers all by herself. Her body forces her to throw up as a result, as if trying to undo what had occurred and return him to the beginning of this entire mess.

Pain. That's what Ignis is feeling right now. It hurts, like her insides are burning and just waiting to burst out. The tears won't stop, and her body can't stop trembling and shriveling like an earthquake as her memories kept remembering the scene over and over again.

...She killed someone. No, not just one person, but many soldiers back there. She killed them without mercy, without even a hint of hesitation. Even if the reason was because they were corrupted men who killed innocents for fun and that she had to stop them, it would just feel like one big excuse for her to use to justify her actions. No matter how "justified" her actions were killing the bad soldiers, she still felt sick at her own actions.

Coughing violently, gastric juices then started dripping over her lips. They passed out of her mouth and dripped down her jaw. Despite the nausea having a heavy toll on her, she doesn't even taste bile anymore, only the taste of _iron._ Mixed with the juices is something red. _Blood._ She never got any injuries fighting the soldiers, so she could only assume that her own throat is bleeding because her stomach keeps trying to throw up even though there's nothing left inside. It hurt. Everything hurt. She wanted this pain to stop. She...

Wait. Why is she suddenly worrying about herself? She doesn't deserve it. No, she felt like she deserved this pain. She can't care about herself. Not after all she's done. Not after killing those soldiers and letting down the innocent people she chose to protect. She was too slow, she should have acted more faster, more accordingly, and because of her, those innocents died. Men, women, children, and even an innocent infant that was born just a few days ago died all because of her.

Those innocent lives...Even if she wasn't the one who killed them, even if the soldiers were the ones that put an end to them, there was no denying that she didn't act fast enough to save them. Their lives, their futures, their dreams...All of them were shattered like mirrors, destroyed by her because she didn't act fast enough.

Even if she regrets it, she cannot be forgiven. Even if she sees them again in the afterlife and gets on her knees and apologizes for an eternity, she cannot be forgiven. She failed to save them after all. They never asked to be saved by her, and yet her duties as a Keyblade wielder made her act as a protector, a _hero,_ to save each and every single innocent life in this world.

But she failed. She failed to save the innocent lives in that one district and even that other brother, and worst, she gave into-no, not the darkness. The darkness cannot be blamed for her sudden burst of emotions. She gave into her own anger, her own vengeance, and as a result, she slaughtered each and every single one of those soldiers that killed the innocent. As a Keyblade wielder, it was always her sworn duty to protect the innocent, and yet she failed that.

Worst, while she did feel sick towards her own actions, she didn't even feel one bit of sympathy towards the soldiers she killed. They...they _laughed_ while they killed the innocent. They did horrendous things to the women, shot down children like they were target practice, and killed not only the men, but innocent little boys as well. All with grins and smiles on their faces, like they were _justified_ in their own actions. Ignis may not want to excuse her own actions, but there was no way she would _ever_ justify the actions of **monsters.**

Something bright shined in her path, forcing her to look up and shield her eyes as the morning sun began to rise. Ah, it was morning time already? How much time had passed between the time she ran away and the time she was...lamenting on her actions? No, it didn't matter anymore, but what did matter was that she already wasted enough time lost in her grief.

She stood up and glanced around. The city of Notre Dame was still burning even after so much time had passed. By her estimation, it seemed like literally yesterday was when the start of hell began. She walked up to a bunch of mirror shards scattered on the ground, having guessed that they came from the broken window nearby when some soldiers tried to break into the building, and took a good long look at herself.

Ignis was a disaster. Her ensemble was covered in dried vomit and the blood of the ones she killed, as well as the blood of Liam, whom she cradled in her arms when she first found his corpse. Part of her ensemble was torn up, making it impossible for this ensemble to ever be used on stage ever again.

She took a deep breath and glanced up at the road ahead of her, as though the light of dawn was leading her to the next step of her choice. Right, she needed to find Esmeralda. She was a walking mess right now, and she didn't care, because what truly matters are the other innocent people in this city. They still needed to be rescued and led out of this city as soon as possible, including Esmeralda.

Her mind was aching, tired from lack of sleep and from all the fighting and magic she's had to use. However, her heart was urging her to do the right thing. Admittedly, she wanted to pack up her gear and leave the world of Notre Dame, but that would mean abandoning the people, and she refused to do that. That's something only a coward would do, and no righteous hero would do such a thing. They would stay and protect the innocent until their last, dying breath.

So, Ignis will follow her heart as always and protect anyone in need, daring any enemies to try and take her own. She would rather die than let them hurt another single innocent ever again.

Body tired, yet eyes burning with a determined vigor, Ignis marched forward, summoning forth her Keyblade, which shined brighter than before with her newfound determination to save the innocent rather than herself.

But, that determination faded away at the sight of warfare before her very eyes.

All over Notre Dame, the city is chaotic with fire, soldiers, and the innocents. The soldiers are much more sturdier, stronger, and better trained, sweeping through the streets and doing whatever they pleased to the burning buildings and the innocents. It was essentially a repeat of what happened the night before.

The night where she lost control and killed a second time.

Feeling a lump in her throat, Ignis forced it down through a swallow, winching at the painful fore in her throat before brandishing her Keyblade and charging forward.

She couldn't lose control again. Not like last night. No, she wasn't afraid of falling to the darkness, but that's not entirely accurate. If she did lose too much control, she would indeed sink to the depths of darkness and allow it to take control of herself. She may be using the power of darkness, but that doesn't mean she forgot that darkness can still corrupt if controlled horribly.

No, she was afraid of losing herself.

She's afraid of failing more innocents than she already has. She's afraid of letting down people who desperately need her. Who desperately need someone to save them. Most of the soldiers who's sworn to protect the innocent have already betrayed them for their own selfish needs, and besides Conrad and his own men, she didn't see any other soldier willing to help out the innocents, so it was all up to her.

As frustrating as it was, she...she couldn't bear the thought of killing the soldiers again, no matter how much they deserved it. It wasn't just because she didn't want to lose herself again, but she also cherished life. Even if killing them meant they couldn't harm again, she still couldn't bring herself to do it.

Armed with her Keyblade, magic, and a newfound courage, she rushed forward not to defeat her enemies, but to _protect_ the innocent.

* * *

 _Many hours later..._

Heroes are people who protect the weak and innocent. There are countless tales about them; how they rescue people, how they stop the bad guys and defeat monsters like the evil dragon, how they use flashy and super cool moves to take down their foes and save the world, and how they're a shield, protectors towards the innocent and enemy to evil.

Ignis did indeed dream of being a Keyblade Master. It was one of her top goals. Being a Keyblade Master meant much more than venturing out to other worlds and exploring them. It also meant taking the role of Keyblade Master very seriously. To use the powers she was trained to do to help people. Like a true hero would.

Ignis...did not feel like a hero.

Right now, all she felt was _fear._ Anger, terror, horror, frustration, guilt, anxiety, all sorts of negative emotions flowing inside of her, just waiting to burst out as she continued trying to protect innocents left from right, from one street to another.

She forced her tired body forward with tears tracking down her face, crying for the innocent souls lost when she was too late to save them. The streets were decorated with puddles-no, _rivers_ of blood, along with the remnants of more corpses piling up. After knocking out or immobilizing the soldiers she defeated, she would always either heal the injured civilians with her magic or give them her own potions so they could heal up on their own before sending them off, urging them to get to safety and/or leave the city.

No matter where she went, the scenery was always the same. Corrupted soldiers killing innocents after doing whatever they wanted with them, whether it was interrogating, torturing, and other worst things to them. Each repeated performance sickened Ignis to the core, and all she could do to stop it was to save whoever was still alive and stop the soldiers from doing whatever they wanted.

Without killing them.

What shocked her even further was that it wasn't just the soldiers partaking in the slaughter, but also some of the _civilians_ as well. When she had turned her back on the soldiers she defeated, she didn't even consider the civilians taking vengeance on the soldiers for killing their loved ones. The first time it happened, she could only stand and watch in utter shock and horror as the civilians killed the soldiers in cold blood; the immobilized and conscious soldiers screaming for mercy before they were put down. It was only after those soldiers died that snapped Ignis back to reality before she had knocked out the civilians before glancing down at them with the same horror and disgust she viewed towards the soldiers.

Worst, she couldn't...she couldn't view those civilians as monsters, because she understood why they did what they had-no, wanted to do.

And it wasn't just the soldiers that the civilians killed. No, they actually killed some of their _own_ as well. Innocents killing innocents...and for what? Because they wanted to pillage their own homes. Because they were jealous of one person taking their loved one as their husband or wife and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get away with the crime. Because they were "blocking" the way to their escape. And...because some of those innocents were actually gypsies. Now, it wasn't just the soldiers she had to stop, but also the civilians trying to kill their own people as well, regardless of race.

She remembered befriending a bunch of orphans from an orphanage and teaching them numbers through some fun activities, like Hopscotch, and even buying them some food. And she had arrived in time to hear their screams of agony as they were burning to death, trapped inside the very same orphanage they grew up in, trapped and killed because some soldiers thought that they were just "wasted pieces in life." She nearly gave into her rage once again, but controlled herself enough to give them a severe beating before knocking them out.

She could feel her sanity draining as time passed, yet she kept it together because she still held the strong belief that killing was wrong. Master Eraqus always taught her that killing was to be a last resort only when it was absolutely necessary, and even though the soldiers more than deserved death, she couldn't do it again. She thought, even in her naivety, that if she knocked them out and immobilized them, the soldiers would be punished by the law and...and...

Deep down, she knew that would never come to pass. Not as long as Frollo was Minister of Justice. If anything, he would probably commend his men for such...inhumane actions and for doing their duties before releasing each one, probably even rewarding them with gold medals or whatever they served as rewards in this beautiful, yet cruel world.

Things only escalated from worst to _goddamn hell_ when she arrived at the cemetery. She had hoped to find some of her other friends that she befriended before, the little gypsy boy named Reuben, his older and beautiful sister, Rose, and their kind mother, who would be praying at their husband's gravestone.

Instead, she was met with their corpses sprawled on the ground, covered up by large white sheets that were covered in bloodstains. _Their innocent blood._

If her throat wasn't so sore, she would have screamed. If she had anything left in her stomach, she would have vomited. All she could do was gasp and breath heavily, hyperventilating at yet another gruesome sight that she had failed to prevent.

Their corpses weren't alone. Clopin and a few other gypsies were tending to them, having been the first people to discover their corpses before her. They all wore sorrowful expressions, having known them even longer before she had.

"What...what happened?" croaked out Ignis, standing still like a statue as her mind was unable to comprehend with the fact that once again, her friends laid before her, dead.

Clopin glanced up at Ignis with a depressed expression on his usually cheerful face. "They...We were too late to save them. When we arrived, little Reuben was...cut up in many places. Sweet Rose and her mother were..."

One of the gypsies spoke up, finishing what Clopin had intended to say with a raging expression. "Those soldier bastards...! They _defiled_ both Rose and the Mademoiselle! They were screaming and begging for mercy, but those bastards only made the situation worst! When they saw we arrived, they slit their throats before escaping! When I get my hands on them, they'll be sorry they even existed!"

"Calm yourself! Right now, we must...we must bury them," another gypsy said, trying to calm down her companion. "They...it would be more appropriate to bury them right next to their father."

"Even so, to murder and defile them right in front of their father's gravestone-! Even if he was not a gypsy by blood, he was just as much as a gypsy as the rest of us!"

"I know! I wish it didn't come to this either, but-!"

While the two gypsies argued amongst themselves, Clopin noticed Ignis treading towards the sheet-covered corpses, almost like in a zombie-like state, kneeling down and grasping onto the sheets, wanting to see for herself what the corpses looked like, if only to pay her final respects. Clopin, knowing that the sights of their corpses would only traumatize the young girl, grabbed her wrist and shook his head sadly.

"Don't. Please. You mustn't," he begged softly, engaging his soft eyes towards her own. "This sight...is beyond brutal. If you were to take even a single glance at it, I'm afraid...you might shatter."

Hand trembling, Ignis slowly released her grip on the sheets and backed away. This whole massacre was already too much for the young girl to handle ever since yesterday, and if she were to see more of her friends' corpses, especially after they've been... _defiled,_ she might truly break, just like Clopin said.

Unable to contain her rage towards the unfair and unfortunate fates towards this innocent family, Ignis let out a scream and fired her most strongest fire spell at grassy hill, incinerating every blade of grass on that hill she targeted and not leaving a single trace behind. The gypsies were startled, but calmed themselves when Clopin raised a hand silently to them, ensuring them it was alright as he stood up and walked towards Ignis, who was glaring darkly at the ground and gritting her teeth.

"Ignis-"

"Fuck...FUCK!" yelled Ignis, clenching her fists at her side. "Once again, I have to hold it in, even after all this?! I...I tried, I tried so hard, and yet, everyone keeps dying because of me!"

"Dying because of you?" Clopin placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "No, this is not your fault at all, Mademoiselle! It was those soldiers following Frollo's every order! They are the ones who must be blamed for all of this, not you!"

"They killed..." started Ignis, raising her head with pain and regret evident on her face. "They killed so many innocents, and earlier, I...I killed them. I killed...so many soldiers...They killed innocents, even my own friends, even a baby-! I...got so angry, I gave into my anger and...Oh, God...I just realized something..."

"What?"

Fear and terror replaced the pain and regret on her face as she stammered back, hugging herself. "I...I broke so many rules from my Master's teachings and beliefs...I'm not supposed to...to give into my anger...I'm not supposed to let anger control me...I'm not supposed to kill unless absolutely necessary...But I did all that. All that and worse."

Clopin understood that perhaps those teachings were supposed to be morally good, but in this particular situation, sometimes teachings had to be broken. "Mademoiselle...You had no choice. You had to resort to that, even if it was wrong, because if you didn't, those soldiers would have killed you, just as they did so mercilessly with many other innocents-"

"But that's just it! I HAD A CHOICE!" yelled Ignis, her fingers curving like claws as she dug deeper into her arms. "Many were frozen or knocked out because of my magic, and I had intended to just...immobilize them and leave them like that, but because I got so angry with them, I wanted to kill them. So, I killed any soldiers attacking me, and I even killed those that were already knocked out and immobilized! I killed them not just because I wanted to stop them, but also because... _because I wanted to!"_ Ignis was breaking down, trying to keep her composure, and yet her confession was only making her emotions go haywire as she began to wept. "In the end, I'm no different than those soldiers, who also killed for fun!"

Clopin watched in helpless fascination as mixed emotions started forming and changing all over Ignis' expression, displaying her sorrow and regret towards the innocents lost, and the anger and hatred towards the soldiers. He glanced down at her appearance as sorrow filled his eyes even further than just the thought of losing his gypsy friends to the corrupted soldiers.

Just around 2 days ago, at the Festival of Fools, there was a heated debate over who was the most beautiful girl in Notre Dame: Esmeralda or Ignis? Now, Ignis' appearance was coated with dirty, ashes, blood, and even stains of vomit. She looked as though she hadn't slept nor rested ever since the mad search for Esmeralda started early yesterday morning, and it was evident that she had done her upmost best to try and protect as many people as possible while trying to stop as many soldiers as she could. Clopin and his gypsies even heard how Ignis was going around and even tried to help both the civilians of Notre Dame and the gypsies, and they found themselves having a newfound respect and admiration for Ignis.

To see a young girl who didn't have to do anything with this entire mess and didn't deserve this tormenting was heartbreaking, and yet, there was also beauty in her heroic actions.

Clopin was unable to hold back his anger towards the ones responsible for not only causing so much pain to this young girl, but to all of the innocents of Notre Dame as well. "They should pay for what they've done," muttered Clopin, clenching his fists. "Ignis, giving into your anger is wrong, but those soldiers acted a lot worst than you. They killed innocents for _fun._ No noble soldier would ever condemn such a thing."

"...But I did the same. I killed the soldiers because I wanted to. It wasn't fun, but-"

"No, you're different," denied Clopin, shaking his head and clasping his hands onto her shoulders to force her to look up. "You protected as many innocents as you could. Their deaths are NOT your fault. You saved many of the gypsies as well, and I wish to express my thanks to you. Even if you had killed and given into your anger, you did it for us. For the innocents. You're a true hero."

Hero...that was a word best suited for people who protected innocents. Ignis tried, and yet all the innocents she protected ended up getting killed later. She certainly didn't feel like a hero.

"I...I don't...I'm not..." Ignis' gaze was downcast as she thought back on the final moments of the innocents, when she was trying to fight back against the soldiers and witnessed many of the innocents dying. "I...I just want the innocent people to be safe. I want the children to be safe. I want Esmeralda to be safe. I...I just want this to end."

"And you've done more than enough," assured Clopin, squeezing her shoulders to assure her that everything was going to be okay. "You alone stopped many soldiers. You tried your best to find Esmeralda. And most importantly, you protected and healed all of the innocent and wounded. You don't have to do this anymore. Come, rest at the Court of Miracles. We will handle the rest."

"Clopin, are you serious?!" hissed one of the gypsies. "She may have saved many of our people, but she is still an outsider! We do not know if we can trust her!"

"She has already earned my trust as well as Esmeralda's and many of the other gypsies she's saved from Frollo and his men!" Clopin said, glaring at the gypsy. "At least many of those gypsies would support my decision in this! Besides, look at the poor Mademoiselle! She is tired, hungry, and possibly even injured from Frollo's men! She deserves some rest, no?"

As Clopin and some of the other gypsies were arguing on what to do, Ignis realized something important. That's right...she didn't even check if there were anymore Unversed left in this city. She had been so fixated on helping out the innocents and stopping the soldiers, she forgot to check that there might be another enemy amongst the shadows of this city. She whipped out her Unversed Cleanser from her bag and activated it, instantly getting a signal that showed the location of only one single Unversed in this world. Just one? Well, whatever the case may be, even if it was only one single Unversed, it was still a threat, a threat that Ignis needed to stop no matter what.

Ignis quickly took Clopin's hands off her shoulders and backed away; a worried expression now worn on her face. "I-I'm sorry, Clopin and everyone else! I have to go to do something!"

As she turned around and ran from the cemetery, Clopin called out, "Wait! Where are you going?"

"There's something important that I have to do! You and everyone else get to safety!"

Following the location of the signal that the Unversed Cleanser was telling her, Ignis hurried to the location, noting that the only Unversed was beginning to move after staying in one place the last time she took note of the Unversed's location. She grimaced at the sight of the flames still licking at the remnants of the burnt buildings and the piles of corpses lying on the road and tried her best to ignore them as she focused on the one Unversed's location. It...was too late to save those already dead anyways.

An arrow narrowly missed Ignis, only managing to crack the surface of the Unversed Cleanser she was holding, utterly rendering it unusable and useless. Ignis panicked and leapt back, summoning her Keyblade in case there was yet another battle she had to engage. She turned her head and saw an archer soldier taking out another arrow from his quiver, ready to take aim at her.

Ignis raised her Keyblade, ready to defend herself when she heard some cries and turned her head slightly to see two kids struggling to get away from two soldiers holding a tight grip on their wrists. They were beaten up badly, with the young gypsy girl sporting a bruised lip and a black eye with her hair tangled all over the place, while the other boy had bleeding scratches and was just as roughed up as the girl. Ignis recognized them as the kids that she saved a few days ago near the cathedral, right before she had engaged in a fight with the soldiers and the Lieutenant. The sight of them made Ignis' heart rip itself up into pieces as she saw their desperate and scared eyes lock onto hers. Come to think of it, there was another person with them that day that she also saved; a young girl that was holding a baby at the time that was ordered by the Lieutenant to strip down before Ignis had interfered.

Scanning the area, she was even more horrified to learn the fate of the young girl when she saw her corpse on the ground. And just like many of the female corpses she had seen, the young girl was also...she barely had any clothes on and she died with wide, empty eyes; a sword embedded in her chest once her "usefulness" was up. Lying next to her was the baby she had been holding, also deceased, along with the freckle-faced soldier whose body was pelted with arrows. It seems that he died trying to protect the innocents, at the very least.

"You-!" Ignis readied for her magic when she stopped upon seeing the two soldiers pressing their blades against the two kids' throats. Getting the message that they would no doubt kill them if she tried anything, she lowered her arms, ceasing any form of magic. When the two soldiers pressed deeper and drew thin lines of blood against their throats, Ignis internally panicked, wondering what she had done wrong until she remembered that she still had her Keyblade in her hand, so she lowered it down on the ground and raised her hands to show no harm. It was only after that that the two soldiers slightly lowered their blades, and the two kids were safe. For now.

The archer smirked and called out to Ignis. "It'd be best if you stopped resisting and listen to what we have to say."

The smirk on the archer's face made Ignis glare at him; her eyes fueling with fires of hatred as it took everything out of her not to just rush up and slug him right there and then. "What...do you want?" she demanded, trying to act tough when in truth, she was afraid for the children. She felt an icy chill grip her soul as the archer lowered his bow and arrow and strides towards her. Out of fear, Ignis backs away slowly while resisting the trembling urge to re-summon her Keyblade and hold it up in front of her as a shield, lest the archer and the other two soldiers sees that as an attempt to start a fight and slit the children's throats right before her eyes. Her confused, fearful, and innocent eyes continued holding a gaze towards the archer's eyes as he grew closer, noting malicious lust and intent in his eyes as he licked his lips.

Just like with the Lieutenant.

Ignis felt a slight bump on her back and just now realizes that she's up against a wall, now noticing that she accidentally walked backwards to it as she was trying to get away from the archer. The archer comes closer and stretches an arm towards her, and seeing as she couldn't fight back in fear for the captive children's safety, she squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. She was instead caught off guard when the archer gently places his hand on top of her head. Slowly opened her eyes, Ignis watched as the archer started stroking her hair, his fingers brushing and smoothing out her red hair, and for just a moment, Ignis let down her guard, thinking that she could still somehow convince the archer and his two soldier friends to release the children.

Letting down her guard was a big mistake.

Ignis saw a flash of a malevolent grin on the archer's face before his fingers clenched roughly in her hair before yanking his hand forward, pulling Ignis' body forward along before the archer flamed her head back against the wall with brutal force. It was hard enough to cause a severe head wound before Ignis held the back of her skull, crying out from the thunderclap of pain that still rang on her head as tears of pain formed on her eyes.

Then, the archer threw Ignis roughly to the ground, painfully twisting her arms and then pinning them down behind her back with trained military precision. Ignis could barely gasp out a cry of pain before she felt a pair of cold, metallic cuffs locking her wrists in place. The archer grasped her hair again, pulling with even more force than before and forcing her head up before slamming her head against the concrete ground. He kept repeating this action over and over again, each slam more brutal than the last, all while the two soldiers pointed and laughed at Ignis' pain, while the two children watched in horror, traumatized by the scene before them.

Only when the archer was bored with his rough treatment on Ignis, did he release his grip on her hair and shoved her body away against the wall. Ignis' face was...beyond brutal when the archer was finished. New wounds were exposed to her face, like blood drippling from the corners of her lips, blood overflowed from her nostrils, bloody scraps on her forehead, and bruises on her face. It was horrible and excruciatingly painful for Ignis, but despite the pain, she knew she would accept the pain if it meant protecting the children.

"Hey, I think you went a bit too far with her face," spoke one of the soldiers holding the children captive. "At least keep her lips puckered up. We still need them."

The other soldier agreed. "Yeah, and I hope you didn't break her teeth, either. Eh, but it's not like she needs teeth to warm us up."

The archer shrugged. "You may be right, but I still wanted to take my revenge out on her for killing our friends from yesterday. The little bitch deserved this much pain, no?"

Killing their friends from yesterday? Ah, he must have been referring to when she went on a blind rampage and killed the soldiers. She was taught that if you did something extremely bad to someone, they would do the same back, kinda like karma. But, even though her actions had shown consequences, she still couldn't let the soldiers get away with this, so once she finds an opening, she'll rescue the children and get the hell out of the area.

The archer turned to Ignis gleefully. "Now, you're going to do something for me and my friends. You're going to warm us up and let us do whatever we want to you. If you don't..." He pointed his thumb back towards the children, signaling the other two soldiers to raise their swords against the two children. The two children let out terrified screams as they tried to break free from their captors, unable to defend themselves or run away.

"Stop it!" Ignis yelled, wrenching as hard as she could against her cuffed restraints. She may not know the children, but they were just innocents in all of this, and she wouldn't allow more innocents to die before her very eyes. But, she had a good idea of what the archer was trying to imply when he told her that she was to keep him and his friends..."warm."

Ignis' gaze turned back towards the two children, both pure, innocent, young, and clearly terrified. What was she was forced to do...it wasn't fair. _It wasn't fair._ But, she didn't have a choice anymore. She knew that if the soldiers wouldn't stop nor release the children unless she...if she...But, if she did this...this immoral act, then it would be a small price to pay in exchange for the children's lives.

That didn't mean the process wouldn't hurt. No, it was probably going to be pain beyond what she could imagine.

"Such a good little hero, aren't you?" taunted the archer. "We'll start with your mouth first, and then...well, we'll deal with removing that dirty outfit of yours later. You'd look so much more prettier without it."

Ignis stared in horror as the soldiers-no, monsters approached her, making her shrink back against the wall like she was a trapped prey, cornered with nowhere else to go. She bitterly accepted her fate, glancing up at the eyes belonging to the two innocent children. Yes, if what she had to do would guarantee the safety of the two children, then she would do this for them.

But, would it have been worth it?

* * *

 _Many hours later, in the night..._

With a shaky, blank expression, Ignis' consciousness repeatedly slips in and out, only vaguely aware that she's still alive and walking, but _just barely._

Lethargy courses through her entire body, her balance almost non-existent as she sways from one side to the other like an uncontrollably pendulum on the road ahead. Her senses are numb and her willpower is constantly wavering, close to giving up everything until the constant reminder that there are still innocents in need of her help springs her back to life.

After walking for who knows how long, her legs finally caved in from the...rough treatment she received from the soldiers and she nearly collapsed to her knees before she leaned against the walls for support. In the end, she had to resort to using the walls as a crutch, almost tripping on nothing every time she took a step forward. If it weren't for the still-burning fires around multiple buildings and homes in Notre Dame, she wouldn't know where to go.

She felt so... _dirty._ Weak. Helpless. Worthless. Useless. Disgusting. She's become the embodiment of vulnerability, and as if knowing that wasn't enough, her own pitiful appearance kept reminding her of that fact.

In her current state, her body was close to collapsing, and yet it was her own willpower and strong desire to continue protecting the innocents that forced her to push her body forward. Any regular person would have broken down and stayed in one place, sobbing their heart out and losing the will to live, especially after the horrible experience Ignis went through. Ignis felt so broken and was indeed crying, unable to forget the shaky thoughts out of her head while also focusing on her task, and yet, her desire to protect was what kept her going. To continue to protect with what power she had even after everything that's happened.

After the whole..."ordeal" with the soldiers, after giving into their demands and pleasing them to their hearts' desires, _they didn't keep their damn word._ They said, as long as she did everything they told her to do, they wouldn't harm the captive children anymore. She did everything they asked for, in order to keep the children safe. Nobody else was around to help the children, so despite the horrible experience, she obeyed their every command, sacrificing more of herself to the soldiers in order to ensure the children's safety.

She gave up her first kiss to the soldiers. She gave up her own innocence to them. She did everything they told-no, _demanded_ her to do, all in hopes of saving the children.

But in the end, even after giving everything that she wanted to give to a future lover, _it was for nothing._

Even after everything that's happened, even after they were satisfied, they still went and killed the children right before her very eyes. It happened so fast, she could hardly believe her eyes. The children's throats were slit by the soldiers; their bodies falling helplessly to the ground like puppets whose strings were cut off, and their blood spilling out of their throats. Their gurgled cries and desperation for life tore Ignis apart, but also invigorated her to do _something._

Overflowing with raw emotion, Ignis couldn't exactly remember what exactly happened next, but she did know that she freed herself from her cuffs by summoning her Keyblade and easily unlocking the shackles. Afterwards, it was entirely a blur, but judging by the blood splatters on her body and on her Keyblade, as well as the crippled-up corpses of the soldiers, she could only surmise a guess that she killed them. She did remember tending to the children afterwards, but it was too late for them. By the time she killed the soldiers, they were already gone.

She was...uncertain for how long she remained there, but when she regained herself, she cleaned up the...messes on her body to the best of her ability. First, she healed her own wounds using one of her Potions, and then focused on redressing herself. Luckily, she had her spare clothes inside her bag, which was her original attire that she didn't have time to change into beforehand. She removed the ribbon headband tied around her ankle and put it back inside her bag for safety. As for her ensemble, while it was already bloodied and dirty as well as ripped and torn from the soldiers' rough handling on her, so she removed whatever remained of the ensemble and wore her clothes and armor back on before burning the ensemble, not wanting to see it again as a reminder of her...failures.

She coughed hoarsely after everything that's happened, feeling a burst of a bitter saltiness stinging her raw throat and rising up inside her so suddenly. It took everything for Ignis to quell her vomiting as best as she could and instead began heaving in and out to replace the vomiting. The memories of the awful experiences earlier repeatedly flashed back into her mind, and now, she wasn't even trying to hold back her crying as she continued to move, shaking and hyperventilating as the reminder of her own duty as a Keyblade wielder forced her to continue onwards. Her coughs and heavy breathing turned into more sobbing and uncontrollable gasps; her entire fragile and shaking body overwhelmed in terror and pain. She did her best to stay calm and focused by breathing deeply and slowly, just like the lessons Master Eraqus taught her.

She kept moving onwards, knowing that the people of Notre Dame were still in danger and in need of dire help. She didn't need any help for herself because she felt like she didn't even _deserve it._ Not after all that's happened, and not after she failed to save so many innocents. She saved them over and over again, helping them out of messes and even healing their wounds, but they kept dying in the end anyways. All she did was prolong their lives a little bit longer, but she still refuses to admit that she can't save every single innocent life in the city because of her moral duty to help those in need.

She thought herself as a selfish, worthless, _failure_ of a person. She tried so hard, even pushing past her own limits, and still, the innocents died, whether it was under her watch or not. She was putting so much burden into her shoulders, that whenever she watched an innocent die, the burden on her shoulder didn't lessen, but instead increased with the weight of responsibility, like it was her own fault that that person died. It was supposed to be the soldiers' jobs to protect the innocent, but because of their orders and because most were corrupted, Ignis was the only available choice at the moment to be the people's savior. If nobody was willing to save the innocent, then Ignis was willing to accept that responsibility even though she didn't have to be involved, but that choice...it cost too much for a young, inexperienced girl like herself. Even if she had been trained to fight and protect, she was still too young and inexperienced, and most importantly, she hasn't had the experience of killing so much. That one time felt so long ago, and earlier today, she did it again, but this time, it was out of vengeance. This time again, it was the same thing.

Ignis kept wandering around, unsure what to do except with two goals still ringing in her mind. Protect the innocent, and find Esmeralda. She protected and saved as many lives as possible, and yet she committed evil, _killing,_ to accomplish that. She's disobeyed so many of her Master's teachings so many times, so when her Master and her friends learn of what happened in this world, they'll resent her. They'll think she's not even worthy of the Keyblade, and she can't help but agree with that.

But, just for a little while longer, until this mess was over, she needs to use the power of the Keyblade to continue helping the innocent people of this world. She may not be worthy of the Keyblade after all the atrocities she's done, but she knows that the innocents need the power of protection on their side, and she is willing to force the power of the Keyblade to protect them with everything she has left inside of her, no matter how broken up, tired, and injured she may be.

 **Silent Solitude (Studio Yuraki version)**

 **Composed by: OxT**

 **Studio Yuraki**

 **Sung by: OxT**

 **Sam Luff**

 _It's a deep and silent night,_

 _I cannot hear anything!_

 _Sleep for eternity!_

 _The grieving, the fury, enveloped inside_

 _Such a maelstrom, it roars so loud!_

 _I'm losing my way in, the darkness tonight_

S _ilent, I'm fading out!_

 _Cheating out each other,_

 _Betray one another,_

 _What's the point,_

 _When we know everything's_

 _So meaningless?_

 _It's a deep and silent night,_

 _I cannot hear anything,  
_

 _'cause everything is fast asleep!_

 _Now, the world, so full of sin,_

 _It repeats itself again,_

 _Such a relentless dream!_

 _How much should I repent?_

 _How can I atone?_

 _For the evil that I have done?_

 _Who is it, the person,_

 _The one to forgive_

 _Me, when I forgave none?_

 _Good and evil clash with_

 _God and these emotions!_

 _No one yet can see that_

 _Everyone has been disposed!_

 _In the dark and dirty light,_

 _Where I can no longer hide,_

 _I am exposed, corrupted through!_

 _In the moment, motionless_

 _I will find my punishment!_

 _This silent solitude!_

 _Everyone is cheating,_

 _Constantly competing,_

 _So many are dying,_

 _Nothing stops the fighting!_

 _People will desire_

 _What they can't acquire,_

 _Happiness, they dream of_

 _What's ahead - just out of reach!_

 _And the voice I heard that day,_

 _Still it echoes on again,_

 _It's just beyond my memory!_

 _In my mind, I'll shut the door_

 _To all these intrusive thoughts,_

 _I'm drowning out the noise!_

 _It's a deep and silent night,_

 _I cannot hear anything,_

 _'cause everything is fast asleep!_

 _Now the world, so full of sin,_

 _It repeats itself again!_

 _Such a relentless dream!_

Memories of so much bloodshed that's spread throughout the city in just two days flooded Ignis' thoughts. Ignis arrived in this world just a few days ago and enjoyed and explored everything there was to see in the city of Notre Dame. She's made lots of friends, and even though she heavily disliked the problems in the city, she still enjoyed her time and came to love this world, possibly even more than all the other worlds she's visited, though the Hundred Acre Woods was a really close second.

What used to be a cheerful, happy-go-lucky girl that loved singing and exploring to her heart's content was now a broken, traumatized, exhausted girl whose hands are now covered in blood from a situation that was out of her control. No matter how much she tried to save and protect others, she also had to make tough choices - _unforgettable ones -_ that would stick in her mind for the rest of her life. Especially after an earlier event that would definitely mark an impact on her journey.

After all that's happened, her body couldn't take it and she fell to her knees, crouching on the ground and shivering as she had a downcast expression with her head lowered; tears dripping onto the tiles of the stony ground. Even though she wore her original attire, even though she had her armor back on, she still felt... _exposed._ Even with her armor on, and even with a magical device on her shoulder that would activate and grant her more protection in the form of Keyblade Armor, she would still feel exposed.

No matter how much she would wash herself, the blood would never come out of her hands. Her innocence would never return to her. She loved her friends, and the innocent people in the city, but after so much that's happened, the choices she had to make, she felt like she didn't even deserve to be loved. Her goal of one day finding a lover of her own, she may as discard it if she was going to continue with that mindset.

"...felt so good!"

"I know right? Those gypsy scum deserved what was coming to them!"

"I know Judge Frollo said to interrogate and kill those that got in our way, but they did 'get in our way,' so it was only that we killed those in our way!"

"Did you have to take down those children, though? They're annoying little brats, but I think cutting off an arm or two would have been enough to shut them up!"

"Of course! They were in the way, and their wailing was so annoying! Plus, they're only gypsy scum, so nobody will miss them!"

Heading towards Ignis' direction was yet another group of corrupted soldiers, and just like many of the other soldiers in the city, they took advantage of their orders and did as they pleased, using their authority to please themselves while not caring one bit about any innocents despite it being their sworn duty.

And they had the unfortunate fate of running into an unstable Ignis.

"...You killed them…?"

Her hollow voice was shaky and low, and yet it resounded through the street. The soldiers finally took notice of her and recognized her as the girl who defeated, and yet spared them, based on her red hair.

Seeing as she appeared tired and vulnerable enough to kill, and thinking that she was in no position to fight, one of the soldiers decided to entertain her by happily answering her questions before he and his friends killed her.

"Yeah, that's right! We took them down because they were in our way!"

"...Them? Men, women...even children? Even babies? People who couldn't even defend themselves?"

Another soldier even had the _audacity_ to grin. "It was so much fun watching them run away when they had no chance of even surviving the night! Believe me, I wanted to spare the women to have some more fun with them later, but well, we couldn't leave any witnesses, now can we?"

"...Why kill them? The innocent people...they had nothing to do with your search for Esmeralda...They weren't even in your way...They were just minding their own business, but then you...you all..."

"That's where you're wrong, missy," said another soldier. "They were in our way. They were just there at the wrong place at the wrong time. If they had been safely inside their homes, they wouldn't have gotten killed. It was their own fault for being out in the open during our investigation! Then again, it wouldn't have mattered, since arson is quite a nice stress - reliever!"

"Besides!" laughed another soldier. "It's not like anybody's going to care! So there were a couple of casualties during our investigation! So what? Gypsies were amongst the people, so they were just in our way! Nobody's gonna care about a bunch of filthy street rats-"

 ** _"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"_**

Ignis' hollow tone took in a sudden intense sharp spike that sounded inhumane and caused the soldiers to back away, nearly driving them off when they tried to draw near. For a moment, they felt fear unlike anything they've felt before, like they were facing a **demon.**

But, one look at the pitiful-looking girl, and the soldiers relaxed, feeling a bit too overconfident in themselves. They were trained soldiers, and they were ordered to kill anyone who got in their way. This young girl, however powerful she may be, spared them before, and she was in no condition to fight them, so it would be easy to eliminate her in one fell swoop.

The soldier who was interrupted before, was both annoyed and angered that she not only was defending the gypsies, but also interrupted him midsentence. "How dare you interrupt me, bitch?!" He slammed his boot at her face, kicking her across the ground and surely leaving a bruise on her face.

Ignis laid sprawled to the side and seemed unresponsive, almost as though she was dead. However, she seemed to be alright as she sat up with her expression still downcast. It was almost as though she didn't even feel the kick or was deliberately ignoring the pain of her now-bruised cheek.

"You all...Do any of you have even a _single_ hint of remorse for killing them?"

Knowing that she was referring to the innocent peoples he and his men killed, the soldier that kicked her before merely _sneered_. "Why should we care about people that got in our way of duty?"

Staggering to stand up, Ignis's entire body trembled not from fear, but from killing intent. Her entire, frail body emitted a deep hatred along with a killing intent exuding from her eyes shimmering with tears. Blood trickled thinly from her tightly clenched lips as she struggled and was _failing_ to hold back her emotions.

"I see...So, just like the others, you all chose to forsake the innocents-! They did nothing wrong, and they were minding their own business, but then you went and ruined their lives by killing them-!"

Instead of fearing the girl before them, the soldiers merely laughed mockingly, finding nothing wrong with their own approach and thinking of her as some overdramatic, naïve girl. "They were commoners and gypsies! Nobody was going to pay any attention to useless piles of trash taking up air and space! If anything, we did the city a favor by lowering the useless part of the population!"

Their apathetic words only further enraged Ignis' already overflowing feelings. "YOU-! They could have been saved! They weren't even involved with your orders, and they were innocent people! You all swore a duty to protect the innocent and weak, but instead, you just took advantage of your positions and slaughtered them like cattle! AND YOU DARE CALL YOURSELVES SOLDIERS?!"

"Some of those 'innocents' you keep talking about? They were killing each other, too," revealed one of the soldiers. "I don't know the full reasons why, but I heard it was for more food, to get the girl they want, an opportunity to steal more money while the chaos was happening all over the place, and a whole bunch more. We only hastened the massacre, and got rid of the filthy street rats that nobody was going to miss."

Eyes widening at the realization that he was going to continue belittling the gypsies and "justify" his actions, Ignis clenched her teeth, summoning her Keyblade in her hand and squeezing the hilt so tightly, her knuckles turned white like snow. She growled lowly, "Just shut your mouth-!"

But the soldier continued, purposely taunting her and unaware it would be the very last mistake of his life. "Nobody loved those filthy street rats and even more people are going to be satisfied when they're all lying dead on the ground! People like Judge Frollo will be so proud of our work! I hope those gypsies who study witchcraft are burning in the depths of-"

 **"JUST SHUT UP!"**

That soldier never got to finish his sentence before his _jaw_ was slashed open. Ignis didn't kill the soldier, at least, not yet, but she did allow him the privilege of suffering before death. Blood erupted from the spot where his jaw used to be, and unknown gurgles and what seems to be screams escaped from his open mouth as the soldier clawed and struggled to find a way to stop the pain. He accidentally stumbled and squashed at the fallen meat on the ground that was once his jaw before falling over, struggling and rolling around violently.

The other soldiers cried out and backed away from their critically injured comrade before glancing at the seemingly vulnerable girl with fear evident in their eyes. Enhancement magic flowed throughout Ignis' body and coursed through her Keyblade, which allowed her the temporarily, superhuman strength to slice a man's jaw off. Even if enhancement magic wasn't the cause of her sudden burst of strength, her overwhelming emotions would have given her strength regardless.

Before the soldiers could do anything, they saw Ignis glaring each one of them with equally deep hatred; her mind screaming to avenge the innocents and ensure that no corrupted men were to stay alive tonight. They were either frozen or quivering in fear at the sight of a single girl snarling like a beast and hollering at them with deep hatred as she raised her weapon.

"How dare you?! HOW COULD YOU?! They were innocent! All those people you killed for selfish reasons! Even the gypsies were innocent! It didn't matter what race they were from, THEY WERE ALL INNOCENT! You could have helped those innocents, but instead, YOU KILLED THEM! My own power may not have been enough, but at least I TRIED! I tried saving as many people as possible, but they still ended up dying because of people like you! If only you had helped-! If only...! If only you had used your own power and authority and disobeyed your orders to protect the innocent! BUT YOU'RE ALL MONSTERS JUST LIKE THAT DAMN FROLLO!"

Some of the soldiers unsheathed her sword and tried to rush her, intent on taking her down as quickly as possible. However, Ignis proved to be the better and faster opponent as she mercilessly killed them by firing beams of light at them, ripping holes in their armor and watching their corpses fall to the ground. The other soldiers, knowing they were now no match for her, tried to make a break for it.

However, Ignis had no intention on letting them escape nor live. She leapt up to the rooftop of a nearby building and manipulated the fires of several other buildings under her magical control, creating a wall of fire that blocked out their means of escape. They turned and tried to run the other way, but the wall of fire quickly extended to become a circle of fire, entrapping the soldiers within. They fearfully glanced up at Ignis, meeting their frightful eyes with her hatred-filled ones.

"I won't forget any one of your cruel actions! I won't forgive any one of you! YOU EVEN KILLED CHILDREN AND BABIES!" Ignis yelled.

The circle of fire started to close in on the soldiers, and they all huddled together to try and stay alive. Ignis couldn't help but take in immense pleasure in seeing them scared for their lives. Now, they were starting to understand what all their innocent victims felt, being tortured and killed by them. The fear of dying increased for them as the fires grew closer and closer; sweat dripping down their skin as their armor made it incredibly difficult to breath and move around freely.

"You're not knights! You're not heroes! You're not even fit to be soldiers! YOU ALL DESERVE TO BURN IN THE FIREY PITS OF HELL WHERE YOU BELONG!"

With that said, Ignis allowed the circle of fire to engulf the soldiers entirely, watching and not once looking away with the cold, enraged expression on her face. The soldiers screamed and frail their burning bodies around; the fires sheering away at their skin and delivering unimaginable amounts of pain to them as they felt their life extinguishing before their very eyes.

Their last sight of life before they faded away into nothing was the moonlight and the lights from the fires directing them to the sight of the girl in shining armor. The lights may have illuminated down on the girl, but the darkness of the night perfectly described what she looked like.

A demon in shining armor.

* * *

 **Wow...WOW! That was...quite the chapter! Probably, no, DEFINITELY mores than the last chapter! And cue in the angry comments. Id did warn you guys that there was going to be dark themes in this arc! Summary time!**

 **Summary: Following the events from the last chapter, Ignis didn't quite know how long she was just standing around after having killed a second time around, with the second time being her killing a bunch of soldiers. Afterwards, she just ran away, confused and scared of herself until she finally stopped somewhere in the city, where she started puking.**

 **She was puking because she realizing her own actions from killing the soldiers. That she did so because she wanted to and out of vengeance. She thought it was a wrong thing to do so not just because of taking a life, but also because she killed for the wrong reasons, even though the soldiers were way worst than her because they killed innocents for fun. Even though killing the soldiers meant less danger to the innocents, she still didn't feel okay with her actions.**

 **Even though she was sick, tired, and clearly not in her right mind, she thought that she didn't even deserve to rest because she killed the soldiers. Even though they were the bad people, she still cherished life and thought that her friends and Master Eraqus would see her as a monster for killing. This goes to show how deeply kind she is, and yet so easily guilty and emotional she could become.**

 **After a while, she managed to calm down a bit and resolved herself to continue her task of protecting and helping the innocents, as well as finding Esmeralda and taking her to safety. She's still shaky from killing, but she knew that it was her duty as a Keyblade wielder to continue protecting the innocent people in the ciy no matter what.**

 **Many hours passed, and Ignis was growing more exhausted and more mentally unstable. She still protected and saved innocent lives as best as she could, but she ended up witnessing a lot of horrible things. The corrupted soldiers were still killing innocents and burning down their homes, but worst of all, some of the innocent people were even killing their own people, taking advantage of the opportunity to steal from them, kill out of jealously, and other things that forced Ignis to immobilize those kinds of people and not just the soldiers. Because of her fear of killing more, she refused to kill anymore and continued to knock out and/or immobilize the soldiers before pressing on.**

 **Upon stumbling onto the cemetery, Ignis saw Clopin and some gypsies gathered around some dead bodies covered in white sheets, and Ignis learned from them that the dead bodies belonged to some of the friends Ignis made a few days ago; Reuben, his older sister, Rose, and their mother. What was even more horrible was that not only were they killed by having their throats slit, but the murderers behind their deaths, namely more corrupted soldiers, had defiled both Rose and her mother's bodies before killing them and making their escape. It was even more messed up because these actions were done right in front of their father/husband's gravestone.**

 **Ignis went to try and see their corpses, but Clopin stopped her, informing her that she would never be the same again should she actually see the state of their bodies, stating that it was beyond brutal. Ignis felt so enraged, she fired a high-leveled fire spell at some hill to let off some steam, but it wasn't enough. She angrily wonders how long she has to hold in her anger towards the soldiers, revealing a deep desire to kill them for what they've done, and yet holding herself back because of her ideals.**

 **Clopin, realizing that she was blaming herself for the innocent family's deaths, hastily rushed over and tried to comfort her, ensuring her that none of this was any of her fault, and that it was the soldiers that killed them that was their fault. But Ignis, feeling responsible for the lives she's saved, kept denying that fact, claiming that she wasn't fast enough and that she should have tried even harder, saying that she was no different than the soldiers because she killed. Of course, Clopin rebukes that, saying that she was nothing like the soldiers and that she only killed to protect the innocents, whereas the soldiers only killed the innocents for fun.**

 **Clopin, feeling sorry for the girl, but admiring her heroism for not only protecting the innocent people to the best of her ability, but also his own people, offers her to stay at the Court of Miracles for the time being so she could calm down and rest up. Some of the other gypsies protest this, leading to a huge argument between Clopin and the gypsies who supported his decision against the other gypsies who opposed his decision.**

 **Realizing that the only enemy wasn't just the corrupted soldiers and that there might be some Unversed in the city, Ignis took out her Unversed Cleanser and noticed there was one single Unversed left in the city. Knowing that she couldn't leave that alone, she turns around and runs off, rejecting Clopin's offer to stay at the Court of Miracles in order to deal with a more serious threat and hopefully bring more safety and peace to the city.**

 **While Ignis was heading towards the destination of the Unversed, she was suddenly ambushed by an arrow that missed her, but destroyed her Unversed Cleanser. She summoned her Keyblade and took a fighting stance to defend herself when she was confronted by three soldiers; one was an archer that had shot an arrow earlier at her, and the other two soldiers were holding two children that she knew hostage. She already received the notion that should she try anything, the children's lives were forfeit, so she stopped and listened to what the soldiers had to say, or rather, she had to do what they told her to do.**

 **The archer backed her up against the wall and proceeded to beat her up as revenge for killing his and the others soldiers' friends. He cuffed her hands behind her back and informed her that unless she wanted the children to die because of her, she was going to have to do what they had to say. For the sake of the children, Ignis was forced to agree and it was highly suggested that she was...defiled by both the archer and the two other soldiers.**

 **Much later, in the nighttime, Ignis was stumbling out of what was indeed a very horrible experience for her. She was crying nonstop as she used the walls for support while continuing onwards, even more tired and messed up than ever before. Additionally, her ensemble outfit was so torn up and ruined, she ended up removing and burning it after wearing her original attire with her armor on.**

 **Even after doing everything the soldiers wished for her to do, they still ended up killing the children right before her very eyes, breaking their promise. Enraged, she killed the soldiers brutally, though she couldn't recall that memory, only seeing as she was the one who killed the soldiers as she had blood all over her body and that the soldiers were dead.**

 **Even though she still held a strong desire to continue protecting the innocents and finding Esmeralda, that didn't stop Ignis from feeling so ashamed, filthy, and regretful. She had given up a lot of herself just to ensure the children's safety; her first kiss, her innocence, and a whole lot she didn't wish to go into detail, but it was all for nothing because the soldiers killed the children in the end anyways, making Ignis feel worthless and undeserving to even have a Keyblade.**

 **She eventually collapsed and ended up in a bit of a depressed state, so she didn't even notice more corrupted soldiers heading her way. She questioned them why they had to kill more innocents, and, seeing that she was going to die anyways, decided to answer her questions. Her questions were met with gleeful joy, mocking, and insults towards the innocents, especially towards the gypsies, slowly and effectively enraging her. Eventually, she snapped and reached a breaking point that caused her to actually slice a soldier's jaw open with her Keyblade.**

 **Some of the soldiers tried to attack in retaliation, but they were quickly taken down by her in an instant. Filled with hatred and not thinking straight, Ignis angrily expresses her anger towards the unjust treatment for killing the innocents and that the soldiers were going to pay for what they've done. The remaining soldiers tried to escape, but Ignis used her magic to prevent any means of escape, trapping them in a circle of fire before declaring that they deserved to burn in Hell before watching them burn to death.**

 **And that's the end of the summary! And this chapter leads to a huge changing point in Ignis' ideals and part of her personality! Now, she's no longer playing the nice girl and is now showing absolutely no mercy to her enemies. With everything that's happened to her, ESPECIALLY what's happened to her during this chapter, it was no wonder that she snapped and caused some major character development.**

 **What happened at the cemetery for that innocent family...yeah, the girl and her mother were "defiled" in the same way Ignis was later on. I actually got that idea from a chapter in the Akame Ga Kill manga. Luckily, that didn't happen in the anime, but it really was messed up in the manga and heavily implied, so I wanted to add that even further to the dark themes.**

 **I don't really want to turn this story into a Rated M story, so I decided to put really suggestive themes when Ignis was..."defiled." If I had turned this into an Rated M story, then you guys would see the "experience" that Ignis went through, and I would have made it as horrible as possible. Horrible in writing? No. Horrible as in experience description? ...Yes. Look, long story short, Ignis is NOT going to forget that experience. Nobody could.**

 **And, the first kiss thing? Yeah, her first kiss was actually taken by Vanitas back in the Sleeping Beauty world, but because she was unconscious at the time, she didn't know that. She thought that her first kiss was taken along with her innocence by the soldiers who forced her to do indecent things.**

 **I also want to explain something in this chapter. This chapter revealed that it wasn't just the soldiers killing the innocents, but also innocent civilians killing amongst themselves. You see this kind of thing like with riots, like people killing to get what they want. Innocents killing each other for various things, for stealing things, to kill them because they're annoying, for them to get out of the way as they make their escape, to get the last bread on the stall, a whole bunch of selfish things. They turned on each other and revealed more of humanity's bad side to Ignis. I'll elaborate that on the last chapter of this arc, which isn't next chapter, but very close by.**

 **Next up, the song lyrics in this chapter from the song, "Silent Solitude. I want to explain and elaborate more about them, and you might understand why I chose this song. Hell, you could even hear this awesome song and incorporate the meaning into this chapter. I always choose songs that have some sort of connection in this story, kinda.**

 **The first three lines, "It's a deep and silent night, I cannot hear anything! Sleep for eternity!" The "deep and silent night" literally means at nighttime, where after all the bloodshed's finished, it's completely silent. The song also kinda refers to Ignis' perspective, and the "sleep for eternity" is a reference to the death theme that's going on.**

 **The next lines, "The grieving, the fury, enveloped inside, such a maelstrom, it roars so loud! I'm losing my way in, the darkness tonight, silent, I'm fading out!" Ignis is losing more and more of herself as she feels so much sorrow and fury towards the situation, and as the situation grows more worst, so does her emotions, and she feels more like she's losing herself.**

 **Another set of lines, "Cheating out each other, betray one another, what's the point , when we know everything's so meaningless?" The cheating and betraying part is referring to the supposedly innocent people backstabbing and killing one another for their own selfish reasons. Kinda like, if they're going to die anyways, why not go out with a big bang or something like that. Like, doing what they want before they die.**

 **"Now the world so full of sin, it repeats itself again, such a relentless dream!" The world of Notre Dame is now revealing more of its dark colors and as time passes, it shows more and more sin to Ignis. No matter how many times she saves people, the massacres, stealing, and other sins continue over and over again, and yet, she continues to strive for a better future for the world, relentlessly fighting for it for the innocent people.**

 **"How much should I repent? How can I atone? For the evil that I have done? Who is it, the person, the one to forgive me when I forgave none?" It's a clear perspective for Ignis, as she thought of herself as a killer for killing in the first place, thinking that she's evil and horrible like the soldiers. She's pleading for someone for forgiveness when she knows that she'll never forgive the soldiers for killing the innocent.**

 **"Good and evil clash with God and these emotions! No one yet can see that everyone has been disposed!" There are themes of good and evil in this arc, and religion is heavily influenced, especially since Judge Frollo was the cause of the entire situation. Ignis' intentions are good and her desire to protect innocents is pure, but she did have to resort to doing evil things like killing.**

 **"In the dark and dirty light, where I can no longer hide, I can exposed, corrupted through! In the moment, motionless, I will find my punishment! This silent solitude!" Dark and dirty light can be referring to the balance between light and darkness and how her conflicts and the path she's chosen has led her up to this point. Her actions already exposed her as a kind and strong girl willing to protect the innocent, but as time passes, she no longer shows mercy and is "corrupted" by now willingly killing, knowing that she'll most likely suffer the consequences and will accept any punishment for killing, even if it means being kicked out and forced to be alone for her remainder of her life.**

 **"Everyone is cheating, constantly competing! So many are dying, nothing stops the fighting! People will desire what they can't acquire! Happiness, they dream of - what's ahead - just out of reach!" Once again, this refers to the people fighting amongst themselves for their selfish desires, fighting for their own selfish happiness that may never come because either they're going to die fighting amongst themselves or by the soldiers.**

 **"And the voice I heard that day, still it echoes on again, it's just beyond my memory! In my mind, I'll shut the door, to all these intrusive thoughts, I'm drowning out the noise!" Finally, this goes back to Ignis' feelings, and how it's like she's hearing the voice of the dead, telling her to avenge the dead. In reality, she wants to find a peaceful solution to all of this and ignore the nagging voice before caving in.**

 **The thing is with Ignis, is that she's taking too much by herself and blaming herself for innocents dying when it was beyond what she could have done. She did everything within her power, and yet it was not enough. It didn't seem like it was going to be enough to save the city, and yet, Ignis still persisted because she believed there was still at least a bit of hope of trying to save the world she was in. I described as her having huge defense, and there's more to it than physical stats. She's literally acting like a shield to protect, but eventually, there will be gaps and weaknesses in that shield that'll eventually make the shield crack and be destroyed. That's kinda what's happening to Ignis when her mentality broke under all the stress, pressure, and especially what happened to her this chapter.**

 **The reason she felt so negative and insecure towards her friends' and Master's opinion is because she feels she has a responsibility as Keyblade wielder to help others, which isn't wrong, but she's neglecting her own health and life to do so, becoming self-sacrificing. Her last meeting with her friends didn't end up well, if you can recall, making her think that they still hate and think of her as a nuisance. And her Master would never accept her path of finding balance because it involves using darkness, and she's already broken so many of his teachings and rules, she thought she might be kicked out as a result.**

 **The thing is, she's overestimating her friends. If they knew what was happening to her, they wouldn't hesitate to save her and help her save the city no matter what. If this was Vanitas, however...Well, he would take Ignis away forcibly from the world and destroy it without hesitation using his Unversed, especially after all the things that's happened to Ignis.**

 **That's all from me! This arc is almost done, yet not quite there yet! You'll have to wait and find out more! Read and review!**


	42. La Cité des Cloches (7): Third Day

**Hi, guys! So, I half-expected you guys to get all mad at me for writing down some of those scenes from last chapters, but you guys were pretty chill with me. Actually, you guys were mostly angry towards the soldiers and all of the suffering that Ignis was put through. I did warn you all what would happen, and now, while this chapter doesn't really have any suggestive themes like last chapter, it will still have a bit of a warning to you guys.**

 **WARNING! This chapter contains high levels of violence, gore, dark themes, and so forth! If you wish to avoid any of those, then scroll down to the author's notes and read the summary!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own any Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"The Mademoiselle is doing _what?"_

Clopin has asked, dismayed and shocked at the news delivered before him. The fires within Notre Dame were still burning even after three days, and the search for Esmeralda was still continuing. Clopin had thought that by retreating back to the Court of Miracles, he would be able to find Esmeralda, but so far, none of the gypsies encamped within their secret home had found her. He and a small group of gypsies have already searched all throughout Notre Dame themselves for the past three days and they haven't even found Esmeralda themselves, which was both a good and bad thing, since that means that they know that Esmeralda hasn't been caught, but she's still nowhere to be found.

And now, he learns that Ignis, the one person who's been working harder than anyone else in the city to save the innocent lives in the city, is now not only doing that, but also _massacring_ soldiers left and right. Granted, the soldiers definitely deserved death for all the atrocities and discrimination they've spread, and he'd be more than happy if those soldiers were gone, but this?

Ignis' actions were essentially sending her to an early grave.

She was strong, both physically and mentally, Clopin couldn't deny that. Actually, he admired and respected her courage to willingly go out and save as many people as possible during the past three days. Those she saved, specifically from his own people, claimed that she was a reincarnation of the famous Jeanne d'Arc, fending off against the forces of the corrupted and evil soldiers belonging to Judge Frollo and healing those in need. They could never forget her fierce and blazing form as she did everything in her power to protect the people, deeming her as a hero forever engraved in their minds.

But even if she was strong, she was only still one person.

The people she saved couldn't rally up or defend themselves. Clopin heard that she fought so hard to protect the people, and yet they ended up dying anyways when she wasn't around, when she was busy trying to save other people in different areas. As much as Clopin wished to help, he, too, was only just one man, and him, along with a handful of his people, were fighters, while most of his people weren't. He couldn't help her, because he was too fixated on helping his own people, although, if Ignis learned of his situation, she would have understood and not hold it against him.

Still, like he thought, she was still one person. Her against the entirety of Paris' soldiers? She wouldn't last even a minute, even if she has that mysterious key-shaped blade of hers, and her witchcraft. And she's not even actively looking for a fight. She was just a normal girl who had been doing her damnest to protect and help as many people as possible.

When he last encountered her sometime yesterday, he saw how...weary she was, both physically and mentally as well. From experience alone, he could tell what a good judge of character was, and judging from her appearance, reactions, and especially those eyes of hers, he could tell that she's seen...things. Things nobody should ever have to witness. Things a kind and cheerful girl like her didn't even deserve to learn and would most likely never forget. And yet, those eyes of hers were determined not to give up; a fire that still flickers behind those weary eyes of hers.

Ignis was a foreigner. A traveler that came from a distant land and only came to the city of Notre Dame for sightseeing. When the entire mess involving Esmeralda began, she didn't have to get involved. She didn't have to, and yet she did, because not only did she gain many friends in this city, but like him and many others, she grew to love this city as well. That was both a great, and yet terrible thing, because since she loved the city, she was doing everything in her power to save it, even if it should come at the cost of her life.

When he saw her, he could tell that she was very close to reaching a breaking point, of crossing a line that once crossed, could never be retracted back. It must have come from witnessing horrible things that the evil in this city had done, as well as the failure of saving people she swore to protect. But the failure wasn't Ignis' fault at all. If anything, it was the soldiers and Judge Frollo that caused all this, so the deaths that happened during the past three days, were all on their shoulders, and never something Ignis should ever have to bear.

Despite him telling her that, he could still tell that she blamed herself for something that was beyond out of her control. He offered and wanted her to rest at the Court of Miracles, not only because she more than deserved to rest, but also because he couldn't bear to see her more broken down than she already was. If she had continued this brave, yet foolish path, it wouldn't take long for her to snap.

And, judging from the reports he's been given...he was right. This time, he _hated_ how right he was.

* * *

Droplets of crimson, red liquid with the stench of steel, along with drops of sweat and tears flow in the air and the ground as the fumes of fires still burnt within the city.

A swooping motion of a fire-based, key-like blade aims at the flesh of a sinner.

A step to the side, swiftly dodging the swing of another weapon that planted itself on the ground.

A body collapses on the ground facedown, another falls to his side, and the third crashes into a ruined building, crushed by the debris from above. The fourth is gripped by the face and thrown into the fires through brute force, screaming as he dies painfully from the flames before his screams dies down with his death.

Bodies are tossed and thrown around like ragdolls within seconds; their blood splatters like paint against the grounds and walls of Notre Dame. Too many blades, too many arrows, too much blood, too many screams of pain and suffering fills the area. The sole fighter on the side of the innocent, the one dominating over her corrupted enemies, loses count of how many ways her enemies had died and couldn't care less so long as they weren't around to hurt more innocents.

She was done showing mercy.

The pain, the suffering, the agony, everything that the innocents faced not only because of the soldiers, but also because of her own negligence to finish off her enemies. She was too soft, too gentle, too _naïve._ She thought that by merely defeating the soldiers and leaving them be to collect them later so they could be arrested and judged, they would leave the innocent civilians alone. And she was wrong.

Instead, they just woke up and continued their onslaught, "punishing" civilians that were in their way or merely having "fun" with them. Everything Ignis witnessed the soldiers do, it was gruesome and the innocents suffered and died so painfully, it was like Ignis felt that sort of pain imbedded into herself.

It especially didn't help when she, herself, experienced some of the suffering the innocents experienced before dying.

Just thinking about the experiences from the day before along with how much the other innocents must be suffering drove Ignis to tears as she continued onwards, only stopping when she heard some cries for help. She caught sight of some soldiers having fun with some girls and was startled at first, before that hesitation quickly changed into rage upon remembering that the very same thing that was going to happen to the girls had happened to her before. She couldn't allow such a thing to happen to those innocent girls as well.

While the soldiers were distracted, pinning the innocent and beautiful girls whose eyes were widened with fear, they failed to take account of another enemy rushing at high speeds towards them. It was only after one of the soldiers was beheaded and his headless body was spraying a fountain of blood that they noticed the situation had drastically changed.

Ignis, who arrived at the girls' rescue, embedded herself with enhancement magic to increase her speed and physical strength to further increase her chances of saving the girls. With a yell, she threw her Phoenix Fairy at another soldier like a javelin, striking him deep in the chest as the Keyblade dug itself into the tiled floor, granting that soldier a painful death, before she turned to the last soldier with a death glare.

Her eyes, normally full of life and joy along with a hint of child-like naivety, was now stone-cold and so full of anger and hate that everyone that met her gaze was stricken with fear, unable to avert their eyes away no matter how desperately they want to.

With her gauntlet-covered hands, Ignis lunged forward and grasped the last soldier by his face, clawing him tightly and lifting him up in the air before slamming him down on the ground. She growled and snarled like a beast as tears dripped from her eyes filled with hatred. Just seeing the young girls about to be..."tormented" by the filthy soldiers before her brought back horrible memories from yesterday and made her feel all dirty once again.

"YOU-! MURDERER! SCUM! YOU WILL NEVER HURT ANOTHER INNOCENT BEING AGAIN!" hollered Ignis, squeezing the soldier's face tightly with her enhanced strength. She could feel the bones in his face cracking with each second that she kept ahold before twisting his face to the side, effectively cracking his skull to the side and then dropping his dead body to the ground.

Upon his death, her enhancement magic wore off, leaving Ignis back to her normal state. She dug out her Keyblade from another soldier's corpse, swinging it to the side to throw the blood off her already-bloodstained weapon and turned to the innocent girls who were shuddering at the sight of her, even though she saved her life.

Pointing to a different direction, Ignis, having calmed down at the sight of the girls being safe, softly said, "Go...now...Hurry."

Leaving no room to argue, the innocent girls quickly got up and fled as fast as they could, not bothering to thank Ignis for saving their lives. Once they left, Ignis collapsed to her knees and dug her Keyblade into the ground, panting heavily as she used her Keyblade as support.

She shouldn't rest! She couldn't rest! This wasn't over until all the innocents she could save were off to safety somewhere, along with Esmeralda! It was her duty as a Keyblade wielder to see things through to the end! Her duty to protect the innocent!

Even if...even if it meant resorting to killing her enemies now.

Her hands are already stained with too much blood ever since her mind was made up. No, it was more like her emotions made the decision for her. She held such deep hatred towards the corrupted soldiers for their actions, and especially what they did to her. Whenever she thought back on the soldiers, her face twisted into an expression of rage, prompting her to stand back up and remove her Keyblade from the ground.

Her mind unstable with two goals; protecting the innocent and killing the soldiers, and her body screaming for rest, yet her willpower forcing it back into action, Ignis hurried and raced down the streets, intent on accomplishing her goals.

* * *

"I...I'm not gonna die here...! Damn that bitch...!"

A soldier was using his spear as support, heaving himself forward and holding one hand on his spear, while the other was clutching a bloody injury on his side. Coughing out blood, the soldier glared ahead as his steel-covered gauntlets tried to cover the injury in his side.

He was dying. He was going to die a pathetic and painful death and there wasn't anything that was going to stop it from happening. And it was all because of that red-haired girl!

The rumors had been false all along! He heard from other soldiers that the red-haired girl was really as strong as the elite soldiers in Notre Dame and that she only knocked out and spared soldiers like him! He thought of her as naïve and a stupid little girl who didn't know her place.

But he was heavily mistaken.

When he, along with another group of soldiers, confronted her, she absolutely _obliterated_ them. She was nothing like what the rumors said! Yes, she was certainly strong, but she showed no mercy like the rumors claimed she had! Instead, she was on them in an instant, taking them down in mere seconds with her strange weapon and her witchcraft!

Fortunately for him, he was one of the first to supposedly "go down," when in reality, he just took a hit and fell down, pretending to be one of the many corpses lying around on the ground. As he shut his eyes and pretend to go motionless, he could hear the screams of his allies, the clashes of weapons, and their bodies tumbling to the ground.

Part of the reason why he was so defeated so easily was because he underestimated just how strong she was. But another reason was because of her _eyes._ Her eyes...he's never felt so much fear from staring upon such deep hatred within when their eyes locked onto an instant, but it's an unforgettable image that can't be wiped off his mind, even after death.

When he was certain that the fighting ceased, he stayed motionless for several more minutes before getting up, trying to get out of the streets before that red-haired girl realized that she had missed one enemy she failed to kill. There was no point in checking to see if his allies were alive; they were dead long before they even hit the ground anyways.

Despite the fear he felt towards the red-haired girl when he gazed upon her eyes, he also hated of how humiliating his defeat was! He was a lucky man, having survived through that encounter, but barely. It was humiliating how he, a noble soldier of Notre Dame and has had years of training and experience as a soldier, was taken down in mere seconds by some...some naïve and idiotic girl! She must have cheated with her witchcraft, he was sure of it! When next he sees her, he'll have more than enough reason to kill that witch!

Squinting his eyes, the soldier gazed upon a feminine figure when he heard a strange, soft sound. In fact, that sound was perhaps the most beautiful sound he's ever heard, even more beautiful than the most wonderful songstress in the world. As such, it was only fitting that the most beautiful sound came from the most beautiful woman he laid eyes upon.

The moment their eyes made contact with each other, the soldier was hypnotized by this woman's beauty. First with her sharp eyes that showed love for him and only him, and then to the rest of her body. Her body was like a fusion of an angel, saint, and siren altogether. She was utter perfection beauty reincarnate, and she was standing right before him.

The woman before him...her hair was long and silky, as though one look of her hair would make one assume that even on strand of her would be like touching heaven's clouds. Her red lips were luscious and her body mature and voluptuous, swaying her hips back and forth as her movements, elegant and graceful, headed towards him. Her dress revealed much of her cleavage and curves, causing all sorts of imagination to pop into the soldier's mind as he lecherously licked his lips at the thoughts of what he could do to this woman, whether she would comply or not.

To his surprise, the woman gave a silent gesture by curling her index finger, beckoning him to come closer and follow her as she entered an alleyway. The soldier could barely contain his excitement as he hastily followed after her. If he was going to die anyways, why not enjoy his last moments with a beautiful woman such as her?

That would be the last mistake of his life.

Silence filled the alleyway at first, and then soon after, screams that were quickly muffled out and replaced with louder, squirmish sounds that would make one feel uncomfortable if they listened closely to them. Once again, a tense silence filled the air, and the only evidence of anyone, or rather, anything still alive was the momentary glance of glowing, red eyes in the darkness of the alleyway.

* * *

 _Many hours later..._

"I'll incinerate you all! Mega Flare!"

Gathering a large amount of magic power from within, Ignis unleashed a large, powerful fireball that flew towards a large group of soldiers standing in her way. Their shields couldn't defend them from the impactful explosion that took place once the fireball connected with their shields, rapidly turning their flesh into ashes in a matter of seconds from the explosion.

Slamming her Keyblade against the ground, Ignis concentrated her magic power and converted it into darkness magic by conjuring shadows towards the next group of soldiers. The shadows then reverted into spikes of darkness that pierced through the soldiers effortlessly, killing them. Then, she removed her Keyblade from the ground and pointed it towards the next group of soldiers, focusing the remainder of her magic power into light magic and firing multiple beams of light from her Keyblade, obliterating the soldiers before her.

Ignis panted and wiped the blood from her lips as she glanced around for more enemies. She reached inside her bag to grab another Ether only to take out a Potion. She placed it back and opened her bag in search for more Ethers to replenish her magic power until she realized that she had no more Ethers remaining. During the past three days, she used it all up fighting the soldiers, extinguishing fires, and helping the innocents.

Now, she was left with two options to restore her magic power. One, find a Moogle Shop and buy more Ethers, but that option was possibly no longer valid because it was likely that during the whole chaos, the Moogle had already left this world. Or two, find a suitable hiding spot to rest. However, she didn't have time to rest, as she still had to uphold her duty of protecting the innocent, so that meant that she would have to continue her task without anymore usage of magic.

Hearing battle cries, Ignis turned around and deflected an arrow with the blunt side of her Keyblade, getting into a fighting pose for another fight to take place. She was, no doubt, tired and has no magic power left, but the important tasks of eliminating those who seek harm towards the innocent, and protecting the innocent, stuck to her mind as fuel for her to continue right as she charged towards the next set of soldiers.

The first soldier came charging in, raising his blade to slash down at her. Ignis deflected and held his blade in place with her Keyblade, fluidly stepping to the side and delivering a hard kick to the shin, forcing him to fall to his knees. Seeing her chance, Ignis slashed at the soldier's unprotected neck, delivering a deep, fatal wound that would surely spell his demise. A grimaced, uneased look formed on her face for a second as her ears caught wind of his gurgled gasps that quickly died down. No matter how badly she despised and wished to kill these men, that didn't mean she enjoyed committing such a horrible task one bit.

As another soldier came at her, slashing wildly, and yet in a sloppy and predicable manner. Ignis didn't even need to make the effort to block his slashes and instead dodged them with ease before planting her foot forward and delivering a heavy slash that finished him off. The sound of his body collapsing was all Ignis needed to determine he was dead before focusing on her other enemies.

She watched as another soldier came charging forward, swinging recklessly like the last soldier. She had to deflect another arrow from an archer before blocking the soldier's sword. She kicked a pile of sand and dust up at his face, blinding his eyesight before easily disarming him and then finishing him off. Three more soldiers were aiming for her; one the archer and the other two wielding heavy axes.

The first axe soldier came bustling in and swung his axe down at her, hoping to bisect her frail body in half, only to drive his axe deep into the ground. Ignis climbed on top of the axe, running up the staff part of the axe before slicing his neck off. Blood splattered onto her already bloodstained clothes and armor as she kicked off the headless body to make a safe landing.

She had no time to rest or contemplate, as she deflected and blocked more arrows coming her way. This time, it wasn't just one archer, but three more archers joining him, releasing a volley of arrows that Ignis had to continuously block as fast as possible. Meanwhile, the other axe soldier, enraged at his comrade's death, came bustling in with his axe.

An idea popped in thought as Ignis continued blocking the arrows with Phoenix Fairy. She saw the archers reloading their bows with more arrows and decided to take advantage of this opportunity to lure the axe soldier in, dodging his swings and making him unaware that he was now in the archers' line of sight. Just as the axe soldier was about to swing again, the arrows fired once more, and Ignis leapt high out of the way, while the arrows lodged into the axe soldier. Even one arrow was able to pierce the back of his neck, making the axe soldier drop his axe and grasp at his neck, gasping for air.

Ignis landed back down and grabbed ahold of the axe soldier, running directly towards the panicking archers and using the axe soldier's body as a human shield against the arrows with all of her strength before shoving the heavy axe soldier against the archers, making them fall on their backs and struggle to squirm free of the heavily weighted soldier. Towering over the archers, all it took was a couple of slashes from her Keyblade to finish them off. She let out a sigh and gripped her Keyblade tightly, knowing this fight was far from over.

After a long time, Ignis was bent over, panting. Her eyes were blurring in and out of focus in sync as she once again struggled to stay on her feet. Her lungs hurt and were burning for air, a deep gash on her cheek was there from a lucky hit, and some arrows stuck to one of her arms and legs. She fought through several more waves, a mountain of corpses laid around the streets as a result of her victory.

She didn't have anymore magic power left to cast healing magic on herself, and she only had one healing potion left, though it wouldn't completely heal her wounds. Taking out her last Potion, Ignis then gritted her teeth and yanked out the arrows embedded on her body. Unable to stop herself from crying out in pain, Ignis proceeded to quickly take out the arrows on her arms and legs before gulping down the Potion. As she thought, the Potion wasn't enough to entirely heal all of her wounds, but at least the bleeding for her wounds ceased, though she would need to bandage her wounds or find more healing items soon.

The mountain of corpses on the streets that she killed, the bloodlust she felt towards the soldiers as she killed them for torturing and killing the innocents whom they've sworn to protect, the way she sought out vengeance for the innocents that had fallen, and the disrespecting way she disregarded her Master's teachings to carve out her path...It was moments like these that she didn't even feel like a person.

She felt...so tired and horrible. Her entire body felt repulsing and disgusting to her, and she also felt that same way towards herself. When she had killed the soldiers a few days ago, that was when she unconsciously knew there was no going back. She stained her hands with blood when she first killed Madam Mim, but that was understandable because it was both an accident and self-defense, but now? She had killed willingly and out of rage. Her emotions compelled her to take action, and she chose to accept and follow her emotions instead of stopping and thinking rationally.

The strange thing is, she didn't feel...corrupted. As in, she didn't really feel any negative effects from using darkness magic so much. Granted, she also started using light magic just as much as she used fire and darkness magic, but she was certain there would be major consequences, although there seemed to be none. She was most certainly angry and hated the soldiers, yes, but Master Eraqus always told her that keeping negative emotions in was always a bad thing and would lead to darkness. He was right on that part, but Ignis didn't entirely agree with his teaching as humans were always prone to both positive and negative emotions; another reason why she chose to pursue darkness magic a bit in her path for balance.

Right now, though, she did feel corrupted, though it wasn't because of the power of darkness. It was because of how much bloodshed she had caused and how many...sins she had committed even while trying to save innocents. No matter what would happen once this whole mess was over, she would never feel "clean" again. The thought of the soldiers still wandering around, still killing and harming the innocents made her blood boil once more, and that thought prompted her to start running and hurry to the next area, where there still could be innocents in danger.

Just then, she stopped when she saw someone rather familiar step out of the alleyway and blocking her path. It was Clopin, who was rather startled to see her bloody and disheveled state, but tried to crack a smile to ease the mood.

"Why, hello there, Mademoiselle. I've been told you've been busy," said Clopin.

If she wasn't so busy and too enraged at the soldiers, Ignis would have explained herself right there and then, but she wasn't neither of those things. She narrowed her eyes and got into an animalistic stance, as though trying to scare off Clopin. She didn't want to hurt Clopin, but something inside of her were making her have the urge to fight off anyone that stood in her way, including him.

"You must be really tired right now. I'm sure you've done enough."

"Move." Came Ignis' tired, yet cold tone.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so hostile. I'm sure a nice, good rest, bath, and a song back at my home will-"

"Just move and go back to safety."

"Not without you. You look so tired. You need to rest and come back with-"

 **SLAM!** Ignis stabbed her Keyblade down on the ground so hard, cracks formed around the hole her Keyblade dug deep in, close to creating a small fissure. She snarled and glared at Clopin with eyes so wild like an untamed beast as she gripped the hilt tightly; hands shaking with anger.

"MOVE ASIDE, DAMNIT!"

Clopin's cheery tone fell and his expression grew more firm and serious as he realized that his soft and encouraging words won't get to Ignis in her current state. "No, I won't. I can't let you go on like this, Ignis. Not in the state you're in."

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO REST, DAMNIT! I HAVE TO PROTECT THE INNOCENTS! I HAVE TO GET THEM TO SAFETY! THAT'S MY DUTY!"

"Ignis, you've already done more than enough. So many lives have already been saved thanks to you. You're in no condition to continue saving more. You need to rest. You deserve-"

"NO! I DON'T! I DON'T DESERVE TO REST! NOT AFTER LETTING OTHERS DIE! NOT AFTER WATCHING THEM DIE BEFORE MY VERY EYES!" Ignis screamed, tears forming on her eyes in her still-enraged expression. She furiously wiped her tears away and clenched her fists at her side, continuing to yell, "IT'S THOSE DAMN SOLDIERS! THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT BUT INSTEAD, THEY KEPT KILLING THEM! IF NOBODY IS GOING TO PROTECT THEM, THEN IT'S MY DUTY TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS! I'LL PROTECT AND GET THE INNOCENTS TO SAFETY, EVEN IF IT MEANS KILLING EVERY SINGLE SOLDIER IN MY WAY!"

So it was true, Clopin realized. Ignis did snap at some point and even started killing the soldiers. Yes, she did killed some soldiers even before they met in the cemetery yesterday, but this time, she was going all-out. She was practically slaughtering anyone that was a soldier, all to stop those kinds of people from harming the innocent people of Notre Dame. Most of the soldiers in this city were pretty much bad, but Clopin could tell that not all of them were evil. If Ignis continued this mad path of saving people all by herself...

She might not tell the difference between innocent and enemy anymore.

"Ignis...even you have to know that you can't save everyone in this city by yourself," spoke Clopin calmly. "Let it go...and come back to the Court of Miracles with me. If you don't...you'll be going down a path you won't be able to return from."

Ignis' breath hitched, as she knew what Clopin meant. If she did continue, she might do something even worse than killing the soldiers. Going down the wrong path...another one of her Master's teachings. Going down the wrong path always resulted badly for the person that chose to go down the wrong path, so if she was indeed going down the wrong path, what could that mean for her?

Still, she knew she had a duty to uphold, and that she'll deal with the consequences later. She did calm down a bit, but still couldn't stop the boiling blood full of hatred inside of her. "...You can't stop me," Ignis told him, glaring at him. "I can easily bypass you, or I can just take another way out of this street!"

"My associates have the entire area covered. Even behind me, there are more gypsies just waiting to block your path," spoke Clopin calmly.

That was a lie, of course. There were no associates of Clopin covering the entire street or even behind Clopin. It was just Clopin who came to confront Ignis all alone all by himself. The rest of the gypsies were safely back at the Court of Miracles, so Clopin chose to go alone to convince Ignis to step down so she could finally get the rest she deserved and remove the burden from her shoulders.

"If you want to get past me and my friends, you might have to do the impossible and _kill_ us. Are you willing to go down that path? A path that you won't be able to return from?"

Her eyes widened, Ignis took a step back. She seemed hesitant and unwilling to even think of killing Clopin or any innocents, even if they were in her way. But, she had to continue saving others from the corrupted soldiers!

"Well, we've both reached an interesting point, have we?" continued Clopin. "I clearly cannot fight you, but I'm unwilling to move from my spot. And while you can easily best me in a fight, you can't bring yourself to harm an innocent being like myself. Therefore, we're both at a standstill. I can't harm you, and you can't harm me. It's time to let it go, Ignis. Come with me. You need to rest."

"I...! But I can't just...!" Ignis gritted her teeth and dropped her Keyblade, unwilling to raise a blade against Clopin. "But I can't stop! I have to continue helping-"

"Like I said, you've done enough," assured Clopin, relieved that he was finally getting through to Ignis. "Ignis...you are so brave and so strong. You've done so much, but you've taken too much on the burden of saving the innocents. Please, come back to me to a safe place. We can figure out how to save more people later, but you need to rest now. Esmeralda is even amongst my people. She is safe."

"She...she is?"

"Yes. I am not lying to you about this. She is safely back at the Court of Miracles, and she will be more than happy to see you if you come with me."

Clopin's words were tempting, and Ignis' already exhausted body was taking a toll on her mentality and she really wanted to rest despite her desire to save the innocents. "...Will...will that really be okay?" questioned Ignis. "Clopin...I really want to save more people, but I can't ever forgive the soldiers who abandoned and kill them..."

"You don't have to. I wouldn't ever forgive the soldiers either, for what they've done. For forcing their burdens onto a young, beautiful girl like yourself," said Clopin, walking towards her gently, yet in a slow pace.

"Would it...really be okay for me to rest? While the city is still burning? While innocents are still tortured and killed even now?"

"We've managed to escort as many innocents as we can out of the city. I won't deny that there are still people around, but we can worry about that later."

"I've...killed so many people...so many soldiers..." admitted Ignis, staring down at her bloodstained hands. "Would...Would it really be okay for a murderer like me to rest? My friends and my Master...they'll never forgive me for what I've done...the taboo I've committed..."

"You killed those soldiers to save innocents. If you explain yourself properly, I'm sure they'll understand," said Clopin. "If they were your friends, they would help you instead of judging you."

"Judging..." Ignis looked away, tears threatening to flow from her eyes. She wasn't sure if Clopin's words rang true to her ears, even if he was trying to comfort her. Last time they met, her friends already judged her cruelly for using the power of darkness. Right now, killing so many was probably even worse than using the power of darkness. If they could judge her because she chose to use darkness, just the thought of them judging her and possibly hating her for killing was just...it would break her heart just like it did when they spoke such cruel things to her.

But even so, Clopin's offer was tempting, and it...wouldn't hurt to rest, if only for a little bit. She turned to Clopin and relaxed, asking, "If...If I go with you, will you and the others help me save more innocents once I rest a little bit? I...I don't know if I can do this alone..."

Clopin's expression softened as he grew closer to her. "Of course. You won't have to endure this alone, Ignis. Come on, let's-"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blade swung from above and slashed a heavy blow. Down on Ignis' right eye.

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Ignis' raw throat as pain burst out from her bleeding right eye. Her vision flickered and burst into red light and pain. She stammered back; her fragile body trembling as she panted in short breaths while clutching onto her right eye, trying to stop the bleeding and ease the burning pain. She tripped on a rock behind her and fell down, curling up a little and trying everything she could to stop the pain and trembling in her body. Besides yesterday, she never felt so much pain and so helpless before in her life.

While Ignis was trying to stop the bleeding and the pain from her right eye, Clopin was trying to stop the soldier that had attacked Ignis from proceeding any further, blocking him with his staff. If it was just one soldier, that'd be fine for him, but...more soldiers were starting to appear.

Ignis gasped as she removed her hand from the blood-bursting injury over her right eye. She had no more healing potions and her magic power was completely wiped out, so she couldn't apply any first aid to her eye. That didn't stop her other free, non-injured eye to witness the sight before her.

Clopin being impaled front and back by several soldiers.

An enraged scream combined with the pain from her eye found itself howling out of Ignis as adrenaline and anger forced herself back on her feet. She gripped her Keyblade much more tightly than ever before, she swore she could feel her own blood seeping out from the hand injury she brought upon herself before raising her Keyblade up in the  
air, creating a large flash of light with her light magic.

The effects of a Magic Burst took effect on Ignis' body, forcing her to cough out blood as the soldiers cried out, being temporarily blinded. Because she used magic, the payment to conjure up that much magic used some of her life force as payment for lack of magic power, hence why she got badly injured afterwards. It didn't matter to Ignis at the moment, though, because she was more focused on dealing with the soldiers to save Clopin.

As one of the soldiers was beginning to recover from blindness, Ignis drove her Keyblade down on his back, prompting him to scream. She stabbed down as deep as she could, even through his chest, before pulling her bloody Keyblade out and kicking his corpse away. She barely dodged another blade in time, but a second blade tore a bloody line across her thigh, causing her to winch in pain.

Ignoring the pain in her thigh, Ignis surged forward and struck her blade against one of the soldiers in the neck area, ducking underneath a blade's swipe from another soldier before hacking and slashing at more soldiers. She continued this deadly dance of slashing and delivering more blows, all while blocking and slipping under blows and making sure to put decent distance between her and the soldiers.

It felt like forever, but it was finally over. Like all the other wave of soldiers she killed, this group was no different. They laid dead at her feet, never again to rise up and harm anyone ever again.

Recalling that Clopin being stabbed was what triggered Ignis to rush in and kill the soldiers, Ignis turned around and hurried to Clopin's body. She held him in her arms as she tried shaking him, trying to rouse him awake with tears in her eyes.

"Clopin! Clopin! Open your eyes! Open your eyes, damnit!" cried out Ignis, unable to accept the fact that she would be losing another dear friend. "You can't die! Do you hear me?! Don't die!"

Despite the heavy wounds he sustained, Clopin did open his eyes and smiled at the sight of Ignis. "You...You are alright, Mademoiselle...?"

The tears that Ignis had been withholding collapsed and rained down on her cheeks as she held Clopin close. "Yeah...! Yeah, I am! It's all thanks to you, Clopin-! So, don't you die! Don't you dare die on me! I can't bare to see another friend die! I always let down so many people in this city! I already had to watch them die before my very eyes! I failed them! I can't fail you, too!"

Clopin shook his head and pulled his body back, raising a hand to stroke her cheek. "Mademoiselle...Ignis...You and I both know that my time is up, and-"

"Shut up! Don't you dare say some sort of bullshit cliché line like that!" cried out Ignis. "I swear, I'm going to start healing you, even if at the cost of my life! I don't care if the Magic Burst effects take over me! I don't care what'll happen to me so long as I save another innocent life! So just-!"

"No...No, your witchcr- your magic will be wasted on a dying man like me," assured Clopin as blood trailed down his mouth. "I have lived my life, tricking, lying, and stealing just to survive another day. It may not seem like a good life, but I have also had fun in my life, entertaining the crowds, especially the children. But, despite me being the leader of the gypsies, I have not once lived for another person."

"W...What are you trying to tell me?" questioned Ignis as her hands started glowing, beginning the healing process. "I-"

Clopin, realizing what she was doing, grasped her hands tightly, ceasing her healing process and shaking his head. "No...No, that is far enough. I wanted to say, that not once have I lived for someone nor would I sacrifice my life for them. I am a coward and a selfish man. But, my last act in this cruel life of mine...it was saving an innocent and beautiful maiden like yourself...Just once in my life, I wasn't a coward...and I am ever so grateful for that."

Sniffling, Ignis started shaking, and although she could easily pull her hands away from Clopin and continue to heal him, she found that she couldn't. "Y-You could do more heroic things!" Ignis said, trying to convince him to live. "You could entertain people and save lives, but you can't do that if you're dead, so please-!"

Clopin, once again, shook his head. "I appreciate you still caring for an old fool like me, but we both know my time is up. I've...had many regrets in my life...If only I could rewind time and make up for my mistakes...especially towards poor Quasimodo...I shouldn't have encouraged him to go up on stage...I should have led him out when the mob started throwing things and making a literal fool out of him...but I just wanted him to explore more of the world and experience things for himself..."

Realizing he was referring to what happened at the Festival of Fools, Ignis tried to convince him once again. "When you see Quasimodo, you can apologize to him yourself! So just...please...!" Continuing to cry, Ignis was starting to lose more and more hope of him living as more blood pooled out from Clopin's sword wounds.

"Ignis..." Clopin stroked Ignis' cheek, trying to wipe away the continuous steam of tears. "No matter what happens, I just want you to know...you are not to blame for all these deaths. You are not responsible for the tragic deaths of all the innocents you've fought to save...Nobody is blaming you. I do not blame you for my own demise. I...I wish for you to do me a favor..."

Ignis stared at Clopin, still crying. "I...I can't...!"

"Then, at the very least, hear me out," whispered Clopin, feeling his vision growing blurry. "You must...escape this city...You've done so much for the people...You need to escape here alive, even if it means escaping alone...Go on, and live your life to the fullest...If you can't escape, then at the very least, you must hide and rest. Live and fight another day..."

"I...I..."

"Mademoiselle...I have so much to tell my people and Esmeralda...but I fear I do not have the time...But I can say this one last thing to you...I do not wish for you to go down the wrong path...so please do not give into so much vengeance and anger...you are young and inexperienced, so you have the chance to make things right...Continue your life, continue protecting and spreading happiness to others...It is a shame...You will grow to become a beautiful woman like Esmeralda...but I will be...unable to..."

Clopin's words trailed off and his body slumped over in Ignis' arms. Amongst the fires still burning the city, the piles of corpses surrounding them, a young girl in shining armor was left sobbing with the loss of a dear friend in her arms.

* * *

 _Later..._

Phoebus was sneaking out of the cathedral, having mostly recovered from his wounds after escaping from Frollo and his men and being taken care of in Quasimodo's care under Esmeralda's request. He knew he couldn't force Quasimodo to come with him to alert the gypsies of Frollo's invasion, but he thought at least the young man would have the heart to come after Esmeralda's kindness towards him.

Suddenly, Quasimodo came out of nowhere, being upside and encountering Phoebus the moment the blond-haired former soldier opened the door. "Phoebus!"

"Gah!" Phoebus gasped, nearly suffering a heart attack and being taken aback by Quasimodo's sudden appearance.

"Shh! I'm coming with you!"

"Glad you changed your mind," Phoebus addressed, smiling at Quasimodo's decision.

"I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for her," Quasimodo whispered.

"You know where she is?"

"No, but she said this will help us find her," Quasimodo explained, taking off his necklace that was given to him by Esmeralda before handing it to Phoebus.

Intrigued, Phoebus tried to examine it. "Good, good, good! Ah...Great! ...What is it?"

"Not sure."

"Hmm..." Phoebus further examined the necklace, trying to find some sort of hidden code or clue within it. "Must be some sort of hidden code...Arabic? No, no...Maybe it's Ancient Greek!"

"'When you wear this woven band, you hold the city in your hand...'" murmured Quasimodo, delicately touching the necklace as Esmeralda's words clicked something in his head.

"What?"

"It's the city!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a map! See?" Quasimodo pointed to several spots on the necklace and tried to address them to Phoebus. "Here's the cathedral! And the river! And-and this little thing!"

"I've never seen a map like this-!"

"I've lived in the bell tower for 20 years-!"

Despite the men's hushed tones, their arguments began to increasingly grow in both volume and intensity as they tried to correct one another which one was right and which one was wrong. Their arguments grew to the point where practically the entire area could hear the two men as they were not mindful of how loud their voices were becoming.

Faint footsteps stepped onto the tiled road ahead, and soon, those faint sounds increased in volume the closer the footsteps headed towards both Quasimodo and Phoebus. Their loud voices may have overshadowed the sound of the footsteps, but what truly stopped their argument was the sight of whom the footsteps belonged to.

Ignis.

They were rather...horrified to see the state she was in. Cuts, bruises, unimaginable injuries inflicted onto one single, young girl, and the sight of so much blood on her clothes, armor, and body was just as overwhelming as the stench of the blood on her. Her face was pale and her body so thin and fragile, it felt like it could be ripped in half so easily. Dark circles underneath her free eye was a clear indication of how exhausted and tired she was. In the darkness of the night, the two couldn't tell whether her hair was actually covered in blood, or if it was her natural red hair color; perhaps a bit of both. The worst of her injuries came from her bleeding right eye, which needed immediate medical treatment.

Anybody could tell that this girl had been through a lot, both physically and mentally.

"...Ignis...?" spoke Quasimodo softly, shocked and almost too afraid to approach her.

Being more common with the state Ignis is in, but still uneased on seeing such a state on a young girl, Phoebus rushed over and checked her for any injuries. "Hey! Are you alright?! Speak to me!"

"I..." Ignis' voice croaked out, in both a tired and low tone. "I...I _tried..."_

"What?" Phoebus looked at her, confused. He then noticed that up close, tear marks were on her cheeks, indicating she had been crying.

"I...tried to save so many people...I let them all die...I..."

Phoebus heard about this, how a red-haired girl in armor tried to put out fires with her "witchcraft" and save as many innocents as possible. Many people were scared of her because of her witchcraft, but at the same time, many people were grateful towards her for saving their lives. Phoebus was actually disgusted by his own men committing crimes, even under Frollo's orders, and to have to resort a young girl to save so many people? He may have been out of action for a few days ever since he defied Frollo's orders, but he didn't realize it was this bad. Seeing the state Ignis was in, he could only indicate that the situation had gotten a lot worse.

"Ignis, it's alright. We're going to help you," assured Phoebus before glancing over to Quasimodo.

Quasimodo, still mortified at the terrifying sight of Ignis, snapped out of it and nodded. "R-Right! I'll get some warm water, some food, some blankets-!"

"No! No, no, no, no, NO!" cried out Ignis, shaking her head and backing away. "I...I don't have time to rest! I...I just need more time! I need to hurry back and save the other people-!"

"Ignis, you are in NO state to be saving others," admonished Phoebus, grabbing her shoulders. "It's even a miracle that you've survived for this long! When was the last time you've eaten? Or slept? Or-No, that doesn't matter right now. I know some emergency first aid! Quasi, do you have anymore medical supplies?"

Quasimodo nodded. "Yes, of course!"

"We'll need them-Damnit, she has some serious injuries! And we have to disinfect her eye wound before it gets worst!"

"I don't need those!" cried out Ignis, looking away in shame. "I don't deserve to rest and-! I...I need to hurry and help the other people escape! I tried to save the other people, but the soldiers killed them, and I let them down by letting them die-"

"Ignis, listen to me," spoke Phoebus, gripping her shoulders tightly. "I don't know exactly what happened during the past few days I was out, but I can assure you that this whole mess isn't your fault. Everything happened under Frollo's orders for whatever reason. The deaths of the innocents were unfortunate, but they weren't your fault!"

"How can you say?! Of course it is!" Ignis yelled, clutching the sides of her head and glaring down at the ground. "I-I let them all down! I practically let them be killed! I should have been more faster! I still have time-! I-"

"Ignis, IGNIS! You're hyperventilating! Calm down!" yelled Phoebus, roughly shaking her to snap her out of it while Quasimodo just stood in the background, uncertain of how to deal with this particular situation.

Ignis couldn't stop hyperventilating as memories of the past three days continued coursing and re-appearing in her thoughts over and over like a recorder on replay. Her body, having already surpassed it limits from lack of rest, finally started to cave in. Her eyes began to slip closed, her strength gradually sapping from her body, her bones feeling hollow, and a dark tiredness swept over her before she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **This chapter really dark, just like the past few chapters have. Granted, this chapter probably wasn't as dark as the last chapter, but still dark regardless. Anyways, summary time!**

 **Summary: On the third day, ever since the order to find Esmeralda using any means necessary was established, Clopin discovered the horrible things Ignis has now been committing. While Ignis was still off saving innocents and helping led them to safety, she was now going around and killing every single soldier in sight. Clopin knew that Ignis was definitely a kind and strong-hearted person, but at the same time, he knew that her decision was going to get her killed since she was still only one person up against who knows how many soldiers.**

 **Clopin never blamed Ignis for the deaths of the innocents because none of them were her fault. It was Frollo and his men who should have been held responsible, and because most of the soldiers in the city weren't doing their duty and doing whatever they pleased, they forced a young girl like Ignis to take the role of protector for the people when it should have been the soldiers' duty to uphold safety for the innocents. He could only pray for safety for Ignis and hoped that she didn't snap and go down a darker path than she's already leading on.**

 **Sometime later, Ignis was still going around, slaughtering every single soldier in sight, especially those that continued to harm and kill innocents for fun. She was done playing mercy and while her efforts were finally bearing fruit and less innocents were being killed, not once did she find herself enjoying the slaughter. Her mind still unstable with yesterday's events, especially when she was also a victim of the soldiers' playthings, she continued killing the soldiers in a somewhat berserk-manner, all while trying to save as many innocents as possible.**

 **Meanwhile, a soldier who miraculously managed to escape Ignis' grasp by pretending to play dead after receiving a vital blow from her, was trying to crawl to safety, trying to fight off death despite knowing that he was going to die sometime soon. Then, he was greeted by a beautiful woman and snuck in an alleyway with her, intending to at least have his way with her before he died, but the moment he stepped into the alleyway and disappeared into the shadows, his fate was sealed.**

 **Much later on, Ignis was still running around and was in the process of eliminating more soldiers with her magic. She used up so much magic, she had run out and was about to replenish her body by refilling her body with more magic power until she realized she was out of magic power. She engaged in more waves of soldiers with just her Keyblade and fighting skills alone, eventually killing them all over and suffering injuries of her own until she pulled out one last Potion that didn't completely heal her wounds, but still closed her bleeding wounds.**

 **After the battle, she rushed forward to reach the next area, but was stopped and confronted by Clopin. Clopin tried to calmly convince her to calm down, but at the moment, all Ignis thought of was trying to save more innocents and killing more of the soldiers. The more Clopin tried to convince her otherwise, the more Ignis grew more enraged at him wasting her time, stating she didn't deserve to rest, not after allowing innocents to die under her watch.**

 **Clopin and Ignis were at a standstill. He knew that Ignis would never, in her rage, ever attack an innocent, which included him, but at the same time, all Clopin could do was persuade her with words, and he couldn't attack her even if he wanted to, as he wasn't even strong enough to do so. Eventually, his words started calming Ignis down and slowly starting to persuade her.**

 **Suddenly, a soldier burst out of nowhere and ambushed Ignis, striking deep into her right eye. As Ignis was left screaming in agonizing pain, Clopin jumped in to protect her and tried to fend off the soldier before more soldiers appeared and surrounded Clopin, stabbing him in all sorts of directions. Horrified at such a sight, Ignis angrily and aggressively finished off the soldiers who injured Clopin before tending to the jester-like gypsy, trying to keep him alive.**

 **Clopin assured her that none of this was her fault, and that he doesn't blame her for his own demise. He told her that his time was up and appreciated her trying to continue to save her, even though it was hopeless. He urged her to escape or at the very least, hide and rest for the time being. With that said, he passed away in her arms, leaving Ignis with the fact that she just allowed another friend to die before her very eyes.**

 **Later, Phoebus and Quasimodo were talking amongst each other, trying to figure out the location of the Court of Miracles, where Esmeralda was supposedly at, so they could warn her and the other gypsies about Frollo's invasion at the Court of Miracles. They ended up in an argument, only to cut off short when they saw the horrified state Ignis was in.**

 **They rushed to her aid, and Ignis started becoming a little delusional and hyperventilating, stating she needed to continue to save more innocents and that everything was her fault over and over again before her body finally caved in, making her lose consciousness.**

 **And that's the end of the summary! For all of you wondering, just who was that beautiful woman that the soldier saw in the alleyway? Well, you'll find out in the next chapter, but she's not like, a major character or anything. I think you can all guess just who she is based on the hints I gave during that part.**

 **Yeah, after three days of non-stop running, not stopping for a rest, not eating or drinking or even sleeping, eventually, Ignis' body was going to give way and forced itself into a resting position. So don't you all worry! She's not going to die, but she'll need to rest a lot after what she's been through!**

 **Yes, Ignis did suffer a heavy right eye injury, and to answer the question you've all been pondering about, it will leave a heavy mark, and Ignis will...lose her right eye. She still has her left eye, but regardless, she will lose her left eye which will have a huge scar that'll forever close that left eye.**

 **For all of you wondering, when is the end of this arc? Don't worry, the next chapter is the last chapter for the Notre Dame arc for certain! It'll certainly be...something. And it'll have a big major change now that Clopin's dead and he was practically the de facto leader of the gypsies.**

 **QUICK QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU! The songs I post in the story...do you want me to explain them within the story or in the author's notes? Or do you want me to give out hints within the story of their meaning? Last time, I chose to explain their meaning in the author's notes, but some of you didn't like that, so I want to know your opinion! Don't give me some vague answer like, "You're the author, you can do whatever you want!" No, I want to hear your opinion. I'm still gonna keep doing the songs since they fit in the story in a way, so that's not stopping. Plus, they're interesting and fun to hear, too!**

 **Read and review! Be careful and stay safe of the Coronavirus!**


	43. La Cité des Cloches (8): Lust

**Here we go, guys! The last chapter of this whole Notre Dame arc, as well as the reveal of which of the seven sins it'll be! Although, I'm pretty sure you guys have a good guess as to what it is, and like all the other sin revealed chapters, I'll explain about this particular sin at the end of the author's notes, so stay tune!**

 **WARNING! CHAPTER CONTAINS DARK THEMES SUCH AS GORE, VIOLENCE, AND MANY MORE!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own RWBY songs created and composed by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams, like "When It Falls," and "Until the End."**

* * *

"Urk! Gah...Ha...Ha..."

"Easy there. Just hang on a little bit..."

Quasimodo stood in the background, constantly giving glances back and forth with an uneased, yet concerning look on his face. Ever since he and Phoebus encountered Ignis in such a gruesome and terrible condition, they carried her back inside the bell tower, rushing to save her life. While Quasimodo tried to clean off the blood off her skin using warm water and some towels, Phoebus had to remove her armor and check her body for wounds.

Due to his experience as a soldier, Phoebus knew many things, including emergency first - aid even though he's not officially a doctor. Still, he knew enough first - aid to help disinfect and bandage Ignis' wounds, especially the most critical one being on her left eye. Ignis had awoken while both Phoebus and Quasimodo had tended to her wounds, and needless to say, she did freak out and tried to back away to the corner of the room, only for her wounds and exhausted state to overpower her and leave her unable to move.

Things went a little chaotic for a while, and for some reason, Ignis looked afraid of them, but after both men calmed her down, Ignis allowed them to clean and tend to her wounds, though her body was still shaking and a little jumpy at their touches. She didn't say a single word to either of them afterwards, but all she did was cry out painful grunts and hisses while they tended to her wounds. It hurt even more when Phoebus had to stich her eye wound and was now adding the finishing touches by bandaging her eye, wrapping the bandages around her head and eye area.

"And done! There you go! Just don't touch your eye, alright?" said Phoebus. "Your eye will still need to be looked at by a professional doctor, but I've applied some emergency first - aid, so the bleeding should stop for now. If we had waited any longer, your wounds would have gotten infected! You just need to rest and save your strength!"

"...Thank you..." thanked Ignis quietly.

"Here." Quasimodo walked towards Ignis, holding a wooden cup filled with water. "You must be thirsty."

Throat dry and rasp from not resting to eat or drink since the past few days, Ignis stretched her arm out to grab the cup before guzzling the water down her throat. With a gasp, she took a deep breath for air, having finished the cup before gesturing to Quasimodo for more. Understanding her message, Quasimodo grabbed the cup and went to refill it with water. He returned quickly and handed the refilled cup back to Ignis, who gulped down the contents in a flash before handing the empty cup back to him. Ignis continued to request for more water a few more times as her drinking pace began to slow down to the point where she was completely quenched.

"Quasi...Thank you..."

"It's no problem. You must have been really thirsty," commented Quasimodo, taking the empty cup away from her and putting it elsewhere in the room. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

"I...No, no, I'm okay," assured Ignis before her stomach growled loudly. She felt both angry and ashamed of herself for her own stomach exposing her lie, so all she could do to save face was to look away.

"O-Oh! I do have some spare food! It's not much, but you should take it!" Quasimodo sprung into action, hurrying to try and find some of the spare food he kept. "Now, where was it...?"

Phoebus chuckled a little bit. "There's no shame in admitting you're hungry. You must have been through a lot and didn't have anything to eat or drink when we found you."

"...Sorry."

Phoebus shook his head. "No, it's alright. But, if you're able to, do you mind answering me a few questions?" After seeing Ignis' nod, Phoebus cleared his throat and took a more serious, stern expression. "Just... _what happened?"_

That question was...rather anonymous. Phoebus could have been talking about a number of things from that question alone. What happened to you? What happened out there? What happened to the people you were supposed to protect? What happened to the people you...killed? Or, he could be talking about all these questions all at once, un the form of one question.

Before Ignis could answer, Quasimodo returned with a plate full of stale bread and some cheese before setting it down near Ignis. But, she didn't take a single bite of the food offered to her. She merely gave it a glance and looked away in shame, but when she saw the hurt look on Quasimodo's face, she thought she had offended him and quickly corrected him.

"O-Oh! Sorry, Quasi, I didn't mean to insinuate that I didn't like the food! I just...I don't feel like I deserve the food," admitted Ignis shamefully. "But I do want to thank you for giving me the food anyways."

"Why don't you feel you deserve the food?" questioned Phoebus. "Ignis, I know you're still recovering and that you've been through a lot, but I need to know what happened? If you can, just tell me what's going on?"

Ignis looked away once more, still full of shame. Should she tell him-no, not just Phoebus, but also Quasimodo of what's been happening the past three days? The information she held, it was more than enough to be viewed as a scary story, with the only difference being that this story was _real._ No fantasy, no scary ghosts, just...information from actual events and experiences. Quasimodo would be horrified and unsure whether she was telling the truth or not, if humanity truly could be as bad as that. He already suffered from the people during the Festival of Fools, but for him to hear more about the bad side of people would... _shatter_ his view. Phoebus would likely take it more easily because he's a soldier, but he would probably hate her for killing his men, even if they did horrible things.

At this point, she felt that she probably did deserve to be hated.

And so, she told both Phoebus and Quasimodo everything, leaving no details behind on her part. Well, she told them ALMOST everything. She just left out one part of her story, the part where she was...violated badly. Even though she was willing to confess everything else, that was the one part she found herself unable to reveal, because she felt so much shame towards that part. And she felt angry at herself for selfishly being ashamed of that above all the other unforgivable actions she's committed.

When she finished her tale, Ignis glanced up to meet their faces. Quasimodo was mortified and looked ready to vomit at the events she's described, and she couldn't blame for that. She's already done enough vomiting herself during the past three days and was still shaking at the things she's done to save the innocent. As for Phoebus, well...he was much more composed than Quasimodo, but judging from his clenched fists and stern expression with a hint of a vein awaiting to burst from his forehead, she could tell that she was angry. And he was probably at her, a fact that she didn't blame him for.

"P-Phoebus!" Quasimodo turned to Phoebus desperately. "Everything she said...is that really true?! Do people...can they..."

"I..." Phoebus was rather uncomfortable at revealing this to Quasimodo. "I don't know I...You hear stories like these, and it's a bad time-I..." Phoebus found himself unable to explain this sort of topic to Quasimodo without utterly crushing his hopes of finding kindness within other people, not that it's already been crushed enough.

"I'm sorry."

Both men turned to Ignis, who got down on her knees and bowed her head lowly to the floor. facing Phoebus. "I...I am so sorry. I killed your men. I have no excuse. I killed them in order to protect as many innocents as I could. Because they were doing horrendous things to them. Because in my eyes, I thought their actions were unforgivable and morally wrong. I...I don't regret what I did, but I also hated what I did as well. I also killed them because I was angry at them. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to make them pay for hurting and killing innocents for fun, like their lives were nothing more than toys to them. If they ever did something like that again, I would have killed them again because I wanted to protect the innocent."

"Ignis..." Phoebus turned to her, his anger slowly dissipating as he looked at the girl in a pitiful position, bowing her head to him, the captain of the soldiers.

"Despite the men that I killed being terrible people, they were still your men. Your soldiers. This city probably has laws for punishing people who harmed or even killed the soldiers. I...I'm willing to be punished for my crimes, but I ask-no, I _beg_ of you, to wait until this whole mess is over. Until Esmeralda is found and taken to safety, until the fires in this city are all put out, until the innocents are safe from any danger from any sort of harm whatsoever. I'm willing to accept any punishment. I'm willing to be beaten up, thrown in jail, executed, any sort of punishment, but I ask that that wait until this whole situation is over-"

"No." Phoebus' tone was firm and held no signs of hesitation. "No. You will not."

Ignis shuddered under her breath and closed her eyes. So, this was it. She was going to be punished right now. Her pleas were going to be ignored by the captain of the guards. She could understand why; he probably wants to avenge his men. He probably thinks that if he waits, then she'll escape and he'll never deliver his vengeance upon her. Normally, her stubborn nature would kick in and she would defend herself to her last breath and escape to rescue more innocents, but she...she was too tired and in no state to be doing any sort of action. If she were to be punished now, then she prayed that the remaining innocents she saved at least managed to get to safety.

"You will not be punished, because you've done no such thing to be punished."

Huh?

"What?" Ignis looked up with a confused look on her face. Phoebus' eyes spoke of his sincerity and with gratitude towards her as he spoke of this to her. "W-What are you talking about? Don't you hate me? I killed your men! And not just because I wanted to save the innocents, but because I wanted to! I wanted to make them pay! I wanted them to die for hurting and killing many people! For killing my friends! I'm a selfish and horrible killer who-"

"But you're not." Phoebus got down on one knee and looked at her. "You're not selfish nor are you horrible or even a killer. From what I've been hearing, my own men were at fault here, not you. I have heard of certain things about them, but never to this extent. What they've done...the horrible crimes they've committed...it's more than enough to put each and every one of their heads under the guillotine." His body trembling with seething anger at the discovery of the corruption within his men, who had sworn an oath to protect the people, not push their own selfish desires onto them. "You don't need to prostrate yourself, because you don't deserve it. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you."

"But-!" Ignis clenched her teeth before crying out, "I killed your men! I've always been taught that killing is always wrong, no matter what the reason! I-"

"And sometimes, killing is absolutely necessary in order to prevent others from hurting others," spoke Phoebus. "You've done this over and over, but you're still too young and inexperienced to understand this fully. Listen to me. None of this is your fault. You did the best you can, but what happened to all those victims, they were not your fault."

"..."

"...But you don't have to worry about that anymore. Just leave the rest to me and Quasimodo."

"W-What do you mean?"

"W-We think we might have a clue as to where Esmeralda might be. She might be inside the Court of Miracles, the home of her people," replied Quasimodo, stepping forward.

"The Court of Miracles...That's where...where Clopin lived," spoke Ignis, saddened by his death and how she was unable to prevent yet another death. "Along with the other gypsies..."

"We're going over there to try and warn the people of Frollo's invasion," informed Phoebus.

"What?" Ignis glanced up, alarmed by the sudden news. "What did you just say?"

"My Master-um...he plans to...he plans to attack Esmeralda's home at dawn, with 1,000 men!" said Quasimodo. "We don't have anymore time to waste, so we need to get going!"

"We'll warn the people and find a way to get them to safety. After that, we'll come back with you. I'm sure they have a doctor amongst them," promised Phoebus.

"I-I'm going too!" said Ignis, struggling to get up.

"No. You need to rest," stated Phoebus firmly. "You're in no condition to move, much less fight. As much as I hate to say it, but right now, if you came, you'd only slow us down." His expression softened. "You've done more than enough. Get some rest. We'll come back."

Phoebus stretched his hand to express his gratitude through a head pat, but Ignis, startled by the sudden gesture, freaked out and summoned her Keyblade, swinging it at his hand and landing a gash on his hand.

"AH! OOH!" Phoebus hissed, clutching his bleeding hand. "What was that f-"

"GET AWAY!" yelled Ignis, shaking as she backed up against the wall. "Don't you DARE touch me!"

"What are you-"

"I didn't give you permission to touch me! It was fine when you treated my wounds, but what were you thinking, trying to touch me so suddenly?!"

"I-!" Phoebus wanted to yell back, but the strange sight of Ignis made him pause and he felt sorrow and pitiful towards her.

Right now, compared to the Ignis he talked to a few days ago, even though this was the same Ignis before him, she felt like a whole different person. This wasn't the same childish, playful, and gallant girl who wandered around with bright, curious eyes full of innocence. No, right before him was a scared, fragile girl, whose trembling could break her body apart any second. She was like prey cornered up on the wall, trying to defend herself with any means necessary, and her eyes were no longer bright, nor curious nor innocent. They were fatigue, and more importantly, full of fear. Traumatized by something that had stolen the light from her eyes.

Whatever happened during the past three days must have messed her up badly.

Due to his experiences in war, he's seen traumatized and frightened soldiers in the battlefield. Soldiers who laid about on the ground, dying and trying to crawl for safety. Soldiers who have survived battles but at the cost of fatal injuries, loss of limbs, or the hellish sights they've seen in the battlefield that would surely bring nightmares every single time they slept.

Right now, Ignis looked like one of those soldiers, and it was heartbreaking because she wasn't a soldier. No, she was just an innocent, young girl that used to be vibrating with joy, someone who didn't have to involve herself in saving others, but did anyways. And now, because she chose to save others, she's likely experienced and seen horrendous things, things that she already revealed to Phoebus. Things that made him pale in horror, and yet redden in anger over so many innocent casualties.

No more.

"...I'm sorry," apologized Phoebus, letting out a sigh. "You're right, I was inconsiderate. Come on, Quasi. Let's go."

"B-But what about your hand?" asked Quasimodo.

"This? I can patch it up real quick on the way. Let's hurry."

"...Why?"

Phoebus stopped after hearing Ignis's soft whisper after he tore a part of his shirt to make as a bandage for his hand. "What?"

"Why would...why would that judge do that? Judge Frollo...Why go all this trouble for Esmeralda? Why go all this trouble for one girl?" questioned Ignis. "It's just...his order...it caused... _so_ many deaths and horror and worst...all for Esmeralda...Just why?"

"..." Phoebus turned back and knelt down in front of Ignis with nothing but honesty in his eyes. "...I don't know. I don't know why something this horrible happened. But I'm going to say this again. This is _not_ your fault, Ignis. Remember that."

"..."

Phoebus was the first to leave the bell tower, and Quasimodo intended on following after him, but first, he wanted to at least say goodbye to Ignis before leaving. He hurried to her and gently pressed the plate of food closer to her.

"Please, eat. T-There's a bed near here, so you can use it until we get back. Please, get some rest, Ignis."

Having said that, Quasimodo hurried after Phoebus so they could locate the Court of Miracles together, leaving Ignis all by herself in the darkened room.

* * *

Being alone was like...well, lonely.

Sure, one would feel a little sad if they were lonely all by themselves, but not in the extent Ignis was feeling. To her, it was like a deep pit inside of her, gnarling at her and filling her with the dreaded emotion called depression. It certainly didn't help that she was all alone inside the bell tower, sitting on the wooden floor while hugging her knees close to her chest and just staring at nothingness with a blank expression.

She was alone, cold, and _scared._

What was she supposed to do now? She was tired and was constantly nudging her head back and forth as her eyes grew droopy, and while she wanted to drift off to sleep, something nagging inside of her told her she didn't even deserve the luxury of sleep.

And it was right.

Why should she even sleep when all she's done so far was screw everything up? Oh sure, she managed to save several innocent lives during the past few days, but it was her own damn fault to failing them because those lives ended up dying, only postponing their deaths momentarily before they were wiped out by the very same soldiers that were supposed to protect the people. The same soldiers that continued to live at first thanks to Ignis continuously sparing them.

Ignis wasn't even sure how many innocents were still alive in this city. She supposed Phoebus and Quasimodo counted because Phoebus didn't try to arrest nor kill her. Instead, he just patched up her wounds with Quasimodo's assistance and ensured her that everything that happened wasn't his fault. But she knew, or rather thought, that he was just saying that. Maybe he was just taking pity on her because of her pitiful state. He says it wasn't her fault, but her own damn decisions allowed the soldiers to kill the very innocents she decided to protect with every being inside her. Worst, they even killed her friends and even a little baby, just for fun!

The soldiers were monsters, but she thought of herself as a monster too, because she had given into her rage. Her emotions had taken over and out of a fit of rage and desire to avenge the fallen, she mercilessly killed the soldiers, one-by-one. Magic, Keyblade, it didn't matter what killing method she used, but she still killed. Why she's being bothered by this isn't just because of the ideal that she isn't meant to kill unless absolutely necessary, but also because she was blinded by her overwhelming emotions to kill them. She was taught that vengeance never led to anything good and not to fall victim to it, but she disobeyed that the moment she started killing the soldiers.

She couldn't stop killing until after Clopin's death. Even though she had fought and killed soldiers to prevent them from harming anymore innocents, that didn't stop yet another one of her friends from dying. She realized too late that it no longer matter whether she spared or killed the soldiers, because her friends ended up dying, all because she wasn't fast enough. She should have been faster, more stronger, and have taken less rest times during the past few days, but despite giving it her all and then overcoming some of her limits, it wasn't enough.

It was never going to be enough.

She felt sick at herself. She felt disgusted. Dirty. Horrified. Angry. So many things that she felt that she now hated herself. She hated herself so much, and she wouldn't even blame any of her friends, or even her Master for hating her should they learn of the events that transpired here.

She's disobeyed the Master so many times. She broke so many of his rules and even learned forbidden magic, especially when it came to the element of darkness. Ignis knew how much Eraqus despised the darkness, and yet, she chose to continue learning it because she wanted to learn more about the balance between darkness and light. She saw nothing bad from learning more about light and darkness, especially since she's somewhat seen a bad side of the light when all Master Eraqus seems to talk about is how the light is always good and that no evil could come from it.

Oh, why couldn't she just have gone home? It's simple: She wanted to explore more. Anything about the darkness, Master Eraqus would have never taught her because he "doesn't" have darkness within, but that's completely false. No matter how good or pure you are, everyone always has even a bit of darkness within, and she is no exception.

After Quasimodo and Phoebus returns, she'll do the best she can to help out the other innocent folks, including the gypsies and help solve this world's issue. After that, she'll...she'll try and find a way back home. She won't beg for forgiveness, because she doesn't deserve it, but she will accept any punishment Master Eraqus will give to her. Whether it's banishment from the Land of Departure, or something as worse as...

Death.

Even though she knew she deserved such a fate, just thinking about it...frightened her. Ignis got up and re-equipped her armor back on her clothes before sitting back in the same position she was previously in. Even though it felt uncomfortable sitting down, all curled up, while wearing armor, she felt much more safer that way.

Yes...much...safer...that way...

* * *

Bells.

The light rumbling of the heavy bells rang all across the city in an ominous manner, as though death was tolling its bells and awaiting judgement to arrive. A dark and heavy atmosphere filled the entire city along with smoke coming from the fires of purgatory, and the entire cathedral shook with pillars of stone crumbling from the wrath of a particular man with a hunchback.

Quasimodo.

Hearing the heavy tolls of the bells, Ignis blinked her eyes open and gasped, startling herself awake. It didn't take her long to remember where she was, what happened to her, and that she had fallen asleep sometime while resting and waiting for Phoebus and Quasimodo to return.

"Idiot!" Ignis berated to herself, smacking herself on the head. "Idiot, idiot, IDIOT! What were you thinking, suddenly falling asleep like that?!" She hurried outside of the bell tower, glancing down from above the city in its current state. Most of the city was no longer burning, but, to her horror, she saw Esmeralda tied to a pyre on a platform and was being burned to death as the rest of Notre Dame watched, either supporting or protesting against this act.

Ignis couldn't stop the horrified shriek that escaped her mouth as she watched the horrible scene before her. She grasped her palms onto the railing, intending to jump off and use her acrobatics to land safely to aid Esmeralda when suddenly, Quasimodo came swinging down with a rope, freeing the fainted Esmeralda and pulling her away from the flames.

Seeing Quasimodo being surrounded by guards, Ignis knew that he needed help if he wanted both him and Esmeralda to escape safely. Without waiting to see what would happen next, Ignis hurried to find a way down without the use of stairs, as taking that route would be much longer. She used her training, her acrobatics to slid down the rooftops, climb down the pillars, and eventually land on the side of the cathedral. It felt like time had stopped for Ignis as she had rushed to her friends' aid, but it turns out, it wasn't even necessary.

Upon reaching the top of the cathedral and standing in front of the cathedral's beautifully colored glass-stained window, Quasimodo lifted Esmeralda's unconscious body high above his head and bellowed out a word that sent chills down everyone's spines, and yet encouraged them all the same.

"SANCTUARY!" Quasimodo bellowed, victorious as the crowd cheered along with him. "SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY!"

Ignis felt a smile forming on her face; the first true sign of hope whelming up inside her when she saw that Quasimodo had successfully rescued Esmeralda. Something had finally turn up good in this hellish world, so maybe, just maybe, they can turn the tides in this entire situation.

She glanced around and saw soldiers loyal to Frollo were attempting to get into the cathedral, possibly under his orders in order to capture both Esmeralda and Quasimodo, of course. Luckily, the cathedral doors were closed shut tightly, forcing the men to try and break down the door or climb up to the higher levels using ladders they were now gathering.

The fire that was around the pyre had spread to the rest of the platform, causing a huge fire and a large amount of smoke, making it a bit difficult to breath. That didn't stop Ignis from making her way through once she spotted cages trapping the gypsies inside, and she had every intention of saving them.

"Citizens of Paris!" Ignis stopped and heard Phoebus' voice, so she turned and saw Phoebus gathering up a crowd, standing on top of cage to be heard loud and wide all over. "Frollo has persecuted our people! Ransacked our city! Now, he has declared war on Notre Dame herself! Will we allow it?!"

"NO!"

Now, it seemed that all of Paris had become as one as they angrily cried out the declaration all at once after hearing Phoebus' speech. They took up whatever weapons they could find; sticks, torches, pitchforks, stones, anything that could be used as a weapon, and began to assault the soldiers. It wasn't just for Notre Dame and their city that they were fighting for; they were also fighting for their loved ones, who were innocent and, despite that, killed by the corrupted soldiers under Frollo's rule.

What should have been a neutralizing solution turned out to be a bloodbath between the soldiers and the citizens of Notre Dame.

Ignis understood that the citizens were angry. They wanted vengeance for their lost ones, for the innocents that were slaughtered like cattle simply because of the soldiers' corruption and selfishness. Even so, it still horrified Ignis to see so much slaughter and bloodshed in this...well, even though battle was the technical term, it didn't seem that way for her.

A warzone was a much better fitted term to describe the scenery before her.

People being thrusted through the stomachs by spears. Women using stones to drive the sharp ends and using blunt force to smash down on soldiers that were already pinned down. Men engaged in close combat with any sort of weapon, with one man successfully driving his pitchfork through the other soldier's chest, and another soldier slashing another man in half. People who chose not to fight neither the soldiers nor the citizens tried to get away; some managing to escape, and many being cut down by soldiers. Screams and blood ripped through the warzone as Ignis just stood there, mortified by just how cruel humanity could be.

"Ignis? IGNIS!"

"H-Huh?" Ignis saw Phoebus running up to her, holding a sword in his hands before he arrived at her side. "W-What?"

"What are you doing here?! You shouldn't be here! You should be back inside, resting!" scolded Phoebus harshly.

"I..." Ignis' expression hardened into a determined look as she faced Phoebus. "I can't! Not when there's so much danger right now! Now when I woke up to see Esmeralda nearly getting executed! Not when this whole area is burning, and everyone is apparently out for blood!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Hearing the sound of a woman screaming, Phoebus and Ignis turned their heads to see a woman attempting to crawl away from a soldier before he swung his halberd down, digging deep in her chest and ending her life in an instance. Horrified before getting angry, Ignis summoned Phoenix Fairy and instinctively shot a beam of light at the soldier, penetrating him through the chest and killing him.

Although he's seen terror in the face of war, being a war veteran himself, Phoebus could never comprehend the death of innocents, so he was left shocked when he saw a soldier killing the innocent woman right there in cold blood. He was then startled when he saw some sort of light shoot through the soldier and looked at the source of where that light came from: Ignis.

When he looked at her, he saw indignation; anger directed towards the soldier for killing another innocent. But, he also saw... _kindness._

Ignis was still angry, that's for certain. However, he saw hesitation, sorrow, and yet a strong willingness to continue the choice of killing instead of the choice of sparing the soldiers. Someone who hated killing, yet did so to protect innocents; a duty she didn't have to uphold yet did so anyways. One that definitely didn't enjoy any of the violence or killing. Someone who grieved for the death of an innocent she didn't even know. One who had such traits could only be seen as kind.

Ignis lowered her Keyblade and stared at her free hand. _'That rest earlier did at least something good. It restored my stamina and my magic power back, but for now, I'll have to utilize my power in order to...'_ She paused, forming her hand into a clenched fist as she realized what she was meant to do next. _'...To kill.'_

"Ignis." Phoebus placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do this. While your help would be appreciated, I don't want you to be even further disturbed by all this. This is only going to get a whole lot worst, and it'll involve a lot of killing. No one will blame you if you run."

Ignis closed her eyes and took a deep breath; opening her eyes to show a determined and yet scared look. "I...I'm scared...I don't want to kill..." She gritted her teeth and swallowed. "But I'll help out. Phoebus, will you help me?"

Phoebus squeezed her shoulder tightly, granting her a smile. "Ignis...I should asking that of you."

Ignis nodded, relieved that she wasn't alone in this fight. "Thanks...But wait, what about Quasi? He's still up in the cathedral with Esmeralda. I know those gates are shut tight, but eventually, those soldiers will find a way in. What do we do?"

Phoebus glanced up. "I don't think you have to worry about that. Our mutual hunchback friend is already handling things up from there."

From above, Quasimodo was busy with his role, playing the guardian of the cathedral of Notre Dame, all to save Esmeralda and drive off the soldiers. Beams of wood, countless stones, barrels, and all sorts of things Quasimodo was tossing down, aiming for the soldiers that continued being Frollo's loyal subjects and were still trying to barge in.

"Alright, we should get moving, too," advised Phoebus. "I'll take down as many soldiers as I can and act as a distraction, so you go and escort as many people away from the area as soon-"

"No." Ignis shook her head. "I...I'll do it. I'll get rid of any enemies that get in our way. You go deal with the people and take them away to safety."

Phoebus' eyes widened. "What? But, that'll mean you'll have-No, I won't allow it."

"Phoebus, we really don't have time for this!" Ignis said. "Even now, people are dying and killing each other and nobody's doing anything to stop that! You know that I have powers beyond what anyone else can do, and besides, you gave that speech earlier. The people looked up to you, so it's likely they'll trust you more than me..."

As much as Phoebus hated to admit it, she was right. This isn't the time for debate and she pointed out good points that made her decision a more valid choice. They both despised killing, but knew it was necessary right now.

"Alright. As soon as I get as many people out of here, I'll come back! So don't you die!"

After watching Phoebus leave, Ignis looked ahead with an uneased and hesitant expression, but steeled herself within as she gripped her Keyblade tightly before charging forth towards the sight of the first group of soldiers she saw. The moment she attacked, blood sprayed all over her, and she knew this was not the time for hesitation. If killing the soldiers meant saving more lives, then...so be it.

 **When It Falls**

 **Composed by: Jeff Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _Maybe red's like roses?_

 _Maybe it's the pool of blood_

 _The innocents will lay in_

 _When in the end you've failed to save them?_

Slash. Stab. Duck. Slash. Counter. Fire.

Ignis focused solely on the battle against so many soldiers before her, relying on her battle experiences, instincts, and fighting skills. It was...terrifying of how easily her Keyblade and magic cleaved through the soldiers' armors and their own flesh with each blow she delivered. And yet, it was thanks to her skills that's helped her survive this long and to stand a good chance against the soldiers.

Pools of blood draining out from the fallen corpses were multiplying all over the place, but they didn't just belong to the dead soldiers. Innocent blood was spilled as well; blood that belonged to civilians that either died in the conflict or trying to escape. Whenever Ignis came across a body that didn't belong to a soldier, she knew it was yet another life she was too late to save.

During her battle with the soldiers, there were lives she protected and lives she ended up failing to save, and no matter how much she berated and blamed herself for failing to save the ones that were lost, she still didn't quite get the conception that it was the soldiers that were at fault; not hers.

The overflowing pools of blood...their red color matching the color of flames in the background that lit the night...they were as red as roses...

Ignis loved the color red for various reasons, like they were the same color as her favorite flower, the roses, her hair was red, her primary fire attribute was red...but right now, looking at the splatters of blood all around...

She couldn't help but feel nauseous and disgusted at the sight of red.

 _Their dying eyes_

 _Are wide and white like snow!_

 _And now they know_

 _The cost of trusting you's obliteration!_

Seeing the deaths of more innocents motivated Ignis to move faster. Swing harder. Kill the enemy more effectively. But no matter what, the innocent civilians kept dying, dropping like flies with every second passed. Still, Ignis persisted, pushing herself further, trying to reach out to protect the innocents and help them escape.

She saw a small group of what appears to be farmers and their children being cornered by more soldiers and rushed towards them as fast as she could. She was about to cast a shield spell over them when she was assaulted by another group of soldiers. Wasting no time, she slashed through them using various sword techniques and glanced back at the group to see them being mercilessly cut down; their screams being the last thing heard before they collapsed to the ground.

With no hesitation, Ignis fired at the soldiers that struck down the group of farmers with wind magic, slicing them apart before hurrying to the farmers and their children, hoping there was still a chance, even a small one, that they could be saved.

There wasn't.

When she saw them, their bodies were faced up, blood flowing out of the injuries that dealt their demise, and worst of all, their eyes were wide open, white as snow. They had seen their own demise right before their very eyes and were killed instantly by soldiers that were supposed to protect them. Their wide, white eyes were blank and empty, but they must have held some sort of light before their deaths; a look of betrayal and fear spread all over their pale faces.

Covering her mouth, Ignis looked away with horror and shame, unable to stare at the corpses she failed to save yet again. She should have gotten here faster. She should have been stronger! If she had, she would have saved the group of innocents, but in the end, nobody came to their aid. They were killed...by people they trusted with their lives. And as a result, they'll never come back.

 _Mirrors will shatter!_

 _Crushed by the weight of the world!_

 _The pillars collapse in shame!_

The battle waged on in the background, forcing Ignis to clear her mind of any doubts and hesitations as she engaged the soldiers head-first, trying to stop them and buy time for Phoebus to lead the people away. More people were being slaughtered on both sides of this conflict; blood spilling and splattering all over the place, bodies falling, tensions rising...it was a _warzone._

Ignis was handling the situation with a heavy heart, as evident of her cutting away the enemies' lives with a discomforted expression. Seeing death in real-life, a war-like conflict, bodies and blood piling up, the spread of fire all over the area...was a dark experience for her.

It made her definitely disgusted and horrified by just how cruel people could be. It opened her eyes and made her realized just how...naïve and childish she was. All the other worlds she's been in...yes, they've had tough and bad times, but never, in a million years, did she ever imagine a world with so much conflict and issues could result in this. Result in her making horrible choices, whether willingly or not. It put Ignis in a new light for her, and it was one she could never get comfortable with.

 _There'll be no rest!_

 _There'll be no love!_

 _There'll be no hero in the end_

 _Who will rise above!_

 _And when it ends,_

 _The good will crawl!_

 _The shining light will sink in darkness!_

 _Victory for hate incarnate!_

 _Misery and pain for all_

 _When it falls!_

Ignis continued running around the city square, slashing and hacking at every enemy she bypassed, gritting her teeth and trying not to think of just how many people she's killed so far. Blood splattered and soaked her armor and clothing; parts of the enemies' blood even flying at some parts of her face as she continued killing.

A battlefield doesn't have _mercy_. It doesn't even have the luxury of _love._ When one enters a battle, their opponent will never give them the opportunity to rest or any form of mercy. A battlefield is no place for any hesitation nor childish and naïve thoughts.

Ignis knew that as a Keyblade wielder, she must take her duties seriously. Protect the innocent and defeat the evil. No matter how simple that may be, it'll never be simple for her. She now knew that being a Keyblade wielder meant bearing a lot of responsibility in one's shoulders, but she's come to realize a lot of things even while she's doing her duty.

She _hated_ this.

She hated killing. She hated hurting people. She hated the sight of blood. She hated having to cut people up with a power meant to protect, even if it was an action indirectly protecting the innocents. She thought upholding her duties would make her feel like a hero, but she doesn't feel like one.

And she hated how she selfishly thought of herself as a hero when there are more important things at stake.

 _Swallowed by the darkness!_

 _Soon the moon is bathed in black!_

 _The light of hope is taken_

 _And discontent is the contagion!_

With more soldiers, Ignis knew that she couldn't defeat them with strength alone, so she utilized her darkness magic, swirling the power of darkness all over the area and using it for offensive purposes. With how vengeful Ignis felt towards the soldiers, the strength of her darkness magic increased as her darkness magic engulfed groups of soldiers in her path.

The soldiers saw nothing but darkness right before their incoming deaths. A wave of darkness engulfed their surroundings and perspective, so when some looked up at the night skies, when the moon was still up and gleaming down with its light, that light along with the moon blackened completely in their sights before unimaginable but swift pain coursed through their bodies, killing them instantly.

Any hopes of the soldiers winning died out from the sickening power known as darkness.

 _The blinding eyes_

 _That burn a yellow flame!_

 _The embers that remain_

 _Will light the fuse of condemnation!_

The battle waged on, and it's unknown how much time has passed ever since the onslaught between the two sides begun. At first, soldiers were being struck by shadows and spikes of darkness everywhere, but now, many of them were being pierced by beams of light coming from a single red-haired knight.

Seeing the corpses of innocent people along with others trying to escape or fight back only to be cut down mercilessly by the soldiers only further fueled Ignis' rage as she now unleashed fury attacks with her Keyblade and light magic. With increasing numbers up against her, Ignis had to continuously use not only light magic but fire magic, ripping through and incinerating any foes that dared to attack her or any other innocents.

All that was left in her wake was a trailing, burnt path with flames that surely condemned the wicked to hell, witnessed by eyes burning with vengeance.

 _Kingdoms in tatters!_

 _Hung on the brink of a war!_

 _The peace will succumb to flames!_

Just like the city of Paris, the grounds of the Notre Dame cathedral were burning; fires burning all over the sacred place. What started the massacre of a large number of Paris' population came from the Minister of Justice's own command. Because of his drive to find one single gypsy woman, the city within Notre Dame found itself facing a huge conflict, almost as thought the city itself was facing a war.

Murders, arson, thievery, and so many other crimes being committed in the span of a few days, and the city was close to the point of collapse. So much corruption within the population, and so many innocents caught up and victimized. Whatever peaceful lives that the people lead, they were swept away by the flames that ignited a war-like conflict within the city.

Waterfalls of molten lead only fueled the fires of conflict in the battlefield from high above the cathedral, courtesy of Quasimodo, in an attempt to cease any further disturbance to the cathedral as well as ensure nobody gets in. Many soldiers close near the entrances scrambled away to avoid the molten lead, but many others were unfortunate and their bodies were not only covered in heated, boiling lava-like lead, but the combined pressure and high temperatures were enough to kill them painfully; their bloodcurdling screams echoing in the night.

All while Judge Frollo successfully managed to sneak inside amongst the chaos.

 _This is not a tragedy!_

 _It's not an accident!_

 _You placed your faith in fools_

 _And now you'll smother in lament!_

 _They play the part of allies_

 _Claiming peace their only goal!_

 _But once the fight for power starts,_

 _They'll eat each other whole!  
_

 _Their iron gloves point fingers!_

 _They'll wage a war of blame!_

 _And mankind will wilt in pain..._

The citizens of Notre Dame depended on the soldiers at first, because they were meant to be the protectors of the city. They were meant to protect _them,_ the people.

But now, the past few days, the eyes of the citizens have opened to how utterly **corrupted** the soldiers are. No, not just them, but Judge Frollo as well, for issuing the one order that ruined many lives.

Yes, the soldiers' orders were to find one single gypsy woman, Esmeralda. It wasn't very unusual; search orders within the city were actually fairly common, especially when it came to tracking down gypsies, but this one mission was much more...forceful and extreme.

The soldiers interrogated. They set fire in homes and buildings all over the city. They killed anyone that got in their way, even if it came from a child who made the mistake of tripping in front of their feet. What the soldiers viewed justice, the citizens saw monstrosity. What the soldiers thought was a noble duty, the citizens thought they were committing genocide, both with the gypsies and the common folk of Notre Dame.

None of the citizens saw justice. None of them saw righteousness in the soldiers' actions. The soldiers may claim that it was their duty to punish evildoers and that they were under orders, but they still committed terrible crimes worthy of execution. What "justice" allowed the slaughter of innocents, children, arson, pillaging, and a whole lot worse?

The "soldiers" weren't soldiers at all. They were just demons garbed in shining armor, slaves to the one man known as Judge Claude Frollo.

 _There'll be no rest!_

 _There'll be no love!_

 _There'll be no hero in the end_

 _Who will rise above!_

 _And when it ends,_

 _The good will crawl!_

 _The shining light will sink in darkness!_

 _Victory for hate incarnate!_

 _Misery and pain for all_

 _When it falls!_

After taking down another soldier, Ignis planted Phoenix Fairy onto the ground, panting for breath as sweat and the blood of her enemies dripped down on the cracked ground. Licking her lips and gasping for air, Ignis closed her eyes for a moment to rest if even for one moment.

Kill after kill after kill...How much more must she continue to kill? How much more slaughter is absolutely necessary in order to cease all of this unnecessary violence that has claimed so many lives? Both innocent and evil? How much more must she continue feeling flesh sliced and bones cracked through the power of her strength while using a weapon meant to protect others, not slaughter them? How much more must she commit heinous crimes for good intentions?

"Ignis!"

Turning around, Ignis saw Phoebus running towards her, exhausted and bloodied up just like her, but much more severely injured. Gashes and cuts laid about around his chest, arms, and parts of his face, which most likely came from fighting many soldiers just like her. When he saw Ignis' condition, his expression softened, though it was full of guilt as well.

"Are you okay-"

Suddenly, something large crashed onto the ground, creating dust clouds that quickly disappeared within mere seconds. Glowing eyes illuminated in the dark brightly before dimming down, allowing Ignis and Phoebus to catch sight of the bright glow that had them mesmerized. Ignis blinked and shook her head; the mesmerizing sensation fading away before her eyes took on the full appearance of a new enemy she could only identify as an Unversed.

"That's..."

Standing in front of them was a demonic, cow-like Unversed with bovine traits, such as bestial legs leading to cloven feet. The Unversed's head was that of a cow and had thick, twisted horns stretching backwards. Unlike most Unversed, the demonic cow-like Unversed could be identified as female, as shown with her feminine assets such as a feminine face, sharp curves, and a large chest. Her entire body is a deep, dark blue, covered with sturdy, heavy chainmail, and her eyes glinted a glowing, blue-white hue color. A darker shade of blue, almost identical to black, coated her long, flowing hair that reached down to the back of her knees and a on top of her head was an armored helmet resembling a silver tiara with a red ruby gem. Her weapon of choice appeared to be a whip with a sharp bladed-end, which is unusual considering her more muscular body type compared to a weapon more towards agile and light-bodied users.

"Esmeralda...?"

"Huh?" Ignis turned to Phoebus, confused. "What did you just say?"

Phoebus' stunned expression broke into a grin as he rushed towards the cow-like Unversed, much to Ignis' shock. "Esmeralda! You're safe!"

"What the fu-?" Ignis wanted to question Phoebus and see if he was right in the head, but her eyes caught sight of the cow-like Unversed lifting her whip, intending on using it on Phoebus as she raised the blade-like end at the end of her whip. "LOOK OUT!"

Everything in the next moment happened in an instant. Ignis boosted her spell using a quick Haste spell to grab Phoebus and summon her Keyblade at the same time. The Unversed's whip lashed down at the spot where Phoebus previously was, only for her to miss her target and thus create a crater in his place. As for Phoebus, Ignis had grabbed the back of his shirt and flung him back to dodge the whip attack while her left arm tightly gripped her Keyblade, intending to use it for defensive purposes for the time being.

The Unversed lashed her whip arm to the left, forcing Ignis to block the next whip strike from her left. She gritted her teeth and held her ground as the whip struck her Keyblade, nearly falling over to her right. She knew that the instant she fell over, the Unversed wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of her vulnerable, fallen state, thus why she held her ground.

Sensing the cow-like Unversed was now about to unleash a volley of whip slashes, Ignis cried out, "Barriera!" A dome-like barrier surrounded her and Phoebus within just in the nick of time. as Ignis' prediction came to fruition. Multiple sashes in one pounce came crashing down on Ignis' barrier magic and normally, Ignis would offer much more resilience, but because of her fatigue and injured condition, especially with little rest during the past few days, her resilience was quickly breaking down. As further evidence, cracks began to form around her barrier, forcing her down on one knee as she struggled to keep her barrier magic intact.

"Ignis...? What are you doing?" questioned Phoebus, recovering as he stood up and wiped the dust off his clothes. "Why are we trapped in this strange thing? There's Esmeralda right there-"

"That's not Esmeralda!" shouted Ignis, sweating and trying to recover her breath by gulping in breaths while concentrating on keeping the barrier intact.

"What are you saying? Of course that's her! We have to find a way out of here and take her to sa-"

"And I'm telling you, that's not her! That monster doesn't even remotely look like her!" Stress and frustration was starting to build up within Ignis, and her panic intensified when she heard and saw more cracks forming on her barrier. She's been putting more of her magic power into her barrier just to keep it up, but she's nearly at her limit. If she continues, she'll run out of magic power, and Barriera will shatter before her eyes!

Suddenly, the cow-like Unversed trudged forward, though her movements were heavy and slow with each step she took creating large hoofprints in their wake. She bent down and suddenly leapt in the air before landing on top of the barrier. Her weight along with the huge impact of her fall was what finally shattered both Ignis' concentration and her Barrier magic. Ignis stumbled back and then was thrown backwards along with Phoebus when the cow-like Unversed crashed back into the ground after the barrier shattered, creating distance between them and the Unversed.

"Ignis!" Phoebus grabbed ahold of Ignis' shoulders from behind, keeping her steady and letting her lean back against him. "What's happening?! How...Why did Esmeralda just-"

Twisting around, Ignis grasped Phoebus' collar and yanked him towards her. "Listen to me!" She pointed at the cow-like Unversed, who was slowly getting up from her crash. "That _thing_ is not Esmeralda! I don't know where you got that ridiculous notion from, but that's not her! How are you seeing that monster as Esmeralda?!"

"But it is her! Plain as day!" argued back Phoebus. "I can see her right there! My eyes aren't playing tricks on me!"

 _'What is he even talking abou-Wait a minute. Every unusual Unversed I've fought so far has had some sort of unique ability. They always have some sort of special power! If that's the case, then maybe the Unversed did something to Phoebus that I didn't realize! A status condition? If so, I'll take care of that!'_ Ignis thought, loosening her grip on his shirt collar before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Esuna!"

For a moment, Phoebus' eyes glistened and cleared, causing his eyes to widen in horror at the true sight of "Esmeralda." That is, until he blinked and Esmeralda reappeared in the place of the cow-like Unversed. "W-What? What was that? Just now, I saw...a monster! But, that's Esmeralda right there, isn't it?"

 _'Did it work?'_ thought Ignis, frowning. _'No, I'm certain it worked, but only for an instance. Whatever that Unversed did to Phoebus, she's making him see that she's Esmeralda for some reason! I hate to spend more magic power, but maybe a stronger Esuna spell will knock him out of whatever hallucination he's in!'_

"Esunaga!"

Instantly, Phoebus' eyes became clear as day and no longer under the cow-like Unversed's spell. Time felt like it was slowing down as Phoebus realized that the monster before them was not Esmeralda, but the monster he briefly saw earlier.

"T-The monster! But how?!"

Ignis pushed Phoebus out of the way and leapt back to avoid the cow-like Unversed's whip attack, although because of her reaction time diminishing due to saving Phoebus, she couldn't completely avoid the attack and her left shoulder was slapped down by the attack. If it weren't for her Keyblade Armor pauldron, then her shoulder would have been dislocated from the attack, though she still felt immense pain from the attack.

"Gh-! That's an Unversed!" cried out Ignis, clutching her shoulder. "Unversed has all sorts of different powers! That Unversed must have some sort of power to make you somehow see it as Esmeralda!"

Angered at the sight of Ignis injured and the fact that the monster tried to trick him by impersonating Esmeralda, Phoebus' grip on his sword tightened. "I see...Then, stay back! I'll take care of this!"

"No, wait-!"

Yelling out a battle cry, Phoebus charged ahead, knowing that despite being no match against the Unversed, he still wanted to put up a bit of a fight and allow Ignis some time to rest, considering her condition. What he didn't account for was the cow-like Unversed disarming the sword out of his hand and cracking it severely with her whip. He cried out in pain, as the hand the whip had lashed out was also the hand he bandaged up after Ignis struck at him earlier, though he knew that was no fault of hers. Though, now because of that whip attack, his hand was broken and the gash injury from Ignis started opening up, causing the bandage wrapped around his now-broken hand to darken with blood.

"PHOEBUS!" yelled Ignis, lunging forward with Phoenix Fairy in hand. _'That hand injury! It was caused by me! It's my fault! I know his hand was just broken because I heard a loud crack sound, like bones were being broken! And I know that it was the Unversed who broke his hand, but I still injured and hindered his ability to fight! God, I'm so selfish and stupid! No, now's the time to attack! Protect him! PROTECT ONE MORE PERSON NOW!'_

Clenching his hand, Phoebus glanced up and saw the cow-like Unversed preparing for another whip strike, tilting her body slightly so she could aim for Ignis while appearing like she was about to strike Phoebus. Seeing that Ignis was approaching to assist him, fear struck his chest. "Ignis! Look out!"

But the warning came too late as the whirling whip smashed into Ignis' left arm, making her immediately drop Phoenix Fairy before it faded off after falling to the ground. This was followed up with an explosion of pain with her crashing headfirst into the ground.

Drip. Drip.

Blood trickled down from her forehead from where Ignis crashed her head into, but that wasn't the only wound she suffered from. Her left arm dangled as she struggled to stand up with only one arm intact. Not only was her left arm's bones utterly shattered from the whip attack, but it was bleeding out from the wound. Her nerves, muscles, and blood danced around like mad, screaming internally. Finally getting back on her own two feet, Ignis frantically held her convulsing left arm with her right, nearly losing consciousness.

When Ignis comes to, her body is still screaming in pain and she's still standing, holding her arm. She looks around and sees Phoebus fighting against the cow-like Unversed, tired and injured, but nowhere near the critical state she was in. He's losing a losing battle, and yet, he still stands his ground even after being thrashed and hurled about. Even if his attacks are constantly missing or dealing no damage to the stronger Unversed. Even if there's no sliver of hope he'll survive this fight, much less injure her.

He's standing strong and tall, just like a true soldier. No, a true _knight._

And what was Ignis doing? She was standing tall and strong. But she wasn't in the front lines. No, she was in the back, clinging onto her wounds. Phoebus must have taken over because he wanted to protect Ignis even though he has no chance of winning. It was a foolish, yet courageous choice. And now, Ignis felt that she must do the same-!

Getting in front of Phoebus and raising an uninjured, free arm towards the cow-like Unversed, Ignis defiantly faced against her as she raised her whip to lash out at the Keyblade wielder. All of her emotions, both good and bad, conjured with a lot of her magic power, surged up within Ignis and flowed out of her hands to unleash a devastating, high-tier spell.

"HELL FIRAGA!"

At close range, Ignis released an high-tier fire spell consisting of an explosive bombardment of black flames ignited all at once that successfully landed a direct hit onto the cow-like Unversed, but also sent Ignis flying back with burns on her arms. The spell also caused a large smokescreen, especially since it hit the target at close range, so it was unknown what the cow-like Unversed's current status was.

Landing back on her feet but tripping and falling on her bottom, Ignis winched and clenched her teeth, trying to fight against the pain from the burns on her arm. She hurriedly casted a healing spell on her arms with the remainder of her magic power, rapidly making the burns vanish and the healing process to smoothly course through her body. Plus, the healing spell did smooth over her broken arm, though not nearly enough to fix the bones. Because Hell Firaga was a recently new spell she learned and a much stronger spell than Dark Firaga, it was still difficult to completely control the powerful spell not only because she hasn't used it much, but it also required the combination of both darkness and fire magic, which involved deep concentration in order to fully control it and not receive a backlash as a result. The previous burns on her arms was proof that she hasn't fully mastered the spell yet.

Just as the smokescreen was about to be cleared, the cow-like Unversed leapt out from amidst the smokes to reach a very high point in the skies, reaching out and then landing on top of the bell tower. While they were uncertain as to why the Unversed escaped, both Phoebus and Ignis relaxed, knowing they could take a bit of a breather until they realized something crucially important.

"QUASI!" Ignis spoke out first. The bell tower was Quasimodo's home, and considering that he rescued Esmeralda, he must have taken her there for safety! It was extremely bad since the Unversed landed on the bell tower and could possibly harm both Quasimodo and Esmeralda if they didn't hurry! "Phoebus! We have to hurry! Quasi and-!"

"I know! I know!" Phoebus glanced around and tried to find a way across the river of molten lead surrounding the cathedral. "Damnit! There has to be a clearer path!"

Ignis caught up to him and marched ahead, also trying to find a pathway until she spotted a narrow pathway on the molten lead river consisting of debris and large rocks. "I found something! We can use that to-!"

Pat. Something fell on top of her head. Ignis reached her hand out to touch the warm, red liquid. Blood? More red liquid dripped from the skies until three things crashed into the ground.

A head. A headless body. And...a body with a hunchback.

Ignis didn't know how long she was standing there with a stunned expression. All she knew was that she was forcibly dragged by the arm by Phoebus, yelling something at her as they crossed the narrow pathway towards the inside of the cathedral. She couldn't hear what he said clearly, probably because her mind was still processing the fact that three human things fell from the sky right in front of her, but she was starting to hear him a bit better the more she focused.

"-way! Look away, Ignis! Don't turn back! Just look straight ahead! Or at me!"

Wait...now that she was starting to recall what happened, Ignis realized something. She couldn't see the face, only the back of the head, but the head still had glamorous, raven-black hair. The headless body bore a dress and a feminine figure. And there's only one person in Notre Dame with a hunchback.

Horror and despair flooded her face at the revelation of her discovery. She looked at Phoebus just as they managed to enter the cathedral and she pulled her hand away. "W-Wait! Phoebus! Back there, that couldn't be-! Was that really-?!"

"Yes." The quiet answer stunned Ignis into silence as Phoebus glanced at her with a sorrowful look. "That...was undoubtedly Esmeralda and Quasimodo."

"Then...those bodies...the ones that fell from the sky...I didn't just imagine that, did I?"

"..." Phoebus couldn't help but look away with a pained face. "No, those bodies were definitely Esmeralda and Quasimodo. They're...they're dead. Nobody can survive a...a fall from that, and nobody can survive being beheaded..."

Crack. It was only appropriate that her mind cracked like glass from the reality that two more of her friends were now _dead_.

She wanted to scream. Deny that that was now the reality they were living in. She wanted to wail and throw an angry tantrum. She wanted to cry. She wanted to uncoil so many uncontrollable emotions inside of her that it hurt and burned her on the inside as her throat became scratchy and it became even harder to breathe.

Instead, she just collapsed to the ground, staring up with a blank look filled with agony and disbelief.

"But...but we just saw them...We saw them not too long ago..." spoke Ignis. "Quasi...He...He saved her. He saved Esmeralda. I saw it. You saw it too, didn't you? Everyone saw it. They were still _alive."_

"...I know." Phoebus whispered.

"And now...you're telling me that...they're _dead_? They suddenly fell from the sky and crashed to the ground and _died_?"

"...Yes."

"But...they didn't deserve it. Just like all the other people I've failed to save, they didn't deserve to die..."

"Yes, you're right."

Phoebus' soft yet cruelly honest answers was what finally caused Ignis to shed tears. She tried to hold herself together. She tried everything within herself to keep her emotions in check, but it was already too overwhelming. She at least bit down on her lip and tried not to wail loudly as she muffled her sobs, shedding tears for her friends. For failing to save them. For everything that's happened so far.

Ignis didn't know what happened next, but she could hear voices in the background, like two men talking to each other. Because she was too wallowed up in her own grief, she barely noticed anything in her surroundings, including the footsteps walking towards her. She heard a shuffled sound and something overshadowing her before she felt a warm palm touch her cheek wet with tears. Upon feeling that warmth, she looked up.

It was the Archdeacon. He bore a sorrowful expression as well, and his lower lip was quivering, but he held himself strong, if only for her. At this moment, upon seeing the Archdeacon holding himself together, Ignis thought he was stronger than her, a weak, pathetic, stupidly naïve little girl trying to play knight in shining armor, only to end up losing the moment she let innocents die.

"Child, you-"

"I'm sorry..." apologized Ignis, unable to stop more of her emotions flooding in the form of tears. "I _tried._ I tried saving as many people as I could, but I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't strong eno-No, no, those are all stupid excuses...It's my fault. Everything. I should have been faster, more focused, but I was too late...If I was much more stronger, if I wasn't such an idiot-! I...I would have saved Quasi and Esmer-"

"Stop." The Archdeacon's tone was firm, yet soft-spoken. "That isn't true. Ignis, everything you've done...it wasn't in vain. Yes, there were many unfortunate souls that have descended from this world much too earlier, and it is a tragedy of what has happened, but none of this is your fault, Ignis. You never killed them. You never once wished them harm. Instead, you did everything within your power and more to protect them with all your might. You've become a shield to the people you've fought for, and the unfortunate, kind souls will surely find peace under God's warmth."

"If..." Ignis sniffled, her expression twisted into one full of sorrow, anger, and confusion. "I...I'm not that much of a religious person, but if God did exist, then why didn't he try and save the people?! They were innocent, and yet they were killed wrongfully by soldiers who were supposed to protect them! Why doesn't God punish those guys instead of the innocent?! Damnit! What use is a God if all he gets are prayers and not once does he repay the people who worships him?! He should have saved those people with his own holy power! He should have...he..."

"...Life, sadly, isn't fair," sighed the Archdeacon, not once getting mad at her words even when she cursed God. "God cannot always grant our wishes nor can he always be there for us. In the past, he had his son, Jesus, save us from sin by sacrificing his life for us, and we must be grateful for that. As human beings, we must attempt to resolve all of our problems on our own, but it isn't hard to rely on faith when times are difficult."

"I just...want..."

The Archdeacon softened his expression and offered a hand to Ignis to help her up. Ignis was about to take it, but hesitated for a few moments due to her..."trauma" holding her back. In her mind, she knew the Archdeacon wouldn't do anything...repulsive to her, but she was still hesitant. Finally, she wiped her tears away with a swipe of her dried-bloody arm and placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her stand up.

With tired, red eyes, Ignis glanced around the cathedral and noticed Phoebus wasn't anywhere. "...Where did Phoebus go? Ah, you probably don't know his name. You know, the man who was here earlier?"

"Ah, him. He requested that I take care of you and allow you to rest before charging up the stairs all by himself. It was after I told him that Frollo was upstairs-"

"What?!" Ignis interrupted, shocked. Any signs of tiredness instantly went away upon hearing this new revelation. "He left by himself?! And Frollo's here, too?!"

The Archdeacon nodded. "Yes. Earlier, I did try my best to stop Esmeralda's execution, but Frollo's men held me back. I could do nothing but watch from the sidelines. I was so happy and proud when I witnessed Quasimodo take action and save that young lady. When the fighting began, I wanted to try and find a way to help the people, but they urged me to head back inside the cathedral for my own safety. I snuck back inside and tried to figure out a way to end all this when Frollo came barging in. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me down the stairs and headed upstairs. I explained all of this to your friend, who proclaimed that he'll resolve this issue and headed upstairs."

"By himself?! Damnit, Phoebus!" Ignis looked around and saw a spiral staircase ascending upwards, presuming that that was the way in which Phoebus came towards. The Archdeacon tried to stop her, but Ignis refused to listen and, despite her injured state, moved much faster than the Archdeacon.

Phoebus ran, halfway to the bell tower where he was certain that was where Judge Frollo was with sword in hand. As much as he despised the man, he had no intentions of murdering him, only using the sword as self-defense and to defeat the monstrous being he and Ignis fought earlier. He left Ignis behind because she needed rest, whether she wanted to or not, and while he was aware that he was certainly not going to be a match for the monstrous being, he reminded himself that he was only there to apprehend Frollo and have him answer his crimes at the Royal Court. As long as he focused that and escaped from the monstrous being, there was still a chance for justice.

"Phoebus!"

Coming to a stop, Phoebus paused and whirled around to see Ignis running towards him, huffing for breath. "You should have stayed behind!" he yelled angrily. "Ignis, I appreciate your concern, but you are in no condition to help!"

"You should be telling yourself that! You're in no condition to even take on that Unversed even if you reach Frollo!" argued Ignis. "There's no doubt in my mind that the Unversed is going to be up there! You can't take her on! I'm the only one who has a chance against that thing! You shouldn't have left me behind!"

"You're injured! Much more tired than me, and that monster _broke your arm_!" Phoebus pointed to Ignis' slightly dangling left arm. "How are you going to fight with only one available arm left?!"

With a painful grunt, Ignis tried lifting up her left arm. Earlier, she had casted a healing spell on it, and while her healing spells instantly took care of gashes and flesh wounds, it does take a longer, significant amount of time and healing magic to mend broken bones. While some pain from her left arm had vanished, her bones were still somewhat broken and her arm felt like breaking apart any second the longer she kept her arm up.

"I can still fight..." grunted Ignis, winching at the pain and trying to endure the pain as she forced her left arm to roll around to show it was fine. "I'm fine...I'm fine! As long as I don't use my left arm, it'll be alright!"

Phoebus still wasn't convinced. "You're not coming with me. Go back downstairs and rest."

"...You can't stop me," Ignis stated. "Even though I'm injured, I can still take you on. But you and I both know we don't want to come to that, do we? And we don't have time to waste, anyways! If you don't take me along, you're just asking to die!"

Phoebus sighed, scratching his head. "I know that there's no way I can ever defeat that beast, but I also can't let you come with me, Ignis. In any other situation, I would have happily accepted your help, but you are in no condition! You're far too injured!"

"So are you!" argued back Ignis. _'If I had anymore magic power left, I would have healed both him and myself! I can force myself, but that would mean taking the risk of a Magic Burst! ...I may have to take that risk when casting magic again later against that Unversed, but still!'_ "If worst comes to worst, then we'll both run away to live another day! But you've seen me take on that Unversed! You've seen me being able to fight on my own! At the very least, we have to try!"

"..." Phoebus sighed tiredly. "You're right. You're absolutely right. We don't have time to argue, and I could use some help. But the main objective here is to find Judge Frollo and arrest him. From what the Archdeacon told me, he's up at the bell tower."

"That prick...! He's the one responsible for all of this...!" growled Ignis. "But, how do we know he's still alive? For all we know, he's probably being maimed by that Unversed as we speak!"

"I don't know, but if there's a chance that he's still alive, then he needs to pay for his crimes," said Phoebus. "Ignis, I'll allow you to come with me, but the moment things start to get worst, then I want you to run away."

"Run away-?!"

"It's for your own good. Please."

"...If that's a command, then let me ask something in return!" said Ignis. "If...If I ever get the urge to kill Frollo, you have to stop me. I don't know I'll be able to control myself if I see that guy..."

"Alright."

* * *

"Ah, if it isn't Captain-No, rather I should say, _former_ Captain Phoebus. And you even brought that _vile sinner_ with you."

Frollo sneered at the two once they arrived, holding onto a sword with blood gleaming on the blade. Phoebus and Ignis glanced at it and they paled, having a good guess as to how the sword ended up in its current state. Their expressions grew dark, filled with silent rage towards the one man that practically caused an apocalypse.

Ignis glanced around, still angry but now mildly confused. Where was the Unversed? She couldn't have gone and left, could she? They both witnessed the Unversed leap up to the top of the bell tower, so she should be somewhere around here.

She mustn't give into her own rage. Not again. She absolutely hated Frollo, and her anger towards him will not fade away, that's for certain. But right now, her priority was taking out that Unversed before she causes more trouble to the city. She has to divert and focus all her anger from Frollo towards the Unversed when the time comes.

But nobody said it was going to be that easy.

"Judge Claude Frollo, I am placing you under arrest," announced Phoebus, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Frollo. "Resist, and-"

"And what? You think you're in any position to place _me_ under arrest?" questioned Frollo calmly. "The moment you disobeyed my orders to burn down that windmill home, that was the moment you lost your position as Captain of the Guards."

"I will NEVER burn down a house full of innocents!" growled Phoebus. "What you ordered me to was inhumane! Inside was an innocent family! Children were inside!"

"What?" Ignis turned to Phoebus, surprised. She hadn't heard this tale from Phoebus, but that could explain why he was no longer the Captain, and only further fueled her hatred towards Frollo, turning to glare at him. "You tried to burn down a home with innocents inside?! What is wrong with you?!"

"They were cooperating with the gypsies, and as such, they have acted against God's will," replied Frollo nonchalantly. "As the Minister of Justice, I only did what was necessary and punished those vile sinners."

"Cooperating with-Does it even matter whether or not they were?!" questioned Ignis. "The fact that you knowingly and willingly tried to murder an innocent family goes to show you were definitely acting on _your_ own will! Gypsy this, gypsy that! This whole mess started because of you, you godforsaken asshole! Because of your weird obsession with Esmeralda, and your stupid racism towards the gypsies, so many people, both gypsies and the civilians, are dead! And you're never going to admit that you're wrong, because you're such a goddamn narcissistic asshole who hides behind 'God' like a coward!"

Frollo was appalled by the choice words Ignis had to describe towards him and was trembling with rage at the _gall_ of a vile sinner daring to stand up against him, the Minister of Justice! Pointing his finger at her, Frollo angrily stated, " _Never,_ in all my life, have I ever met a human as selfish and bloodthirsty as _you_ , girl!"

Phoebus stepped forward, defending Ignis and angered at Frollo's own hypocrisy. "How dare you-?!"

"Insulting me as though you claim to know what sort of person I am, not knowing the things and sacrifices I do for this city, and worst of all, massacring my good men while defending more sinners! Have you no decency?!"

Good men? Sinners? That's his own view on this entire situation?! Ignis gritted her teeth, barking out, "I _tried_ to be decent and spare your men, but look how that turned out! Your own men violated and killed so many innocents! Those weren't the works of gypsies! They were from your own men!"

"I believe _you_ are the one misunderstanding things here, young lady," said Frollo. "I ordered my men to interrogate any and all suspects and if they were to get in their way, use whatever means necessary to force them away. They simply did their orders."

"I've done and witnessed extreme orders, but they were _never_ this extreme!" shouted Phoebus. "The men back in the army were much more disciplined than your own men! You should have disciplined them more! This is your fault, Judge Frollo, and you cannot blame this on anyone but yourself!"

"Why do you keep calling him 'Judge?' Far as I know, he never deserved a title if a tyrant like him is in charge!" said Ignis.

Frollo looked as though he wanted to yell at them more but took a deep breath, quelling his temper. "Everything I have done, I have done for this city, the people, and especially Notre Dame. As Minister of Justice, it is not my duty to be liked, but to deliver swift justice onto any evildoers! I cannot fathom how you two believe what I have done is not under God's will!"

"Of course not!" shouted Ignis. "You're still too busy trying to uphold a pointless policy that any and all gypsies are automatically evil when everyone knows that's just a big, fuckin' waste of time and a way to flank off your racism!"

"The gypsies are a foul, race full of sinners that use witchcraft to deceive the people so they can pillage and murder them to their heart's content! Any and all gypsies will be interrogated and arrested without question!"

"That's a fuckin', broken system that shouldn't have existed from the start, and deep down, you know it!"

"Thievery, bribery, all works from the gypsies! I challenge you to prove me wrong, that the gypsies haven't committed these heinous crimes! Unless you, too, have also committed these sins!"

"I WOULD NE-!"

"Enough!" hollered Phoebus. "Ignis, calm yourself. You're letting your anger get the best of you."

"But-!"

"I know. But letting your anger rise up like this will not help anyone. Calm down."

"You can't possi-"

"Ignis. Calm. Down."

Reluctantly, Ignis heeded Phoebus' command, though she still glared at Frollo. Frollo spoke up once more. "Surrender, the both of you! Surrender for your crimes and receive judgement! Only then will you be able to atone for your sins!"

"NO!"

Frollo gritted his teeth, starting to lose his patience. Phoebus was about to intervene when Ignis looked back at him, baring a determined look that silently asked him to trust her. Phoebus ultimately relented, deciding to put his trust in her, thinking that she wouldn't attack Frollo.

Ignis continued, "We won't relent to your injustice! We have power, and we're supposed to use it to protect and help the people! But you only use yours to terrorize others!"

"And you haven't?" questioned Frollo.

"I didn't want to _kill_ those men! I didn't mean to lose myself! All I wanted to do was protect the people here! Protect the people _you_ were supposed to be protecting! I did so many terrible, unforgivable things because **I had no other choice!** How could you just stand there, so calmly accepting this reality where prejudice allowed your men to kill so many innocents, including the gypsies?!"

"It is not as though I wished for this outcome as well," said Frollo. "There is so much filth in this city that needs to be purged. My laws has disciplined much within the city, but there are still those that sinned. Despite my laws, I have given everyone a chance, including the gypsies, but not everything goes right in law. Countless gypsies in this city are full of evil souls that must be dealt with! I despite the gypsies because of their witchcraft, but another reason is that they have committed more sins than any other civilian in this city! Their festivities which are clearly witchcraft rituals, stealing gold that wasn't rightfully theirs, and even downright lying! Pah!"

"...Evil?" questioned Ignis. "Witchcraft? Their own performances, dances, and songs are considered 'witchcraft' to you? You disregarded them for...Did you even _try_ to understand any their cultures at all? Maybe...maybe some of the gypsies really did commit crimes, but that doesn't mean that all the gypsies had to die so horribly like the other innocents from that stupid, selfish order you gave! It was...it was a massacre!"

"A...massacre?" wondered Phoebus breathlessly.

As though confirming his line of questioning, Ignis nodded. "Yeah, that's right...Many people I tried to protect...both gypsy or not, they were all dead...Everyone's dead-except me. You say that everything you've done was for the city, for the people, but you forsake the gypsies without any hesitation! If you truly want to help the city, that means you have to save the gypsies as well! Maybe you'll continue hating the gypsies, but you have to acknowledge that they have lives as well! They're just as much human as we are! But no, you just go around, arresting and even executing them! I bet you didn't even bother giving them fair trials, too! If you're the Minister of Justice, then you have to extend all fair rights to everyone, including the gypsies! And yet, even after all this, you still can't see anything wrong in your own world of 'justice?' Tell me!"

"I see no impurities in the world I seek," spoke Frollo without hesitation. "If the gypsies never resorted to witchcraft, perhaps they would have been better people, but in the world I seek, there is no need for any sort of gypsy filth."

"Frollo, you-!"

Now ignoring Ignis, Frollo turned to Phoebus. "As much as a traitor you are, you, of all people, must understand the importance of duty."

"I do, and the only regret I have...is being under orders of a madman."

Frollo's expression darkened and he lifted his head, glaring at Phoebus as though he was trash. "I see...so even you do not understand the true value of justice under God's will. You do not even understand a single bit about the sacrifices I've done by judging the sinners in this city!"

"So, you just go after any sort of 'sinner' and order your men, soldiers meant to protect the innocents, to 'judge' them?! Like some sort of god?" questioned Ignis angrily. "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I am the Minister of Justice! God's word is law, and I am merely his messenger carrying out any sentence for justice!" replied Frollo. "Do not blame me for the actions of my men! I simply commanded my men, and they were the ones who carried out the sinners' sentences! If the sinners haven't sinner, then I wouldn't have resorted to arresting or execution!"

"Oh, that's bullshit and we both know it!" shouted Ignis. "Shifting your own violent actions onto your own men, huh? Just because you never killed anyone doesn't mean your hands aren't dirty! No matter what, YOU gave the command! You caused so much pain and misery to many others, so don't even think about running away from what you've done!"

"I wouldn't expect a naïve, idiotic girl like you to understand! You fail to understand the righteous justice I have placed onto this city that has kept many people in check!"

"You know," started Ignis. "You keep going on and on about this justice crap, but you're using violence and prejudice to prove your point! Is that what a true leader does? Rule people with fear? That's something only a _tyrant_ would do!"

"I have no regrets," spat Frollo. "All I have done, it has been done in the name of the Lord! No matter who you are, if you have sinned, then you must atone for your sins! The gypsies are a vile race full of liars, thieves, and murderers that have casted witchcraft onto others to perform their evil deeds! And as such, from this moment forward, I, the Minister of Justice, Judge Claude Frollo...declare the gypsies to be _exterminated!"_

"What?!" exclaimed both Ignis and Phoebus, shocked.

Darkness lurked out of Frollo's body as he began muttering to himself, encouraging himself as his mind had steeled, set on doing the one task he truly believed to be righteous. "Yes...I should have done this a long, long time ago...If that was the case, then that _witch_ would not have casted her spell on me...this city would have been purified a lot sooner...yes...God would not want any sinners to roam this city any longer! This is God's will! THIS IS JUSTICE!"

As quick as lightning, Ignis whipped out her Keyblade, pointing it menacingly at Frollo. She drew herself to her full height with one single emotion on her face: Rage. Rage, as white-hot as the sun.

"Racism is NOT JUSTICE! Setting peoples' homes on fire is NOT JUSTICE! Endangering innocent lives to find one single girl is NOT JUSTICE! Tricking and killing the very same citizens you swore to protect is NOT JUSTICE! Children being chased and shot down by arrows is NOT JUSTICE! Newborn infants being speared by pikes is NOT JUSTICE! Women being violated, toyed around like...like actual toys, and..." Ignis paused, swallowing the hot bile forming within her throat and holding back her tears before she continued. "...and...And being _**raped** _is NOT JUSTICE!"

Phoebus only stared at Ignis in horror upon hearing the unbelievable things coming from her mouth. He did indeed hear horrible things that the soldiers were doing all across the city, but never, in his entire life, did he ever something as.. _.inhumane_ as this. Only a monster wouldn't care about this...injustice.

"...And? What of it?"

Silence. That was the best thing to describe the situation right now. It was as if all of the rage and anger that was in the air had magically vanished in an instant from Frollo's response.

"So, there were casualties during my men's investigation. A small price to pay for justice to be served. Things like that happen everyday around the world, so it's not as though crying will change anything."

Cruel approval. That's exactly what Frollo's doing. He's cruelly approving his men's inhumane actions all for the sake of justice, claiming that the loss of many innocents was a _small price to pay._

Phoebus...couldn't believe it until he witnessed it for himself, and his wish was granted. Sure, the Minister of Justice's job wasn't to be liked, but to deliver swift and justified sentences to any sinner in this city. But right up to this point, Phoebus genuinely thought that Frollo was doing everything for the people in Notre Dame.

Instead, he's only proven how much of an inhumane monster he truly is.

Phoebus never felt so much...fear coming towards one single man. He's fought many battles in the war, each one of them terrifying because one can never tell when they could lose their life, and he's faced all sorts of fears throughout his life, but this? This was on a whole new level. He doesn't think anyone else could tolerate his existence any longer than him, but even so,, Claude Frollo needed to be captured and taken to trial for his crimes.

And that's why Phoebus had to stop Ignis from killing him.

It was due to his battle instincts and senses honed from countless war-like battles that caused him to react quickly than ever before in his life. The moment he sensed Ignis' darkened mood, the air around her suddenly chilled, and he just knew that she was going to kill Frollo. He grabbed ahold of her arm and held her back, stopping her from attempting to lunge forward and stab her weapon right into Frollo's heart. He took one look at her face and knew that she was beyond angry.

There is no word in existence that would strongly describe the extreme hatred filling Ignis' heart. Hatred dyes her brain red. She's about to lose her mind. She's about ot break down. Fatigue, injuries, stress, all of them was starting to build up inside of her as one thought stuck to her mind.

She will never forgive this man.

This man, who have trampled over lives like they were nothing. This man, who thought the innocent lives that died during the past few days were but a small price to pay for justice. This man, who allowed crime all for the sake of finding one woman. This man, who thought it was okay and deemed necessary for even _children_ to die.

Such a being should never have come into existence. Even if someone forgives him, even if God himself forgave him, Ignis would _never_ forgive him.

"Ignis, calm down-!"

"YOU-! FUCKER! MONSTER!" Ignis found herself struggling against Phoebus who was holding her back with every ounce of strength he had left. If it weren't for the fact that she was already exhausted, she would have broken free from her monstrous newfound rage as she continued to spat vile insults at Frollo. "HOW DARE YOU?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE! BUT YOU'RE DISREGARDING THEIR LIVES LIKE TRASH! I'LL NEVER, EVER, **EVER-!"**

Suddenly, having been attracted by the forces of darkness lurking from Frollo and Ignis' increasingly growing hatred and rage, the cow-like Unversed reemerged, crashing down on the same site they were in. Her critical injuries from Ignis' previously used Hell Firaga spell could fully be evident on her body and is proof that magic is a deep weakness for the cow-like Unversed.

Frollo crackled with laughter. "Yes...YES! Beata Maria has appeared to strike you sinners down! Oh, dearly Maria! Please purge these sinners from their sins and punish them with justice in the name of the Lord!"

Ignis wasn't even going to question it anymore. The man known as Claude Frollo had already lost his mind the moment he sent out the order to find Esmeralda that led to the slaughter of so many innocents. All Ignis saw was a sad, old man grasping hope in the form of a powerful Unversed.

And it was her duty not only to slay the Unversed, but to extinguish the hopes of that sad, old man.

"...Phoebus," spoke Ignis, still seething with rage. "I'll deal with the monster. You better deal with Frollo, because when I finish with the Unversed, I'm coming back. And I will _not be happy_ when I see his ugly mug...!"

"...I will arrest him," Phoebus solemnly promised, releasing Ignis. "Just leave him to me."

A part of Ignis was reluctant to obey Phoebus, deeply wishing to slay Frollo right before her. But, at the same time, another part of her knew that it wasn't the right thing to do. Frollo definitely needed to answer for his crimes and be brought to court, _alive._ That, and she couldn't ignore the large, cow-like Unversed. Hardening her expression once more, Ignis leveled her glare towards the cow-like Unversed before dashing at the Unversed.

The cow-like Unversed met her dashing approach by slamming her whip down from a long-range distance. The ground trembled under the weight and immense impact of the whip as the whip lashed towards Ignis. The whip's slash could not have been more easier to anticipate, as despite its predictable path, the speed of the weapon came so fast, Ignis almost miscalculated her dodge and felt some strands of her bloodied-up hair get sliced off. As Ignis reached closer to the cow-like Unversed's location, the cow-like Unversed managed to twist her body around like a rapid hurricane, bringing her whip around so fast that Ignis could barely even perceive it on time to block the lash strike with her Keyblade.

While she managed to avoid being sliced in half, the impact sent her flying, rolling uncontrollably several times on the ground before coming to a stop. As Ignis got up, she was painfully aware of the shooting agony up her left arm. Realizing that she needed to step up her A-game, Ignis slammed her free hand against her pauldron, activating her Keyblade Armor that would allow more movement and grant her a little more extra protection. Though her left arm was uncomfortably stiff due to being encased in armor, Ignis decided to bare with the pain and charged forward.

It was certainly a challenge trying to reach the cow-like Unversed, even with her Keyblade Armor on. The only thing equivalent to a buzzing bug to her right now was the cow-like Unversed's whip. Multiple consecutive slashes deflected the whip slashes, and comparing the two combatants' strengths, the cow-like Unversed's is simply too overwhelming. The Unversed's whip slashes were like that of a hurricane, while her whip, spiral thrusting techniques were akin to a rock drill, spinning at all directions that will mercilessly destroy all that would dare approach.

Ignis' current options were to either block or dodge. Ducking and dodging around another combo of whip attacks, Ignis backflipped when another whip attack came from beneath, slashing upwards and trying to catch her off guard as debris flew by. If Ignis take a full-on, direct hit, it'll prove disastrous for her, even with her having high defense.

The only way for Ignis to match the cow-like Unversed's storm-like blows, especially since she was down one arm, was to increase her strength with support magic, but because Ignis was out of magic power earlier, instead of magic power, she had to sacrifice bits of her own life force to pay the price for more strengthening-like support magic, causing her to cough out blood from underneath her helmet from the Magic Burst's effect. Still, her efforts were proving to blossom into fruition, as she repels the attacks straight on without faltering, slowly getting closer and closer to the Unversed, yet still dangerously risking her life in the process. She deflects each of the blows because she must, for if she doesn't, she'll be slashed in half. Each blow that continues without pause are in fact blows that she blocks with all her might.

Both of them continued clashing and deflecting. Their ranges, speed, strengths are all too different, so naturally, if one has much weaker stats than the other, they would lose. In this case, Ignis should have already lost, but she hasn't so far, but it won't be long before her luck runs out.

Deliberately placing herself within the storm of blade-like slashes, Ignis doesn't back down and continues dodging and deflecting. Continuing this path will only make her be cut down in the end unless she tries a different approach. Both their weapons makes sparks, and Ignis' Keyblade Armor splinters bit by bit for each blow. It's only natural. Ignis' defense and weakened state can't hold much against the cow-like Unversed ferocious attacks, so her armor is chipped away with passing time.

Finally, the cow-like Unversed's whirlwind-like whip slash cuts through the wind and flings back at the defending Ignis. Despite the pain, Ignis hit the ground first before getting back up and charging bravely at her opponent. Breathing wildly, Ignis' movements start growing slower and starting to lose strength. All of her energy was spent preventing the cow-like Unversed from reducing her into a bloody stain on the ground. All she could do at this point was either dodge or block.

Leaping away from the latest attack, Ignis leapt onto another rooftop of the cathedral, running across it easily as though she was still on solid ground. With the way things were going, the cow-like Unversed might end up destroying the very same area Phoebus and Frollo were in, and while she didn't care much for Frollo, she at least had some sense not wanting to harm Phoebus in any way, so she figured to take the fight elsewhere. Hearing the enraged roar from the cow-like Unversed and nearly tripping when the Unversed crashed onto the same rooftop she was running across, Ignis chose to continue leading her opponent elsewhere, leaping from rooftop to rooftop across the cathedral and other connected towers.

Due to being far away, the cow-like Unversed took advantage of the long range her whip could provide and swung it at her from behind. Sensing impeding danger, Ignis turned around and barely managed to block the swing with her Keyblade; the sheer force of the strike sending her flying, crashing into the pavement of another area. With a bit of difficulty, Ignis got to her feet, coughing out more blood from her mouth.

With another fearsome roar, the cow-like Unversed struck her whip against the ground, creating cracks in the earth and causing debris and dust to rise. Ignis forced her tired and injured body to leap away from cracks and debris speeding towards her and blocked the whip's next attack.

After a heavy exchange of dodges and blows, one critical blow from the cow-like Unversed finally landed a hit onto Ignis' armored torso, sending her soaring through the air and crashing onto the bell tower. The full impact of the blow would have done more than broken her bones; it would have utterly broke her body in half. Luckily, because of Ignis' defensive magic and her armor protecting her, she withstood the brutal blow at the last second, though at the cost of some of her life force decreasing and her Keyblade Armor and armor beneath to shatter, leaving Ignis in her regular red clothing, as well in a worst, battered state.

Maybe it was due to her injuries or her numb ears, but Ignis couldn't quite hear properly at the moment. But her eyes, or rather, her single one eye, was still functioning, so she was able to witness Phoebus being impaled.

"...Eh?"

Phoebus being impaled meant that he was being defeated. The Captain of the guards, a man who fought in many battles in a war, defeated by a clergyman who has never fought a battle in his life? Impossible. And yet, the squelch of pierced flesh was seen right before her eyes. But it wasn't the familiar steel of a blade that impaled Phoebus.

It was a blade of darkness.

More specifically, a tentacle of darkness shaped like a blade had pierced through Phoebus. That tentacle of darkness came from the shimmering shadows surrounding Frollo, portraying as his own twisted darkness. And it didn't look as though it was the first time Phoebus was pierced through. Multiple stab-like wounds covered his body as he staggered to stay on his feet.

No wonder Phoebus couldn't arrest him earlier. An average human being could never stand up against powerful forces that Frollo possessed.

With a motion of his arm, Frollo commanded his shadow-like tentacles to lift up a helpless and heavily injured Phoebus before making a swipe motion, throwing Phoebus off the tentacle towards his impeding doom below the bell tower.

At least, that was meant to be until Ignis intervened.

Summoning what little strength remained from her body and focusing it all into lunging towards Phoebus, Ignis flew her right arm out, desperate for anything just to save him. Fingers brushing against the fabric of his torn-up and blood-stained shirt, Ignis' fist closed tight on his wrist as though her life depended on it. Because Phoebus was heavier and she was overwhelmingly exhausted and injured, Ignis' body tipped over the railing, forcing her to reach her other arm out and grasp the railing tightly on the edge of the rail.

"GH-! GAAAAH!"

A painful scream escaped from Ignis' lips as she held dearly for life, It was bad enough that she was desperately holding onto Phoebus' life with her right arm, but her left arm felt as though it was going to be torn apart. Aside from being downright having the bones _broken and shattered_ , her left arm desperately needed medical attention, and using a broken arm to try and hoist herself up while holding onto the weight of another man with her other arm wasn't helping the issue. She could feel her grip slipping and loosening, and yet she held herself strong, if only for Phoebus' sake.

Ignis was so focused in keeping both herself and Phoebus alive, that she hardly noticed Frollo's approach until it was too late. She craned her neck, and her eyes widened with horror as she finally saw the judge for who he really was.

A demon cloaked in human flesh. That was possibly the best description she could grant to him. Standing before the balcony, raising his blood-stained sword above his head with the shadows squirming around him, his appearance truly revealed his nature to be that of a demon. His black robes swaying in sync with the cracking sparks of fire and howling winds, eyes gleaming malicious intent as deadly as the hell-like fires beneath the cathedral, and his grin equally matching that of a demon. With one sentence, Judge Claude Frollo sealed the fate of Notre Dame.

 _ **"And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!"**_

And with that, Frollo swung his sword with all his might, slicing off her arm.

* * *

...Was it pain that woke her up? The shock of remembering the earlier events that transpired? ...Strangely enough, darkness waking her up?

Whatever it was, Ignis started to wake up, and she remembered _everything_. From the confrontation of Frollo, the battle, trying to save Phoebus, and...her left arm.

The arm that no longer exists.

Glancing over to her left arm, all that was left was a bloody stump of where her arm originally was. Nothing but bloody meat in what remained of her left arm. She recalled Frollo being responsible for taking off her arm, so that means that he was the one who took out most of her left arm, leaving her with a stump that may as well be a mess of blood, bone, and flesh.

Hot, boiling sensations rang across her body from her wounds and bloody stump. _It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. **It hurts!**_

She let out a scream. No, in this instance, a scream wouldn't be the appropriate term. She let out a _roar._ She screams in order to ward off the pain in her arm. She screamed until her dried throat could no longer produce anymore screams, being so broken and sore that Ignis felt like she could choke out blood.

She was trembling, scared because she just _lost an arm._ She imagined this to be the worst kind of pain possible, because now she was missing an arm. She never thought such a thing could happen to her. She was so terrified, she couldn't move nor think straight, but...one thing was concerning for her.

Where...was Phoebus?

Taking in her surroundings, Ignis found that she was back on the ground, looking up at the Notre Dame cathedral still surrounded by rivers of molten lead. All around her, corpses of civilians and soldiers littered everywhere; their deaths differing from being burnt to death, getting stabbed, and so forth. As Ignis struggled through the pain and lack of strength to stand up, she finally realized that her back was...wet?

Whirling around, Ignis' mind could no longer comprehend the horrors she's witnessed as she saw yet another horrifying sight before her.

It was Phoebus. But, he was no longer alive. His entire body was...splintered. Multiple stab wounds darkened his white shirt into red, his flesh fractured,bones sticking out with blood pooling from his body. Blood from the back of his head joined the pool of blood as his head was cracked and his neck twisted to the side. He didn't just die from his wounds; he died from falling from so high up. And if he and Ignis both fell at the same time, then he must have acted as a shield and a cushion to block her fall. It was the only explanation why Ignis was still alive.

He sacrificed himself for her, and she could never repay him for that.

The gore-like sight of Phoebus' corpse was what finally broke down Ignis.

Horrendous screams clawed their way out of her throat, tearing through her vocal cords and echoing across the hell-like warzone. It was a scream that didn't take long to revert into sobs and would pierce the hearts of many who heard it, causing a widespread of heartbroken sympathy.

Ignis' heart felt as though it was being torn and ripped apart. Splintered, tortured, minced, all sorts that was causing indescribable amounts of pain. She could barely her mind, body, and emotions in check, and now the pain within her heart was getting out of control.

She couldn't even breath to save her life. She couldn't without smelling the blood on her clothes. The blood on Phoebus. The blood of countless corpses surrounding the area. The scent of molten lead and the fires in the background.

Ignis was breaking down, physically, mentally, emotionally, and in so many more ways. Her mind was twisting and lost in a fog of emotions, her body in excruciating pain, and her will to move-no, her will to _live_ was diminishing. Her entire world was collapsing and breaking apart as reality was hitting her in the worst possible ways, forcing her to acknowledge that any fun dreams of adventure had no place in the cruel reality before her.

All she could do was acknowledge that this was reality. All she could do was breath, even enduring the repulse to vomit from smelling so much death in the air. All she could do was sob and blink tears from her eyes.

She felt like the most absolute worst person in the world. No, not just that. She felt like the most disgusting and cruelest person in the world, especially covered in dirty, sweat, blood, and tears from both her and the enemies she killed. She was almost glad that her friends and Master weren't here to see her pathetic state.

Ignis was bawling her eyes out, not caring who was around to hear her screams or wails any longer. She _failed._ She failed her duty as a Keyblade wielder. She was supposed to protect the innocent, stop the evil, but all those around her died and despite giving it her all, it was never going to be enough. So many died...under her watch, no less!

Never, in her entire life, had she wanted to _**die**_ more than at that very moment.

"I'm sorry...Aqua...Terra...Ven...Master Eraqus…I...I'm such a selfish, and horrible failure of a Keyblade wielder..."

She cursed herself over and over, for failing to live up to their expectations. As a Keyblade wielder, it was her duty to see it through that worlds could be saved with the power of the Keyblade, but in the span of a few days, this world was practically done for. If only she had been more faster and stronger...but such thoughts were useless now.

She was blind to everything else going on in the background. The fires, the rivers of molten lead, the corpses, the increasingly growing pools of blood...She was blind to everything except one thing. A familiar purple and black striped hat fluttered its way down to the ground near her, and her vision honed on that one particular piece of clothing that belonged to the most horrible person she's hated in her life.

A flash of anger seared through her numb soul, her breathing picking up nosily and her body quivering in seething rage. "You bastard..." She gritted her teeth, bailing her fist. "You racist scum...You prideful, fuckin' tyrant..." She reached out and grabbed the hat, twisting and squeezing it as she imagined the hat to be Frollo. "You...! You...! YOU GODDAMNED-!"

Face red, eyes watering, and lips trembling, Ignis heaved out a painful cry. She threw the hat away, finding very small relief in watching it burn to ashes. That relief, just like the ashes, burned away when reality made her realize once again that one cannot turn back the hands of time. She can't go back to where all of this started, she can't go back to save more lives, she can't go back to save Esmeralda and Quasimodo, she can't go back to save Phoebus, and she certainly can't go back to stop her arm from being chopped off.

Did that mean...everything she's done since the past few days, all of those saving, the killing...was it all for nothing if it was eventually going to lead to this awful outcome?

A crash alerted her, and Ignis didn't even need to look up to know that it was the cow-like Unversed. Unknown to her, the cow-like Unversed was quite different this time, especially with blood and guts splattered on the outside of her jaws. She was a lot bigger and stronger too, and this was because she had killed and devoured the man known as Judge Claude Frollo, relishing in the large amount of negativity he had within him right before eating him alive to gain more strength and heal a lot of her wounds.

The cow-like Unversed, seeing as Ignis wasn't even trying to take a battle stance and was kneeling down on the ground, seemingly in defeat, decided to take the opportunity to finish off the last obstacle in her path. She pounced off the ground, high in mid-air and holding her whip above her head. She arches her back as though drawing a bow before slamming down her whip with a loud battle cry.

Her latest whip attack was hurled using all of her newly gained strength, and it cannot be dodged, seeing how closely it was getting towards Ignis as the seconds ticked down. Combined with her enhanced strength and the fact that the Unversed was already insanely strong to begin with, this blow would surely prove fatal-no, it would definitely kill Ignis if it made a direct hit on her!

The lashing whip blazed forth, and sensing the whip that'll spell her destruction approaching, Ignis continued staying still in her distraught position. In a split second, with her head down, she closed her eyes, as though accepting death-!

"Reflega!"

One of Ignis' most powerful defensive spells emerged in the form of a crystalized dome surrounding the cow-like Unversed, meant to be impenetrable from all sides. The whip crashes against the shield and lashes back at its user, hitting the cow-like Unversed across the face, leaving a bloody gash on her face that left her shrieking in rage. The cow-like Unversed then begin unleashing a barrage of whip attacks in her rage, with all of them backlashing and being reflected back to hit several areas of her body. With each attack, she placed more and more strength within, but they kept being blocked over and over by Ignis' defensive shield spell.

Ignis was dying. She could feel it within her. It was bad enough that she was heavily injured, exhausted beyond her limits, and losing blood from losing her arm, but continuously using magic, especially high-tier ones when she had no more magic power to spare, was extremely hazardous for her. Sacrificing her life force to replace the appropriate amount of magic power for her spells was something she deliberately had done, just like she did when she casted the Reflega spell. And yet, she didn't seem like she cared nor minded.

Right before her was an enemy; an Unversed. Earlier, she lamented for the innocent souls of the city and the unfortunate fate that this world had come to, but since the appearance of the cow-like Unversed, Ignis knew she needed to uphold her duty by getting rid of the Unversed. If she let it be, the cow-like Unversed would just go rampage and exterminate the remainder of the civilians in this city, and she couldn't have that.

She was in no physical condition to engage the Unversed into a close combat battle any longer, so the only thing she could rely on is her magic. Right now, she's keeping her trapped and at bay within her most strongest Reflect magic, but she's purposely using and exchanging her own life force for magic power to power up and cast the Reflect magic; a consequence of Magic Burst that Ignis was now grateful for since she now has a means of attacking and defending herself in her current state.

Blood splat out of her mouth as she struggled to keep up the Reflega magic. Her life force was fading by the seconds, and Ignis was now preparing to cast a secondary spell while keeping up Reflega. Ignis planned on using Summoning Magic to summon her Familiar, Pyra, to finish off the Unversed after dropping off the Reflega magic spell.

Ignis was going to die here. She was going to die to save what remained of this world and its civilians. It was the least she could do for failing her duties, making her friends hate her, and for disobeying her Master for who knows how many times. At least this way, she would die not just to destroy the Unversed, but more importantly, to become the last, remaining shield for the people of Notre Dame.

Summoning Phoenix Fairy, Ignis stabbed it into the ground before glancing up at the night sky reverting into warm colors of red, orange, and pink, noting that dawn was about to arrive soon. How fitting. She gave a sad smile with blood still spilling out of her mouth. Every single fiber within her body was screaming in pain, and yet, as she gathered enough magic power to summon her Familiar, all Ignis could say was this.

"It's been fun, guys...Aqua...Ven...Terra...Vani...Master Eraqus...I'm sorry...You chose the wrong student..."

Lowering her head, Ignis gritted her teeth and felt her life force flowing out of her body to compensate for her lack of magic power. The magic summoning circle for her Summoning Magic far extended and grew bigger and bigger until it reached completion. Ignis wasn't just aiming for her Familiar's summoning, she was also enhancing her Familiar's power so that the Familiar, Pyra, would be far stronger than her normal Familiar form, which didn't need to require so much magic power that was sucking out so much of Ignis' life force. Upon reaching completion, Ignis shouted out loud for the world to hear, letting her life force in place of her magic power to explode.

"Ignis, disgraceful Keyblade apprentice of Master Eraqus, summons forth her Familiar! Come forth, **Pyra**!"

At that very moment, as the Reflega barrier lowered until vanishing completely, the Familiar Ignis had deemed as Pyra, rose and emerged from the magic summoning circle, acting as protection in front of her summoner and master, as well as taking an offensive stance against the cow-like Unversed.

Familiars act as a sort of spirit animal for their caster, and as such, Ignis' Familiar took the form of...a turtle. No, more specifically, she took the form of a giant fiery tortoise shielding Ignis. Because Ignis' elemental attribute was fire, Ignis' tortoise Familiar was completely embedded in flames, even the shell part, though her eyes held a fierce determination within them. It was a strange combination, as tortoises were normally creatures of water, and water is an element opposite to fire.

Ignis' current state was...currently unusual. Fortunately, she wasn't dead, but her body was glowing a golden light. She was staying in the same place, at the same position. She was staring blankly into space with lifeless eyes and had gone completely silent; the air in the battlefield sharpening in a heated manner, especially with the appearance of the tortoise Familiar, Pyra.

But, she did snap out of it and wondered, why wasn't she dead? She was certain that she would certainly have died once she casted her Summoning Magic, but her body felt fine, though she did noticed the golden glow in her body. Perhaps the golden glow was the source of her puzzling situation? And...was it just her, or did it feel like her magic power had been fully restored?

"C..Curaga…?"

Green illuminant light joined in with the golden glow temporarily on her body, instantly healing all of her wounds and rejuvenating her strength, though her right eye and her left arm still remained unfixed, especially since her arm was no longer there. What was even more amazing was that despite using a spell, it was as though her magic power gauge had instantly refilled even afterwards.

Just where did this power come from? And why, why did it activate only just now? If this power granted her unlimited amounts of magic power, then...wait, a memory flashed in her mind, as though trying to conjure the answer towards her.

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _Later, while the bayou wedding was still commencing, Ignis glanced around and saw the wedding guests have either left or stayed around and were chatting with each other. She could see Tiana and Naveen happily talking with each other, and knowing they were going to be just fine, she turned around and started to leave, bypassing trees as she left the flower field._

 _"Ignis? Where are you going?"_

 _Turning around, Ignis saw Louis and figured he must have saw her leaving before walking up to him. "Oh, I...I was just leaving, you know?"_

 _"Oh, I see! You gonna come back and sing with us more or eat some of Mama Odie's special cakes an-"_

 _"No, I mean, for good. I have to return home," said Ignis, staring up at the sky. "I've been gone for so long. Days...weeks...Definitely not months. I have people waiting for me to return home, and when I do...it's chores for a year, I bet."_

 _"You don't sound that eager to return," said Louis._

 _"No, no, I do have to return. I spent so much time here, but I really do have to go. I can't waste anymore time here. Louis, can you tell Tiana and Naveen I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye to them before leaving? It's really important that I have to go now."_

 _"I see...Oh! Mama Odie wanted me to give you something!" Louis said, revealing a small vial with a single golden drop of water inside._

 _"...Dude, it's a single drop of water."_

 _"Nuh-uh! Mama Odie said it was a special magical potion! The greatest accomplishment she ever made! Called it, 'Second Chance Luck!' She wanted you to drink it! Said that if your life was in very close to danger, this would grant you immunity for a few minutes when the time came! Mama Odie's really good with fortunes, so I'm sure you'll need it!"_

 _"Well...Alright. I swear, it better not turn me into a cricket again!" said Ignis, taking the vial. "I like Mama Odie, but I have an incredible, yet understanding distrust towards fortune tellers now. Alright, bottoms up!" She swallowed the single drop while down her throat, tasting absolutely nothing. Her body glowed gold for a single second before fading. "Huh. I don't feel any different."_

 _"Well, maybe when the time comes, it'll have an effect!" said Louis._

* * *

 _'...I see. It was probably from Mama Odie's potion...If I had known, I...I would have pushed myself harder just to activate this...'_ Ignis rose to her feet; a regretful and sorrowful expression written on her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. Just how many more people would have been saved if she had known about this? Esmeralda, Quasimodo, and Phoebus would have still been alive, but she...!

As though sensing her jumbling emotions rising, Pyra began gathering fire-elemental energy in front of her jaws, storing up as much magic as possible to unleash a devastating blast. The cow-like Unversed, sensing immediate danger upon seeing the fire tortoise charging up, frantically began lashing out her whip to attack Pyra, only for her attacks to be ineffective and fires to spread across her whip due to Pyra's Familiar body fully being that of fire.

There was a number of things Ignis wanted to shout out. She wanted to curse this cruel, yet kind world. She wanted to angrily question why bad things must happen to good people? Why do so many innocents have to suffer and die from the actions of others? Why everything that's happened in the past few days led to this terrible outcome? All sort of things she wanted to scream out, pouring deep within her strong, yet fragile heart. But, she chose to continue protecting whoever and whatever was left in this world, therefore, as much as a mess of tears, blood, and sweat she is, she began to pour her heart out into the finale of this gruesome battle that should never have come to be.

"Stop it..."

Pyra was near completion with charging up her magic power; the signal of letting loose everything would come at the ignition of Ignis' heartfelt emotions exploding out.

"Stop trying to... ** _STOP TAKING AWAY PEOPLE'S HOMES!_ "**

A large, magically-charged blast of fire fired from Pyra's jaws, instantly engulfing the Unversed's entire body and the cathedral behind her. The Unversed stood no choice and was extinguished into ashes, and then nothing, and everything went white.

* * *

Up until the world of La Cité des Cloches, Ignis never fully understood the weight of responsibility.

Oh, she was aware that responsibility was a very important and serious thing in everyone's lives, and while she upheld the responsibility of keeping the Unversed out of people's lives, she never truly experienced the weight of failure and loss until now.

A true Keyblade wielder always must use his or her power to protect the weak and innocent, to stop the corrupted evil, keep the balance of worlds, and all that stuff. And Ignis? She failed in those responsibilities. She was stupidly naïve, a bit selfish, and fooled around in this world, not knowing about the upcoming disaster that fell upon this world until it was too late.

 **Until the End**

 **Composed by: Casey Lee Williams**

 **Sung by: Casey Lee Williams**

 _A new day_

 _Is gone without a trace._

 _All memories are dark and light is fading._

 _We try so hard,_

 _But what are we fighting for?_

 _We're losing our strength_

 _How can we give more?_

 _Time, falls away_

 _The pain, always finds a way to stay._

 _The tears that you've shed_

 _May find a tree to water_

 _But only when you're stronger_

 _I promise that I'll be here until the end._

 _I promise that I'll be here until the end._

A new dawn had risen the moment the last enemy, the Unversed, faded away from existence. The dawn signaled a glorious victory, but Ignis didn't feel like it was a victory. No, even after winning against her battle, it still felt like a loss. Too many losses and sacrifices...to end the turmoil within the city, which started a few days ago.

It was like the ultimate, "you won the battle, but you lost the war."

Whatever magical potion effect that was placed on Ignis, she could feel its power slipping away, and knew that she would never again reclaim it within a few more minutes. Therefore, Ignis decided to use her "unlimited" supply of magic power to cast water magic all around in the form of rain, showering the city with rain and extinguishing any fires and turning the rivers of molten lead into solid rock. This included putting out the fires of the cathedral, leaving it still standing, though on the brink of collapse with many burnt areas and the damage done during the invasion earlier. Normally, such a magical feat would have been impossible for Ignis, but due to the Mama Odie's "Second Chance Luck" potion, she was able to gain unlimited amounts of magic power temporarily, allowing her to cast as much water magic to put out the fires and reduce the damage to the city significantly. All while this was happening, Pyra, seeing as her role in battle was over, faded away, awaiting to be re-summoned by Ignis in the future.

Finally, the effects of the potion disappeared from Ignis' body, reverting her body back from the golden glow and no longer granting her the unlimited amounts of magic power. Standing up, Ignis raised her Keyblade, pointing in front of her to conjure up a light portal. She didn't care where she went anywhere. Falling into a volcano in another world, getting caught in a tsunami in another, she didn't care, so long as she didn't stay here any longer.

With a dark and tired look, Ignis staggered forward; her movements heavy and limp, as though she was barely walking with any life left.

Wherever she ended up, she found herself in a clear area, within another city. She wished that she ended up in immediate danger, like facing a tornado or falling into the ocean, instead. When she took another step forward, all of the exhaustion building up within the few days caught up to her and she found herself facedown on the ground.

Her body was barely functioning, but she could hear voices in the distance before her vision went dark.

* * *

 **READ! PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT!**

 **Whew! So, that was something! I certainly didn't expect this chapter to be this long, but I had a bunch of ideas that I wanted to incorporate into this chapter, thus this ended up being an extremely long chapter! I hope you guys really enjoyed this! You can also count this as a sort of apology gift for taking so long and this also counts as the big finale to the Notre Dame arc!**

 **So, where do I begin? I have SO MUCH to talk about! I guess I could start off with the changes in the original movie vs the changes in here! So, the reason why there were significant changes throughout the original story scream of the Hunchback of Notre Dame was, well, as much as you guys would hate hearing this, but it was a little bit of Ignis' fault. Let me explain before you start throwing tomatoes!**

 **Ignis' intervention in this world did a lot of good, with her saving people and helping out as much as she could. But, as much as her good intentions were, her intervention did a lot bad than good, even if she never directly or intended to cause a "bad ending" to the world of Notre Dame. It was like in the Justice League Flashpoint Paradox movie, where that Zoom guy told Flash that his actions caused a "time boom," which meant that Flash's one action changed so much in that timeline, like his good action caused a lot of troubling actions that made it an apocalyptic timeline, even though he never intended to do that.**

 **For example, Ignis being injured when Phoebus and Quasimodo found her cost them a lot of time. The time they spent treating her wounds and talking to her, that time could have been better spent finding the Court of Miracles as intended at first. And they did find the Court of Miracles, but they were a little late, and just like in the original script of the movie, they were captured. Also, if Ignis hadn't continued to intervene and stop the soldiers, they wouldn't have gotten continuously furious and taken their anger out on the people by killing them, further spiraling Paris into a dark ending. Even though Ignis had little to nothing to do with Frollo and his mens' actions, she was still a little cause to alternating the world's fate.**

 **If she hadn't intervened, or if she left the world of Notre Dame, the world would have continued on with the original script, and Quasimodo and the others would have stayed alive. This just goes to show one of the possibilities of what would happen if a Keyblade wielder intervened too much into another world's matters. That's shows the importance of keeping a world's balance at bay, and a lesson Ignis learned a very harsh way. I feel like Kingdom Hearts didn't convey the consequences of too much intervention and keeping the balance of a world too much, so I wanted to show y'all what might happen. Of course, this is just ONE of the many possibilities of intervention.**

 **Next, the deaths of the main characters and the other people. In the movie, from Frollo's position, he would have chopped off Esmeralda's head like a guillotine. Because Ignis and Phoebus took too long, Frollo got that chance and killed both Esmeralda and Quasimodo. He beheaded Esmeralda, and because of that, Esmeralda was unable to hold onto Quasimodo, so they both died, with Quasimodo falling to his death and cracking his body upon impact on the ground.**

 **Normally, it would have been impossible for Phoebus to lose against Frollo, since he's a trained, military man who's fought in an unknown war, while Frollo has never fought anyone before in his life due to being a clergyman. However, this is NORMALLY. In the Dream Drop Distance game, we all saw Frollo embedded in some sort of darkness power, and we all know how darkness could be used in terrible manners. So, Phoebus stood no chance against a man corrupted by his own darkness and used that darkness power to fight off Phoebus, who had to rely only on his own physical skills and had no magical capacity or defense whatsoever. Also, when he and Ignis fell from the balcony, he chose to save Ignis, grabbing ono her and using his body as a shield to cushion the fall, saving her from being a splatter on the ground like he did.**

 **I did some research on the history of the century in which the events of the Hunchback of Notre Dame took place, and I discovered quite some...horrifying things. Babies were allowed to be impaled on pikes, which meant that children were allowed to be killed by soldiers. The soldiers could also set homes on fire and rape and kill innocents as well, so long as no crime linked back to the soldiers and they could justify it as being part of their "orders." And, nobility was very high back in that century, so the king was more likely to listen to the nobility than the pleas of the poor and common folk, which meant that the corrupted nobility could lie as much as they want, lying that the people were starting a rebellion and that the nobility had to fix it, which is a pretty messed up system.**

 **Next, I wanted to address the lack of Unversed in this arc. Yes, there were a few Unversed, with the major one being the cow-like Unversed, and I will explain about her in a bit. First, I originally wanted to put in more Unversed for the purpose of being more enemies Ignis had to deal with while being in this world, but I decided not to and to put only one major, big-time boss one for her.**

 **Why? Simple, because not all of the other worlds' problems relied only on the Unversed. Yes, a lot of trouble came from the Unversed, but another trouble relies on humanity's dark and dirty side. Like a balance, there will always be both good and bad people. If I had put in more Unversed, the troubles of the world of Notre Dame would be blamed solely on the Unversed, and not on humanity's evil nature. I feel like Kingdom Hearts doesn't address the evil side of people more, and just blames all its problems on monstrous enemies, like the Heartless, or Unversed.**

 **Of course, the dark and dirty sides of humanity is shown through Frollo and his men when they corrupted and devastated the city in many, horrible ways. You could even incorporate the seven deadly sins in what happened in this arc, and the seven deadly sins are kinda a little bit religious, so it fits. I wanted Ignis to know that issues in other worlds doesn't just divulge on the Unversed, but also from the corrupted sides of humanity. This was an important life lesson she needed to know, a lesson on the darkness of people if she wanted to truly walk on the path of balance between light and dark.**

 **Anyways, I mentioned earlier that I was to talk about the major, big boss Unversed in this arc, which is that cow-like Unversed I kept mentioning. Like all the others, she is one of the seven deadly sins, representing the deadly sin of _lust_. Because lust is normally incorporated with females, I chose to make her a female Unversed. I mean, in Kingdom Hearts 3, there was that dame Heartless thing with the dress and umbrelle, I think was in Rapunzel's world? Yeah, there were feminine-looking Heartless, so I thought, why not with the Unversed?**

 **I researched a bit about the seven deadly sin, lust, and found a couple interesting things. First, at least one of the animals representing lust was a cow, and it kinda made sense, seeing that in other medias, cows had apparently big breasts, for milk purposes and I'll let you guys figure out how that could be...feminine. But, cows also represent motherhood, which may be a small part of lust. I also made the cow-like Unversed blue-colored, because the symbolic color for lust is blue, though I'm unsure of the reason why. If it was red, I would have kinda understood since red is a symbol for love, but the symbol of color for lust is blue, so you know.**

 **Next, in case you guys were confused, I'll explain the cow-like Unversed's abilities and powers. She's like a female version of a minotaur, having humongous strength in exchange for having low speed. Her choice of weapon is a whip, and yes, I chose that because whips are commonly used for dominatrix, and a dominatrix usually uses a whip for...sexual purposes. And sexual is a common thing for lust. Another weakness the cow-like Unversed had was towards any form of offensive magic, like she has zero defense when it comes to magical attacks, though she can stand her own when it comes to physical defense.**

 **The cow-like Unversed's special power comes from her eyes. Upon making eye contact with her targets, she could plunge them into an illusion, making them see only what they truly desired in the form of lust. She uses this ability to exploit men before devouring them, as devouring humans heals her and strengthens her. She's already tested this on soldiers, Phoebus, and Frollo, making them see what they "love," whether it's a person, or in the form of power. I heard that lust doesn't necessarily always mean love, as it could always mean a lust for power as well.**

 **The only reason why the ability didn't work on Ignis wasn't because she was a girl. No, it was because the power involved making direct eye contact, as in with both eyes facing each other. Ignis had lost one eye, her right eye, so she couldn't make direct eye contact, and therefore, she was unaffected. This was also one of the reasons why I made Ignis lose one of her eyes, so she couldn't be affected by magic directed from eye contact.**

 **Next, the songs in this chapter, which represent the situations currently going on at the time. I thought they were rather fitting for the parts they were placed in, and that last song? It was recently new, so when the full song comes out, I'll come back and put in the full lyrics of the song.**

 **Now, I want to talk about yet another one of Dr. Facilier's predictions! This time, it involved the Lovers tarot card, which fits the sin of lust for this world. Obviously, the Lovers tarot card means love, cherishing those you hold dear. Ignis demonstrated this multiple times during the arc when she chose to "love" in the form of protecting others she cared for, whether they were strangers to her or not. Still, the Lovers Reversed symbolism was pretty close to this arc, but there was also another meaning for the upright Lovers card; choice. There was always a choice in this arc. A choice of whether to kill or not to kill, a choice of staying to rest or going out and risking one's own life to fight? A choice to protect or not? Quasimodo made the choice to save Esmeralda, Phoebus chose to defy his orders even if it branded him as traitor, Esmeralda chose to defy Frollo up until the very end, and Frollo chose to use any means necessary to find Esmeralda, and Ignis chose to continue protecting even until her dying breath. There's an additional meaning to the Lovers card; unification. Both Quasimodo and Phoebus rallied up all the civilians to fight to take back their city, Ignis somewhat unified and gained support from others after saving them, and Frollo unified almost all of his men to follow his orders.**

 **So, I mentioned that the Unversed's ability for eye contact was one of the reasons why I had Ignis lose an eye, but that's not all. Another reason was for character development. She needed to develop both physically and mentally, and losing an eye and a limb might be an experience she's not likely to forget anytime soon. I also had her lose a RIGHT eye and a LEFT arm to balance things out, you know, kinda going with the whole balance thing? Don't worry, she'll be able to fight, kinda, you'll see. And I'm not trying to make her like Auron from Final Fantasy, though I don't know too much about him except he appeared in KH2. I'm also not trying to copy this from Fullmetal Alchemist, either, I just think this was something she needed.**

 **As with her armor breaking, don't worry, I've seen a few instances where Keyblade Armor could be repaired. Just look at Ventus' armor, like, I know only the helmet part was broken, but Sora was clad in it including the armor, so that means that Keyblade Armor can be repaired. Also, take a look at Terra's armor. He got it back even after it was destroyed. Well, I guess you need the pieces for the Keyblade Armor to be restored and you couldn't restore your armor if the armor was completely destroyed, but yeah, Ignis will get her Keyblade Armor back. But, as for her initial armor underneath, that was broken beyond repair from her fight with the Unversed. She's not getting new clothing armor in the next arc, but in the arcs after that, she'll get a new character design. Which means a NEW APPEARANCE! YEAH! But, you'll have to wait until the next arc is over.**

 **Oh! I almost forgot! I had to explain why lust is the sin theme for this world! I mean, it's pretty obvious if you watch the movie. Frollo was driven by his LUST for Esmeralda, wanting to keep her for himself. It was also strongly hinted in his Hellfire song. He's pretty much turned into Disney's first ever yandere. There were a few parts of lust within this world, like Quasimodo's innocent love for Esmeralda, Phoebus' more mutual love for the same girl, the soldiers doing...unspeakable things to females out of lust, Ignis kinda loving Vanitas out of lust with Vanitas visualizing Ignis in a more lustful light while they did talk, and much more. Actually, it was thanks to Vanitas' lust for Ignis that he unknowingly created the cow-like Unversed. In the novel for Birth By Sleep, he can control and not control his negative emotional powers, with the backlash always being him forced to endure pain whenever his Unversed died. It could also be hinted that the cow-like Unversed's presence in the world increased the need for lust, given that she is the symbolic sin for lust.**

 **Oh, yeah! I also wanted to talk about Vanitas! Yeah, the main reason he didn't appear and "save the day" was because he didn't find a reason to. Remember, I only mentioned about putting a few Unversed in. Besides, he already met and knew Ignis was in the world before the entire disaster began, so he assumed that she would be fine on her own. He was busy tracking down Aqua, Terra, and Ventus until it was too late, with that too late being his cow-like Unversed dying. Remember, he can feel immense pain whenever one of his Unversed "dies," so he must not have investigated the matter until after his Unversed died.**

 **Right, I wanted to talk about Pyra, next! After so long, after lots of time spent on training, Ignis successfully managed to summon forth her Familiar, which is basically like her spirit animal companion. Pyra is a fire-attribute Familiar taking the form of a tortoise. Tortoises have a symbolic meaning of longevity, wisdom, emotional strength, and most importantly, protection. Tortoises' spiritual meaning means to protect others from anything harmful, whether it's physically or mentally. Ignis' true nature wasn't simply her child-like and cheerful personality, but more towards her desire to protect those she loved, whether she cheers people up or fights to protect them. If Ignis was ever in an RWBY universe and she was born with silver eyes, she would have made a fascinating Silver-eyed maiden, being more similar to Ruby.**

 **Initially, I wanted Ignis' spirit animal to be a phoenix, or at the very least, a fire bird, to represent her freedom. There were other spiritual meanings to being a phoenix, like having a power close to the yin and yang symbols, rising from the ashes and darkness to become stronger, and the usual, transformation, death, and reincarnation into life, but that's not for Ignis. Besides, her Keyblade, Phoenix Fairy, already kinda symbolizes a phoenix, but adding one phoenix with another phoenix would make a person too powerful, so there needed to be a balance. Kinda like with someone having a sword. Offense is good, but you need defense to win as well. Like, the best defense is a good offense, and a good offense is a good defense, and vice versa.**

 **The best offense for Ignis is her Keyblade, representing the phoenix in a physical form. The best defense for her is her spiritual Familiar, a tortoise, representing defense. Simply having only offense would make one a mad dog, and put down like one without anything to protect, while having only defense would make one indestructible from attacks, but it would also render the user from ever moving forward, only staying in one spot. Both offense and defense would support each other to survive and move forward.**

 **Interestingly enough, the phoenix and tortoise symbolism was also inspired by a poem I read before. It was a poem written by Shakespeare called, "The Phoenix and the Turtle." It really shouldn't take you guys long to figure out the connection.**

 **I now want to talk about Mama Odie's potion, the "Second Chance Luck." Remember at the end of the Princess and the Frog world? Right before Ignis left, she was given the potion by Louis to drink, being given the knowledge that the potion's effect would activate if her life was in serious danger. Magic Burst, a term I invented in this story, was continuously activated in this chapter, exchanging parts of Ignis' life force to compensate for her lack of magic power to activate spells, and this would be considered a highly dangerous, risky thing for mages that would be considered a last resort. Ignis was willing to give up her life to stop further evil in this world. And before you say anything, no, life span and life forces are two different things! Even if Ignis' life force was restored, her life span is still cut in half from the protection magic she used on Winnie the Pooh's world!**

 **The potion was meant to only be in effect for a few minutes, stopping Ignis from dying and giving her unlimited amounts of magic power, so no matter how much magic she used, as long as she was in the potion's effect, her magic power would be restored instantly, so that she could heal herself or attack with as many magic spells as she wants. This was a one-time only potion and will never ever be used again. Sure, it may be mentioned from time after time, but it won't be used again. If this thing actually existed, it would make the person too OP, so if Ignis ever finds herself in danger again, she'll never utilize the power of the potion to save her life.**

 **I think that's all I have to say, guys! It was...certainly a huge roller coaster with this arc! Yeah, this is going to traumatize and deliver strong PTSD to Ignis as well as give her Survivor's Guilt in the next arc. I mean, yeah, she's gonna recover, though maybe not completely. You'll have to see. I mean, some signs of PTSD towards men was evident here in the beginning of the story, though not too strongly.**

 **I'm taking a break from this story to focus more on my other stories, but I will return to this story eventually. This isn't over by a long shot, but we've reached the half of this story, so there's a bit more to go! In the next arc, there'll probably be...maybe 5 chapters in the next arc? Oh, come on! Ignis needs to recover! She can't just instantly recover in one chapter and end it all in the next! That'll make her a bit of a Mary Sue! She needs time to recover and get strong! And least it'll be a bit less than this arc! Yeah, not giving you guys a hint of what the next world will be.**

 **Read and review!**


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